Flowers in Bloom

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

“You did what?” Olivia shouted in disbelief.

“Take it easy, darling,” Sebastian urged.

“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down.” She threw a tea towel at him from across the kitchen. “You went out last night without saying a word. You crawled into bed at three o’clock in the morning, and now you’re telling me this?”

Sebastian chuckled. He loved it when Olivia was feisty, but he was concerned that her blood pressure would go through the roof if she got too upset at this late stage in her pregnancy.

“A tea towel? Is that all you’ve got in your arsenal?” He laughed and walked over to her. He lifted her chin with his thumb and gently kissed her lips. Olivia smiled. She could never stay angry with him for very long.

“Emily’s going to be furious. You can tell her. I’m keeping out of it.” Olivia poured Sebastian a mug of coffee and waddled over to the table with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for herself. “And don’t gloat, you always have that look of triumph on your face when you’ve won an argument.”

“Ok, fine,” he smirked. “I’ll be nice and business-like when I tell her. Please, just sit down and relax.”

“Tell who what?” Emily was at the doorway of the kitchen, desperately seeking coffee to counter the Chateau Margaux.

“Hi,” Olivia said awkwardly.

“Hey,” Emily replied with a gentle smile. “And how are you this morning Sebastian?” She poured herself a coffee and sat down at the table in front of her friends.

“Rather good, as it happens,” Sebastian flashed Emily his most enchanting smile.

Olivia glared at him and muttered, “You promised.”

“I went to see Edward last night,” Sebastian paused and looked at Emily. Her face had turned white. “We talked for quite a long time. He’s Georgiana’s godfather and a close friend of the entire family, actually. We had a lot to discuss.”

“Oh my God, what have you done?” she rounded on Sebastian.

“You’re now looking at the new owner of The Riverside, paperwork pending of course, but Edward won’t back out of a deal with me. He’s an honourable man.”

Emily jumped up from the table, knocking her coffee cup on to the floor where it shattered into tiny pieces. “You f*****g arsehole. How could you?” she shrieked.

“As you said last night, it’s just business,” Sebastian replied.

“Don’t give me that s**t. You did this on purpose. My boss is going to f*****g kill me.” Emily’s voice was getting louder as she directed her venomous attack at Sebastian. “You really are a piece of work, you know? What Olivia sees in you is beyond me.”

Sebastian smirked. “You’ll never win that argument darling. I guarantee that she’ll side with me over you, any day of the week.”

Olivia was dumbstruck. She wanted to intervene but just sat motionless, watching the argument unfold in front of her. Her beloved husband and her best friend were falling out in the most dramatic fashion, and she couldn’t bear to listen to their hateful jibes any longer. She stood up and quietly backed out of the room, unnoticed by either Sebastian or Emily, and took refuge in the study.

The argument raged for a further five minutes before Sebastian realised Olivia had disappeared, and it stopped him in his tracks. He looked at Emily and said, “This is no good for Liv. If you can’t be civil then I suggest you go back to London. It’s not like there’s anything to stay for now, anyway.”

He walked out of the room in search of Olivia, leaving Emily reeling.

“f*****g arsehole.” She muttered over and over.

“I thought we were going to calm things down this morning,” Hattie said as she walked into the kitchen. “But from what I just overheard, you’ve done anything but that.”

“It wasn’t all me,” Emily snapped. “I knew she’d take his side.”

“What did you expect?” Hattie shook her head. “I know you two have been best friends forever, but Sebastian is her husband. Olivia would walk over hot coals for you, just don’t ask her to choose between you and him as you’ll be sorely disappointed by her decision.”

“Well I know that now, don’t I?” Emily sneered. “I won’t stay where I’m not wanted.” She pushed past Hattie, grabbed her overnight bag, and was in her car speeding down the driveway within minutes.

Olivia watched through the window as Emily drove away, and her heart sank. “I can’t believe she just walked out,” she said as Sebastian entered the room. “And why did you have to goad her like that?”

“Because she bloody deserved it,” Sebastian replied. “But I’m sorry that you’re upset. That’s the last thing I wanted.” He pulled her into his arms.

“What’s done is done,” Olivia sighed. “I’m angry too, believe me. I just don’t want to argue about it.”

Sebastian placed his hands on her belly. “We’ve got more important things to concentrate on right now. Let’s get this baby born, and then you two can kiss and make up.”

“And what about you?” Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to hold a grudge against her forever?”

“It was just an argument. It’ll blow over,” he replied. “Besides, we’ve got the club so there’s really nothing to fight about anymore.”

“That remains to be seen,” Olivia said. “She’ll get into so much trouble for letting this deal slip through her fingers.”

Sebastian silenced her with a kiss. “Let it go darling. It will be fine, trust me.”