Page 55 of Wife By Accident

“That’s great! For a photography job?”

Olivia traced the wood lines of the table with a fingertip. She didn’t meet her sister’s eyes. “No. For another sales job. Here in town.”

“Olivia.” Rachel sounded worried. “I thought you were looking for a job where you could work as a photographer. You’ve been building your portfolio and everything. And as much as I love having you here, there’s no way you want to stay in Idaho.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t live in a fantasy land where I get to do everything I want,” Olivia sighed. “I have to be realistic. There are bills to pay, and there’s no real point in moving back to Seattle.”

She’d also had an offer of an interview in New York, but she’d turned it down. There was no point in moving to New York now, either.

"But you’re so good at photography!” Lily piped up. Her young face was pinched with worry, and Olivia’s heart sank. She never wanted to let her niece down. That was part of what was so hard about all this — she wanted to be a role model, not a heartbroken divorcee with no chance at the career she’d dreamed about.

Well, she wasn’t actually a divorcee yet. Leo hadn’t sent the papers, and Olivia hadn’t been able to bring herself to reach out and ask for them.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” Olivia smiled at her niece. “Maybe I’ll still find a job in photography.”

“How about you run and make sure you have all your homework?” Rachel suggested. Lily nodded and ran off, leaving the sisters alone. Rachel reached out and took Olivia’s hand. “Listen. I know you’re feeling down right now, and I don’t blame you. The situation with Leo was a real mess. But just because that didn’t work out doesn’t mean you don’t deserve everything wonderful in life. You should have a job you love, in a city you love, with someone you love by your side.”

“None of those really feel possible right now,” Olivia admitted.

“Look. Leo messed up, big time, by letting you go. But don’t let him win. Don’t give up on your dreams because of him.”

“I’m not!” Olivia protested. “I’m trying to be responsible. It doesn’t make sense to chase a career in photography when I don’t have enough money to make it happen. I’m already relying on your charity now.”

“Charity?” Rachel frowned. “We’re sisters. I’m giving you a place to stay because I love you, I care about you, and I want you around. Why would that be charity?”

“I just… I don’t want to rely on charity ever again. Not after what it was like as kids.”

“I know that was hard,” Rachel sighed. “But there’s a difference between lying around letting people give you things and accepting help when you need it. I would never think twice about helping you, just like you would never think twice about helping me. That isn’t charity.”

“But I was a charity case to Leo!” Olivia blurted out. “When I read the postnup, the one that made sure I couldn’t take anything from him, he offered to give me money so that I could become a photographer. And it wasn’t worth it.”

“That can’t have felt good,” Rachel took her hands. “But think about it. What if Leo was offering you that money because he cares about you, not because he thinks of you as a charity case? Maybe he just wanted you to succeed.”

“If he wanted me to succeed, if he cared about me, he wouldn’t have hidden the postnup from me. He would have talked to me.”

“Maybe he’s just an idiot,” Rachel suggested. Olivia managed a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Just then, Lily hurried back in with her backpack. Rachel and Olivia turned their attention to the young girl, but Olivia couldn’t stop thinking about what Rachel had said. It made it better to think that Leo really had cared about her, even if he’d had trouble expressing it well.

Still, even if he had cared about her, he’d hurt her. Deeply.

Rachel had been right about something else, though. Olivia should continue to chase her dreams, regardless of anything else. Maybe she was worth believing in.

CHAPTER 24

LEO

Leo was alone.

He’d been alone before, but this was different. This time, he didn’t enjoy the solitude. He couldn’t focus on work. He couldn’t focus on anything.

Olivia was gone, and without her, his life was empty. He had only his empty apartment, his office, and his lonely walk back and forth between them. He didn’t have Kyle anymore — being without Olivia made him really face that. She’d opened his heart, and now, he couldn’t close it again.

Leo knew Kyle was gone. He could accept that, no matter how much it hurt. He’d found closure with his brother at the canyon in Nevada, and he knew Kyle would always be with him, in his own way. Olivia had helped him see that, too.

But every time he remembered that Olivia would never again greet him from the couch or go on a walk with him or kiss him, his heart broke all over again. He couldn’t accept that she was gone forever. He couldn’t accept that she had really left.

But she had.