could be irritatingly dense. Or he was deliberately deflecting, hoping to get her off message. Not this time. This time was going to be different.
“I’m tendering my resignation.”
“You’re leaving me? There’s nothing tender about that.”
“Not you.” That was a lie of self-protection. No way could she tell him how right he actually was. “I’m leaving your company.”
“You’re abandoning me?”
“You’re so melodramatic. Not everything is about you.”
He squeezed the orange ball until his knuckles turned white. “Didn’t we just go through this?”
“Not just.”
“Same time last year.”
“Pretty close,” she allowed.
It was exactly the same time. There was something about being a few weeks into a new year that made a person want to change their life. And she should have known better than anyone that this man would remember, because he had a mind like a steel trap.
Not to mention a face and body that could make him a model or movie star instead of the megasuccessful businessman he was. Dark brown hair, short and carelessly mussed, complemented the scruff on his cheeks and jaw. He probably hadn’t shaved because he didn’t have to. There were no outside meetings today. No hot date later. Since she kept his calendar, she knew about things like that.
He certainly wasn’t trying to impress her. She thought he looked amazing no matter what. Not that he cared.
Olivia secretly sighed over the scruff—and everything else about her boss. Piercing was the only way to describe his green eyes, which snapped with intelligence and wicked humor. The casual white cotton shirt and worn jeans perfectly showcased his broad shoulders, muscular chest and flat abdomen that were the result of disciplined workouts on the state-of-the-art equipment in his upstairs gym. He could be People magazine’s sexiest CEO and most eligible bachelor.
She would miss the view when she was gone, but sacrifices had to be made for the greater good.
“Okay.” He nodded as if he’d made up his mind. “Based on past data from this time last year, giving notice is your way of asking for a raise.”
“Not really.” When she tried to quit last year, he’d offered her more money, but that wasn’t why she’d stayed.
“Let’s call it a cost-of-living increase. When you do the paperwork, give yourself however much you think is reasonable.” The right corner of his mouth quirked up, unleashing a rogue dimple.
Damn that dimple. It opened the incredibly insubstantial door that was holding back all her insecurity and weakness. Determination, don’t desert me now, she silently begged.
“What if I think the majority share of the company is a reasonable increase?” she asked.
“You don’t.”
“How do you know?”
“There’s not an unfair or dishonest bone in your body.”
So, he’d taken note of her bones. Should she be flattered? Just thinking that made her pathetic. “You can’t be sure I haven’t turned demanding and greedy.”
“I’m willing to risk it.”
The grin punctuating his words was proof that he saw her as a Goody Two-shoes. Wow, warm fuzzy from that.
Back on task. “I’m not here for a raise. I just want to resign.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do,” she said firmly. “Giving notice is the courteous thing to do when one is leaving one’s employer.”
The smile curving his mouth disappeared and those green eyes narrowed, as if he’d finally noticed something different this time. “You can’t be serious about leaving.”
“Sure I can.”
“Well, I don’t accept your resignation.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“The hell I don’t,” he said stubbornly.
“That’s up to you.” She slid her hands into the pockets of her slacks to hide the shaking. “But you’re on notice that two weeks from now I’m not showing up.”
He stood and walked around the desk. This was the part she dreaded, the part where he invaded her personal space without any clue how his blatant masculinity threatened to chase off her determination.
She turned away and concentrated on the fireplace, where wood was burning and crackling. The fire, the furniture, the man—everything—made a person feel warm and cozy inside as a dreary rain soaked the world on the other side of the window.
“Two weeks’ notice is all you’re giving me?”
“It’s standard.” She turned to face him.
“I can’t find a replacement in that short a time. You need to give me a month. Two would be better.”
She shook her head. “I know you, Brady. If I don’t give you a deadline, you won’t even look for anyone.”
“I don’t have time. You know that.”
“So you better get cracking on my replacement.” She turned away again, because the look on his face showed it was starting to sink in that she was completely serious this time. Feeling sorry for him was a luxury she couldn’t afford.
“Don’t do this, Liv.”
The nickname chipped away at her defenses, weakened her resolve. “I have to.”
“Why now? Nothing’s changed in your life.”
She whirled around to look at him. “How do you know?”
“I just do.”
It was his cocky confidence that had anger coiling in her belly. The smug expression in his eyes conveyed his utter belief that her world revolved around him and he was very nearly right about that. Twice before she’d caved after giving notice, and if she didn’t have anything to fight back with she’d cave this time, too.
She could barely breathe, almost as though she needed an oxygen mask, which was why she blurted out the first thing that popped into her mind.
“You’re wrong, Brady. Something in my life has changed, and it’s big.” She looked him straight in the eye and told the biggest lie ever. “I met a man and I’ve fallen in love. I’m moving away from Blackwater Lake to be with him.”
There was some satisfaction in the fact that he was sincerely shocked. “You’re leaving town?”
That’s what got his attention? Not the fact that she was in love? “Yes. For a man.”
She felt compelled to add that last part in case there was any question.
“Where did you meet this man?” His tone was neither suspicious nor curious. Mostly he sounded irritated.
Clearly Olivia hadn’t thought through the made-up boyfriend exit strategy. It never crossed her mind that Brady would ask questions, and she wasn’t particularly good at spontaneous deceit.
“It’s none of your business.”
He folded his arms over his chest and stared her down. “I couldn’t disagree more. You’re not just a valued employee, you’re...”
“What?”
“My friend.”
Olivia made sure the expression on her face didn’t change. For just a second she’d felt hope that he might think of her as more. After five years of not being more it was silly, foolish and stupid to be disappointed, but none of that stopped