her way downstairs, smelled coffee before she got there.
Sasha stood in front of the largest window of the great room, staring out.
“Oh, wow.” Snow had dumped. A good foot covered the ground, whitening everything in sight.
“Good morning,” Sasha said. The woman sipped her coffee. “I’d ask if you slept well, but everyone in the house knows you didn’t.”
And for whatever reason, Olivia started to laugh. “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.”
Sasha lifted her coffee cup in the air without looking back. “Touché.”
Olivia rolled her shoulders and went straight to the coffee maker. “Where is everyone?”
“AJ’s on the monitors, and Lars and Isaac are clearing snow off of sensors and making sure the generator is running for if we lose power.”
The sheer amount of snow suggested a power outage was a when and not an if. “Are the monitors even necessary at this point? No one has come looking for me yet.”
Sasha pulled her attention off the snow and turned to her. “Doesn’t mean they won’t.”
Olivia wasn’t about to argue. She’d been thinking this whole setup was overkill for a couple of weeks. But since she still didn’t know her real name, she let it be. It wasn’t like she had anywhere to go.
“Any word from Neil? Did the kid survive meeting Daddy?”
“Talked to him this morning. He avoided the conversation.”
Olivia laughed. “Sounds like a Neil move.”
“He loves his girl. Can’t fault him for that.” Sasha took a seat at the kitchen counter.
Olivia leaned against the island, enjoyed the dark-roast caffeine as it slid down her throat. “Will you and AJ have kids?”
Sasha cleared her throat. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for babies.”
Olivia had a hard time picturing Sasha in mommy mode.
“We did talk about adopting someday. Older kids. The forgotten ones.”
The image of a yard filled with children of all ages flittered in Olivia’s head. They were laughing, yelling . . . wearing uniforms and throwing snowballs and talking with thick accents.
“Olivia?”
She shook her head and returned to the conversation.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Sorry. The snow has me thinking about Harry Potter . . . of all things.” She blinked a few times. “Adoption, huh?”
Sasha stared, eyes searching. “I’m not getting younger, and the thought of a parasite living inside my body makes me a bit uneasy.”
Olivia laughed. “If that’s the reference you use, then it’s probably best you adopt.”
“As AJ keeps telling me.”
The sound of a door hitting a wall upstairs had them both jumping.
“Olivia!”
Leo was yelling her name.
“Olivia?”
She put her coffee cup on the counter and started toward the stairs.
Leo saw her from the top and stopped dead in his tracks. He’d pulled on his pants but left his shirt behind.
“What’s wrong?”
He dropped down on his ass right there at the top of the stairs and placed both hands on his knees as if trying to gain control.
Olivia walked up and knelt in front of him. “What’s wrong?”
He grabbed her hand.
Leo was trembling, his eyes wide with fear. “I thought you were . . .” He blew out a breath.
“You thought I was what?”
He shook his head. “You weren’t there when I woke up. I thought you were gone.”
“Where would I go?”
There was serious stress in his eyes.
He was really upset. Her mind pushed at her, knocking. “Leo. I’m right here.”
She stood, bringing him to his feet with her.
Leo looked beyond her at Sasha, who stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching.
“Apparently we both have a hard time waking up rationally,” Olivia teased.
He reached for her. His hug felt as if it was the last time he’d see her.
She wanted to assure him she wasn’t going anywhere but hesitated. Something about the moment felt off.
Really off.
He kissed her briefly. “I’m going to shower.”
“I’m going to finish my coffee.”
With a kiss to the top of her head, he walked away and disappeared into his bedroom.
Olivia laughed it off as she made her way back into the kitchen. “You make love one time and the guy loses his shit,” she said to Sasha.
“One time?”
“Were we really that loud?”
Sasha drank her coffee and didn’t answer.
Leo let the water rush down his face, pulling with it the adrenaline that had been surging throughout his body from the moment his eyes had opened and Olivia was gone.
“Fuck,” he said under his breath.
He felt like there was an hourglass glued to the table, and when the last grain of sand slid down the tiny hole, it would all be over. There was no way to tilt the glass over, stop the train