Olivia Greene's Arc

Chapter 5 of 8

The tavern sign hung fresh and bright, but Olivia had no time to admire it. Ryan expected her at the greenhouse at dawn to haul rotted beams. That was the deal. Yet three more signs waited across town, and the wages from them belonged to Ryan too. If she painted, she skipped the greenhouse. If she skipped it, she fell behind, and Ryan had warned her that falling behind could void their trade. She stood on the ladder at dawn, brush in hand, choosing one broken promise over another. She chose the paint. A tavern down the street needed its board redone, and the pay was too good to pass. She worked fast. She dragged red letters across weathered wood until the sign read plain and clean. But the sun climbed higher, and her stomach knotted. Ryan was standing in that greenhouse right now, alone, watching the door. "You've got that look." The voice came from behind her. She turned on the ladder. A man leaned against a truck across the way, arms crossed, tattoos dark on his forearms. Ty Donovan. Ryan's older brother. She hadn't seen him in years. He ran the garage now, and he'd never once treated her the way his brother had. Back when they were kids, Ty was the only Donovan who told Ryan to knock it off. "I'm behind," Olivia said. "Ryan wants me at the greenhouse. I can't be two places." Ty pushed off the truck. He walked over and picked up her second brush from the vase at the ladder's foot. He tested the bristles with his thumb. "So paint. I'll take the greenhouse." Olivia stared. "You'd do that?" "Beams need hauling. I've got the arms." He shrugged, but a slow smile pulled at his mouth. "And it'll drive Ryan up a wall. That's a bonus." She almost laughed. "He'll hate it." "He owes you worse than a little hate." They split the day. Ty drove to the greenhouse and cleared the rotted beams Ryan had marked. Olivia stayed with her brushes and finished two more signs before dusk. By evening she had wages in her pocket and no black mark on the deal. She had done the impossible thing. She had been two places at once. Ryan met them back at the tavern as the light faded. He looked at his brother's dirt-streaked hands, then at Olivia, then back at Ty. His jaw tightened. "Didn't ask for your help," Ryan said. "Didn't ask if you wanted it," Ty answered. Ryan said nothing more. He turned and walked off into the dark. But Olivia caught the way his eyes had flicked between them, sharp and hot. She had solved today's problem. She had also lit a fire between two brothers, and she stood right in the middle of it.