Chapter 8

Chapter Rating: PG

Why would she say that?

Natalia knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Olivia's meaning behind her words was far less than innocent. Her confusion was more about why her stomach felt like she had just gone over a roller coaster. With the eyes... and the voice... she was still sitting there trying to figure it all out when her brother gave her a slap on the shoulder.

"Cheer up there, big sis". His usage of terms such as that made Natalia's skin crawl and he knew it. It had begun when his own mother had passed away and their father insisted on having him come and live with his wife and daughter. But even to this very day, Mateo and Natalia Rivera were battling a secret war between them.

"This will be all over before you know it," he grinned evilly at her. He could not care less about the fate of the hotel and it infuriated Natalia. Mateo laughed at the expression on his half-sister's face. "Dear ol' Dad wants us all to take the newbies out to dinner at Contessas's this evening."

Natalia's heart sank at the thought of having to sit around all night smiling and being polite. "Now, if you'll excuse me," he continued. "I, for one, am going to go relish the pleasure of asking the incredibly salacious Ms. Spencer to be my dinner 'companion'."

You actually had the audacity to mime the air quotes over 'companion'! God you're an ass! Natalia rolled her eyes and followed Mateo out of the room.

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Why did I say that? Olivia stood in front of a row of vending machines across from the elevators digging in her wallet for change. There's no way she could have misunderstood what that meant. Why the hell did I feel the need to be so brazen? In her mind she knew the real question was why it excited her so intensely to see the reaction of those words on Natalia's face.

What is the real nature of this little competition between us? Where the hell are all my quarters? 

She managed to find the right amount of change and started inserting it into the machine. She pressed the button to dispense a bottle of water but nothing came out. She pressed the button again. Still nothing. Goddamn you, Luck!

Just then, her phone rang. She grabbed it from her purse and flipped it open.

"Olivia Spencer," she said rather harshly. "Oh, hello Jane.   How is everything going?"

Jane was Olivia's full time caregiver for Emma while she was away from Springfield. She asked how her daughter was doing and listened to the full report while her palm once again slammed on the button that was irrationally withholding the much-needed water from her.

Natalia happened to be passing by and stopped a few short feet from her, gauging whether she really needed to lend the woman a hand or not. She noticed she was talking on the phone...and surprise, surprise, beating up my hotel...

"Yes, put her on the phone, please," she heard Olivia say. "Emma, Baby!"

Natalia heard the dramatic shift in the woman's voice and watched her as she crouched down towards the ground. She thought for a moment that perhaps Olivia had dropped something but, as she got a bit closer, all she could see was Olivia speaking into the phone, mindless of her busy surroundings.

"I know, Baby-Girl, I miss you sooooo much, too, but you know what? I'm gonna have tons of souvenirs for you when I get home in a few days, and we will a spend a whole bunch of time watching movies and eating ice cream; how would you like that?"

There was so much tenderness in her voice and, at that moment, Natalia realized that Olivia wasn't crouching down to pick something up from the ground. She was kneeling as though her daughter were right in front of her. Her instinct was to bring herself down to the little girl's level; her mind allowing her to pretend that she was staring into her little eyes as she talked on the phone.

The emotion that suddenly flowed through Natalia was intense. It was as though the scene before her had somehow triggered a memory from someone else's life. Or perhaps it was the long suppressed one from her own. At that thought, her heart felt stabbed with pain.

Olivia stood up again and was trying to maneuver putting her wallet back into her purse, which was on the arm that held her phone. The wallet dropped to the ground as Natalia stepped towards her. They both bent down to pick it up but Natalia's was the first hand to reach it.

She picked it up slowly and looked at the open wallet in her hand. In the front flap where it looked like a mirror should have been, she saw a tiny picture of a young girl. She immediately recognized the beautiful eyes – eyes that looked so much like the ones staring down at her.

Emma.

She held the older woman's gaze.

"I love you, Baby..." There was a pause.

"Okay, Bye-Bye."

Natalia slowly handed the wallet back to Olivia, who took it without looking away from the other woman. She saw dark brown eyes that were displaying something that she had never seen before... ever. She had no idea what the look meant.

Natalia said nothing and walked back in the direction in which she was heading previously.

Olivia watched in confusion. Well, that was new!

She turned to leave also and was brought face to face with the taller version of the woman that was walking away.

Wonderful!