Over the Edge (Bridge #3)(29)
I needed to burn off some of that tension, so after a long day filled with details and a level of multitasking that challenged even me, I found myself on the treadmill, eager for the burn in my muscles. I set an aggressive program on the machine, put my headphones in, and began.
Only a few minutes in, my phone rang, and my mother’s name appeared on the screen.
I turned off the treadmill and slowed my pace as the machine did. “Hi, Mom.”
“Olivia.” Her tone was tight, which wasn’t unusual for her, but most of the time she called me after a couple of lunchtime cocktails, a regular indulgence that she and her socialite friends shared on any given day of the week.
“What’s going on?”
“I’d like to ask you the same thing. What do you think you’re doing, seeing Will Donovan, and why am I only now hearing of this?”
I collected my water bottle, stepped off my machine, and walked away from the noise of the gym as quickly as my feet would carry me. Cameron was in the back office and all the rooms were occupied with classes, so I went outside.
“Who told you that?”
“Everyone knows everyone, and there’s certainly nothing more interesting to talk about up here. You will end this at once. I’ll not have you married off to the son of a convict.”
I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. “You’re getting a little ahead of yourself, Mother. I’m not marrying anyone, and as far as I know, no one’s been convicted of anything. Even if charges come down on Will’s father, it has nothing to do with him.”
“Rumor says he’s going to take over his father’s hedge fund. If that’s the case, he is involved enough. We invested a million dollars with Reilly and Donovan.”
My jaw fell. “What? When did this happen?”
She sighed. “Back in the spring. You know Vanessa used to work there. Darren lost his temper and got into some trouble with Reilly. Frank did what he felt was best to de-escalate the situation. At the time, it seemed like a sound investment.”
“How come no one ever told me?”
“Why on earth would your father keep you informed of his investments? You left here with hardly any notice. You still haven’t explained why. We thought things were going well with Rob, and suddenly you’re packing your bags and running off to the city with your brothers.”
I clenched my teeth. Everything about this exchange was upsetting and hurtful. I loved my mother, but her claws were constantly out. She rarely cared about how her words fell or how her cold demeanor affected those around her. I’d adopted her coldness because it protected me from people I needed to keep at a distance. But I’d never been able to lash out with words quite the way she could. Watching from the sidelines as she shredded my family and those close to us was one thing. Being the target of her discontent was another.
“I told you I was done talking about Rob.”
My father’s rising star had been a distant memory well before Will had entered my life, and I had no desire to relive my time with him. The one night I’d let him get too close still made my skin crawl when I thought of it.
“He’s handsome, comes from a great family, and your father is bringing him up through the company, mentoring him. He could be a partner at this rate. It would have been a good match.”
“You pushed me at him! You both did. Do you want to know the truth? I slept with him, and I hated every minute of it. I woke up in the morning, and I didn’t recognize myself. I had to leave.”
She made a sound of disgust. “I don’t want to hear about those things. You know that, Olivia.”
“Then you don’t want to hear about what’s going on with Will, either. Stay out of my love life, and I’ll spare you the details.”
“Olivia,” she snapped, her tone loud and sharp. “You don’t speak to me that way. What has gotten into you?”
Panic tightened around me, a familiar sensation when I was at risk of upsetting my parents, the rulers of the purse strings that kept me in the life I’d grown accustomed to. Unlike Maya and Vanessa, who’d had to work and struggle to stay afloat through every year of school, I’d wanted for nothing. Clothes, trips, beauty appointments. Long after graduation, I still relied on my parents to bridge the gap between my income with helping Cameron and affording a life of privilege.
Being “cut off” was a real and present danger. Then Will’s words from the day we’d met echoed in my mind. The way he described my life had angered me, no doubt. But it had made me a little sick too. It made me wish I could crawl out of my skin and be someone else, anyone but that girl…
“I can’t talk right now, Mom.” I couldn’t stomach telling her any more. This conversation had to end.
“You’re ending it with Will, correct?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Olivia, do I need to come down there and talk some sense into you? This isn’t like you. You’re worrying me, and when your father learns of this, I can guarantee he’s not going to be happy.”
“I have to go.” My voice was hollow.
I ended the call and leaned back against the building. She called again, and I sent it to voice mail, something I never did.
But something had to change. Even as I questioned the choices I’d made since meeting Will, I knew deep down that I was changing, and not just on the outside. This wasn’t a new style or a dramatic haircut. This wasn’t a move or an expensive soul-searching vacation. I wasn’t trying on something just to feel different for a little while. The foundation of who I thought I was for so many years was crumbling. And as much as I may have wanted to please and appease my parents, I wasn’t sure I could help it.