Kiss Me at Midnight

Chapter Four

Olivia was walking through the parking lot of serendipity bar on Friday night when her phone began ringing from inside her bag, making Olivia briefly stop to answer her ringing phone.

"Hello?" Olivia asked without needing to see the name on her screen.

"Hi to you too, Liv."

At the sound of his voice, Olivia knew whom she was on the other end of the line.

"Ty. It's so good to hear your voice. I love you and I miss you." Even though it had only been a day since she saw him in the flesh. She couldn't wait to wrap her arms around her fiancé again.

"It's good to hear your voice too. I'm missing you so much as well. You have no idea," Ty said, pausing to take note of the sound in the background of wherever Olivia was, prompting him to ask a question. "Where are you? What is that music?"

Olivia sighed with a groan. "That's the sound of my past. I'm at a bar catching up with old friends."

The music he was referring to was Christmas music from a variety of country artists currently being relayed loudly through the speakers of the bar she was at. During the festive season, Christmas music was the only thing Bennings Creek businesses loved to play and even after.

"Have fun then. I called to hear my fiancé's voice. And I'll speak with you later. I love you."

"I love you too."

Ty was so sweet. She almost felt guilty for even thinking about Leila's father when she had an amazing man in her life that loved her completely and wanted to commit to a life with both Olivia and Leila. The phone called ended leaving Olivia with a dopey smile on her face as she slipped her phone back into her bag and walked towards the opening of the bar.

Before Olivia pushed open the entrance of the bar, she wondered what tonight would bring; half hoping she wouldn't run into her daughter's father. She didn't want to see Jay tonight. Olivia didn't think she could handle seeing him when she was only here to catch up with Matt and meet his wife. Olivia had no intention of reminiscing over the old days of her past romance with Jay or with anybody else who asked how she was. Olivia had apparently moved on from her failed relationship with Leila's father.

Olivia knew Bennings Creek residents could be meddlesome at the best of times and her too, like the rest of the town, had once loved to find out the latest gossip of those living in Bennings Creek when she still lived here.

When Olivia stepped into Serendipity Bar, memories—not necessarily cherished—washed over her in a way she didn't expect those memories to wash over her.

"Olivia? Olivia Cane, is that you?" She had heard her name mentioned before she caught sight of the person saying it. Was this really how people would greet her every time they saw her again for the first time? It hadn't been that long since she had been back to Bennings Creek. Granted this year was the first time she hadn't just dropped Leila off at Jay's or her parent's house and then driven off like she usually did whenever Leila visited her father and grandparents but six years wasn't that long of a time to be away from your hometown. She had known people to be gone longer than that.

Olivia turned to find a woman she remembered from her school days waving at her with a grin on her face and a baby on her hip.

Olivia racked her brain trying to remember her name although she could distinctly remember it starting with a B.

Was it Bethany, Beth, Bonnie or Bianca?

Something triggered in Olivia's mind and the name Baylee stuck out to her the most.

She and Baylee weren't friends but had hung out together because Jay and Kameron, Baylee's boyfriend at the time were friends.

Olivia wondered if Baylee was still with Kameron.