now she didn’t need to, and she had plenty of time to get on with the work she had brought with her.
With a plate of crackers, cheese, veggies, and hummus, she settled at the large formal dining table that could easily accommodate twelve people. The window looked west, and from that vantage point, she was bound to catch the sunset.
The top of the list was the reopening of the events hall the following year. Emerson had asked her to pull together the specifications for the interior. Given she’d been so involved in the old one, Olivia knew what worked and what didn’t. But it was such a large request. Sure, the architects working with them were experts, but shit, what if she forgot something important? What if she forgot to mention that she hoped to expand the range of business offerings, and if the hall was used for corporate events, it would be great if there were a few more breakout rooms? Or what if she forgot to mention that she’d like to be able to split the main hall in half for when smaller events were happening? Years ago, she’d forgotten to include the events hall when she’d filled out the insurance forms for her father. Who knew what else she could forget?
It was time to pull up her big girl panties and make some decisions.
She glanced down at the budget outline, then back up at the mountains. As she thought about things she needed to tell the architect, she doodled on the corner of the page. The slope of the peaks, the dense needles of the pines. A whisp of clouds.
As the sun set over the mountains, Olivia systematically worked through each item on her list. By the time she was finished, she had as many questions as she had decisions, and her page was covered in sketches, front and back.
She felt a sense of peace as all the thoughts and worries that had been fluttering around her head were now down on paper, never to be forgotten. Future thoughts could be captured the same way. More importantly, the sketching had soothed her, had taken away some of the worries and pressure she’d felt.
They weren’t her best work, but perhaps they didn’t need to be to enjoy the process. For the first time in months, she wondered where her watercolor paints were. She hadn’t used them since she’d moved in with her dad. They must be in one of the totes under her bed at Natalie’s apartment.
Stretching, she raised her hands in the air and cracked her neck. The clock on her phone said she’d been seated for three hours. Figuring she’d probably come back to the project over the weekend, she left the papers on the table. There was nothing confidential. It didn’t matter if Anders saw them.
Ninety minutes later, Olivia was showered and dressed in an oversized cream sweater and gray knee-high socks. The crackle and scent of the fire catching filled the room. With a plate of salmon and fresh salad, Olivia was ready for the game.
While the enjoyment level of being at the game in person was higher, watching it on TV was much better than watching it at the arena. First, she could keep up with the puck, as the camera did a lot of the work for her. Second, she could see Anders’s face more clearly.
If only his face actually revealed anything. Stoic was a word she could use to describe him. There were plays she thought he did well, with what little expertise she had. Passes that led to two goals. Several attempts on net of his own. But there were also things that didn’t look so great. Hitting the boards with a thunk, ending up flat on the ice thanks to a brute who played for Dallas. Yet, his face remained completely neutral. He’d simply get up and skate away. Definitely not a hothead.
She knew he felt things. God, she’d seen him feel things. Seen him laugh, seen him frown, seen him come apart as he lay on top of her. But the on-ice version lived up to his nickname, the Iceberg.
After a prolonged period of time repressing her own feelings, Olivia knew it was unhealthy. She wondered what it cost Anders to keep everything he felt so deeply inside himself.
At the end of the game, the Denver Rush had won but there was minimal celebration. The team skated straight off the ice. As Olivia flicked channels to find something