69

Olivia McDonald.

I woke up to the loud ringing of my phone, the sound piercing through the silence of the bedroom. Blindly reaching out on the nightstand, I moved my hand around until I found it. With my eyes still closed, I answered the phone and pressed it to my ear, waiting for whoever was on the next line to say something first.

As I listened, I recognized the warm, familiar tone of my grandma's voice. "Olivia, sweetie, I have some amazing news! Your store is doing better than ever! Chloe said we sold out of every single piece of clothing!"

My eyes snapped open, and I sat up straight, my heart racing with excitement. "Oh my gosh, Grandma, that's incredible! How did that even happen? Is it just one style or is it all of it?" I asked, trying to keep my enthusiasm in check.

My grandma chuckled and continued, "No, no, it's not just one style, it's everything! Everything is gone sweetheart, Chloe says if you check the website you will see. She also said that she already made more orders, so you shouldn't worry about that."

I couldn't contain my excitement. That was really amazing and I am so grateful to my cousin. "Grandma, I can't believe this is happening."

My curiosity getting the better of me. How did that happen so fast? I wondered if the girls had anything to do with it.

"Don't worry about how it happened, my child, just be thankful that God is smiling down on you," Grandma says from the other line.

Grandma was right. I need to be grateful, but this was just unbelievable. It was a dream come true! I felt like I was on top of the world, and I couldn't wait to get back to Jamaica so I could expand my store. This was just incredible, not long ago Harper helped me pick out new designs and now I had sold out everything.

"Grandma, thank you for telling me," I said, feeling grateful for her support.

"I'm so proud of you, my baby, and I know your mom would be, too. You're doing an amazing job." Her words warmed my heart, and I felt a surge of motivation to keep pushing myself forward. The mention of my late mom also brought tears to my eyes. Times like this, I miss her more than ever. I wish she was here to see all that I have accomplished.

"Thank you, grandma. Say hi to Chloe and Paris for me. I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"Love you too, my child," she said before hanging up the phone. I didn't want to sleep anymore. It was six in the morning and I was now more motivated than before to face the day.

Although I felt a pang of disappointment, the kiss with Zack yesterday ended as fast as it started, and I felt used. The second he pulled away, he apologized before heading for the door and leaving me to get a hold of my emotions. He didn't even spare me a glance after his lips left mine. I hadn't seen him since. I couldn't help but replay the scene in my mind, feeling a mix of emotions: shock, embarrassment, and a dash of anger. Why had he kissed me? He was just going to regret it and ignore me after? Was it just a moment of weakness on his part?

As I sat in bed, trying to process my thoughts and emotions, I couldn't help but think about our conversation yesterday. The moment had been awkward, and it seemed as if he was fighting to find the right words. But then, out of nowhere, he had kissed me.

I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the lingering feelings of disappointment. My focus should be on my store, my studies, and my future. I couldn't let Zack's actions dictate how I felt about myself or have me sitting beside her thinking about why he did what he did.

I tossed off the covers and got out of bed, deciding to take a long, hot shower to clear my head.

As the water cascaded down my body, I felt some of the tension melt away, replaced by a renewed sense of determination. I was going to make this day count, no matter what Zack had done.

After drying off and getting dressed, I headed downstairs to start my day. My grandma's call had given me a new perspective on things, and I was ready to tackle whatever came my way.

To my surprise, Zack was in the kitchen, making breakfast. His sudden appearance was like a punch to the gut, especially with how good he looked. I wanted to ignore him like he did to me, but this was his house that we were staying at, and I didn't want to be rude.

"Good morning," I said, trying to sound as neutral as possible as I reached for the coffee to pour myself some.

Zack looked up from the stove, his eyes locking onto mine for a brief moment before he turned back to his cooking. "Good morning," he said gruffly, his tone not exactly warm and fuzzy.

I felt a flutter in my chest, but I tried to shake it off. Why was he still acting strange around me? This was not my fault. I was not the one who started the kiss. I tried to ignore him and the feelings that I had for him, and it was going well until he kissed me. Now he was giving me the cold shoulder, which I never expected from someone like Zack.

I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the present moment. I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table, trying to gather my thoughts. I thought of my call with Grandma and how all of that happened. My laptop was in my bag upstairs and I need to check to see how much we have made from having everything sold out. This was just so unbelievable.

Just as I was starting to feel like I couldn't take sitting here anymore, Zack finally spoke up. "Hey, I reckon we should have a little chat," he said, his tone still a bit distant. He places a plate of waffles, eggs, and sausage in front of me.

I nodded and mumbled, "Thanks." Feeling a mix of emotions. What was he going to say? Was he going to apologize for kissing me and then ignoring me? Or was he going to tell me that it meant nothing and that we should just move on?

Zack sat down across from me. "I'm sorry," he said, his eyes finally looking into mine. "I was really out of line yesterday. I shouldn't have kissed you."

I felt a surge of relief at his apology. "Okay," I said, trying to sound calm. "You regret it, so you ignored me. Let's just go back to normal."

Zack shook his head. "That's not it, Olivia. You're a peach and you're good with my daughter. I'm not gonna lie, darlin', we have quite a few things in common and I'm attracted to you, which is why I kissed you."

I felt a pang of sadness at his words. He was admitting that he had feelings for me, but he had still hurt me by ignoring me after the kiss. "But?"

Zack scratches his neck nervously. "But I'm not ready to be in a relationship."

Just as we were getting into the conversation, Harper, Ophelia, and Tamia walked into the kitchen, chatting and laughing together.

Zack quickly moves back to what he was doing, and I try to wipe the disappointed look from my face.

"Good morning!" Harper said. "What's going on?"

Zack smiled awkwardly. "Just having a chat while making breakfast," he said.

Ophelia raised an eyebrow. "A chat about what? Did our friend here open up to you and tell you why she's been such a mood kill since yesterday?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Zack hesitated before speaking up. "It's all in your head sis, Liv seems fine to me," he whispered.

My friends exchanged a look before Tamia spoke up. "So what's for breakfast?" she asked, thankfully dropping the topic.

I signed in relief, although I know they won't just drop it like this. They were most likely waiting for me to tell them what happened. "Apparently waffles, eggs and sausage," I tell her.

The kitchen fell silent for a moment before Harper spoke up again. "Smells great."

Tamia takes the seat next to mine and steals a piece of my waffles. "Can I have a double of everything?"

Zack nodded sheepishly. "Coming right up."

Ophelia goes over and grabs a plate to help herself. "So did anything new happen?"

I felt a lump form in my throat as I looked at my friends. They were all looking at me with concern in their eyes.

Were they back on the topic of why I was acting strange?

"My store sold out. Did you guys have anything to do with it?" I decided to ask before stuffing my face with eggs.

They all looked guilty. "Let's just say we have people in high places," Harper says, avoiding eye contact.

"I'm not a charity case, guys," I tell them. I appreciate that they are trying to be helpful, but I don't want them to come to my rescue whenever I am drowning in debt.

"Bitch, no one said you were a charity case," Tamia says. “Harper and Ophelia have just forwarded your website to a few people who expressed their liking for it and made purchases. No one held them at gunpoint.”

"Rich people won't waste their money on my store unless someone made them do it."

Tamia rolls her eyes in annoyance and Ophelia walks over. "You need to stop doubting yourself. Those designs on your website were really good and if someone has a good eye for fashion, they will recognize that and purchase from you."

"The people I know aren't shallow, Liv," Harper says. "It doesn't matter if it's designer or not. My mom and my aunt were not that different from you. They were not born into money. They made their way up because they were good at what they did and so are you."

I felt like crap. Instead of being grateful and appreciative for having them around, I was busy feeling sad about myself.

"I'm sorry," I say, feeling bad.

"We get it, Liv, but don't ever feel like we see you as a charity case," Ophelia tells me. "We are family and we will do anything for you. Just accept it without feeling bad."