Chapter 256
Sara walked out of the dining room with a glass of watermelon juice in her hand, just in time to see Oliver come in with a face like a storm. She started to wave hello, but thought better of it and quietly dropped her hand.
She watched him march upstairs, clearly furious.
That’s when Patricia walked in.
“Aunt Patricia, did you make Uncle Oliver mad again?”
“Something like that.”
Sara clucked her tongue. “From the way you sound, you’re not even sorry you upset him, just annoyed about it! Come on, spill. Maybe I can help you figure this out.”
Patricia hesitated, half–thinking about whether to throw herself under the bus.
Right then, the whole story tumbled out.
“I was late, and your Uncle Oliver got all worked up. I told him he shouldn’t get so angry or he’ll get old faster. Then he said, ‘Don’t think I don’t know you two call me an old man behind my back.”
Sara nearly choked. Are you kidding me? When had Patricia ever called him that?
That was totally her. Every single time it was her.
“Aunt Patricia,” Sara cried.
“I love you!”
“You’re my favorite woman in the whole world, even more than my own mom.”
Sara handed Patricia the juice like a loyal little sidekick. “Freshly made, Aunt Patricia, just for you.”
“I don’t want it! I need to go upstairs and straighten things out. I never called him an old man.”
Sara immediately clung to her leg, fake–crying. “No, Aunt Patricia, if you leave me, I’m doomed!”
“Better you than me. Come on, get up,” Patricia tried to pull her off.
Sara just shook her head for dear life, refusing to budge.
She knew Colton and Roger were still getting chewed out at Golden Bay. No way was she going back there.
She’d die. Seriously, she would die.
“Let go-”
“No way-”
Bang.
Upstairs, a door slammed so loud the whole house shook.
Patricia and Sara both froze.
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Chapter 256
“Aunt Patricia, you better go calm Uncle Oliver down,” Sara whispered. “You know how to do that, right? If not, I can look up some tips for you.”
Sara was already on her phone, scrolling through an app. “I’ll find something right now.”
Patricia stood at the study door, hand raised to knock but hesitating. She still had no idea what to say.
Her phone buzzed with a message from Sara. She didn’t want to look, but honestly, she was out of
ideas.
She checked it.
“28 Ways to Make Up With a Man, Tip #1: Sexy Lingerie.”
Patricia rolled her eyes. She really should’ve known better than to trust Sara.
Oliver’s study was huge. Behind his big desk, the wall was lined with bookshelves stuffed full. There was a built–in safe in the far right corner for all his important documents.
Patricia always thought his study was just too stiff, like an office instead of a home.
But today, as she pushed open the door, she realized it wasn’t the room that was so uptight–it was
Oliver himself.
He was leaning against the desk, trimming a cigar, not even glancing at her as she came in.
His hands kept moving.
Patricia steadied herself, then reached over and took the cigar from his hand. “Let me do it.”
Oliver watched her, his eyes following her practiced movements. It stung, remembering that she
knew how to smoke.
A wave of pain swept over him.
His hand at his side slowly curled into a fist.
“Want me to light it?” she asked.
When Patricia looked up, she found herself staring right into his deep, unreadable eyes.
Oliver’s voice was low and tight. “Why were you late today?”
“Tina stopped me when I was leaving. She needed something, and I lost track of time.”
He didn’t take the cigar back, just looked down at her, his tone stern. “Patricia, you’re always busy. Busy dealing with Ruby. Busy dealing with Kelly. Busy dealing with Theo. You’re running around fixing everyone’s problems–everyone except mine.”
“Let me handle something for once, okay? Please?”
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