Kate Hoffmann - Conor

Olivia’s eyes went wide at the same moment her orange juice went down the wrong pipe. She coughed, covering her mouth and looking at the ladies through watery eyes. “Sex?”

Geraldine leaned forward, staring at Olivia through her bifocals. “Yes, dear. Tell us, is there anything new out there? All of us have been out of the loop, so to speak. And we like to keep up on new…trends.”

“And it’s obvious you’re doing something right,” Ruth Ann said. “That man of yours always looks so satisfied.” She reached over and patted Olivia’s hand. “Don’t be embarrassed, dear. Sex is a regular topic of conversation with us.”

Olivia forced a smile, a warm blush rising on her cheeks. “Ladies, I really don’t think-”

“Maybe if I picked up a few new tricks,” Louise said, “my George wouldn’t always be making eyes at that hussy, Eleanor Harrington. Ever since her husband died, she’s been on the prowl.”

The other ladies nodded their heads in sympathy. “With the ratio of women to men at Waterbrook, it’s a dog-eat-dog world,” Sadie said. “I have to keep my Harold under lock and key for fear that one of those widows might charm him away.”

“So how is it you keep your man happy?” Doris asked. “Do you cook him special foods? I hear oysters are supposed to make a man very randy.”

Olivia swallowed hard. “Randy?”

“Oh, Doris, I’ve tried oysters and Harold just got gas,” Sadie said. “I think there must be some new techniques. I see the books at the bookstore, although I’d never be caught dead taking one to the checkout counter. How to Drive Your Man Wild in Bed. It’s one thing to discuss it over coffee, but can you believe someone would write about that?”

“I wonder if they’d have that one at the library,” Louise asked.

The door to the condo opened and Conor strode in, dressed in sweatpants and running shoes, his damp T-shirt tossed over his shoulder. He’d left before the ladies had arrived and Olivia hadn’t bothered to tell him about her plans for entertaining, certain he’d disapprove. “Hi, darling!” she cried, jumping up from her spot at the table.

Conor glanced between her and the ladies, who were staring at him with undisguised appreciation. He gave them all a quick glance, then planted a clumsy kiss on Olivia’s lips, surprising them both.

The ladies giggled amongst themselves and Conor smiled at them all. “Good morning, ladies. How are you today?” They giggled again, like a bunch of shy schoolgirls. He gave them an odd look, then turned to Olivia. “Could I speak to you in the bedroom?”

Olivia followed him down the hall, then closed the door behind her. All of his things were scattered around her bedroom, tossed inside before the ladies had arrived. “I’m sorry, I know you don’t want me talking to the neighbors, but-”

“No,” Conor said, staring at the piles of clothes. He spied his jeans, then picked them up and rummaged through the pockets. “Where are my keys?”

“No?”

He picked through a pile of clothes until he found yesterday’s flannel shirt. Then he checked that pocket. “No,” he repeated. “I don’t mind. Do you know where my keys are?”

Olivia stepped over to the dresser and grabbed the keys, then held them out to him. “They were in your shoe underneath the coffee table. I-I had to clean up before the ladies arrived.”

Conor glanced up distractedly. “I have to go,” he said. “Are you going to be all right here alone?”

“I thought we were going to go out to-”

“No, we can’t. I’ve got business to take care of down at the station house. I’m going to run home first and shower and change. I’ll probably be gone most of the day.”

“Is this about the trial?” Olivia asked.

“No. It’s just some business that I have to take care of.” He pulled the door open, then started off down the hall, Olivia right on his heels.

“Conor, wait.”

He stopped and turned to her at the front door, then glanced over her shoulder at the ladies. With a tight smile, he bent close and placed another awkward kiss on her lips. “I’ll see you in a little while, darling.” He gave the ladies a wave and then walked out, leaving Olivia to wonder just what was so important that it preoccupied his thoughts so completely.

“Bye,” she murmured, closing the door behind him. Olivia slowly walked back to the table and took her place.

Sadie sighed. “I suppose the honeymoon has to be over sometime, dear.”

Olivia forced a smile, then reached for the pitcher of orange juice. As she poured herself a glass, she noticed the little bouquet of flowers that Geraldine had brought over to brighten the table. The daisies were placed in a faux silver tankard that had a remarkably realistic patina. Olivia reached for it and plucked a daisy out, then began to pull the petals off one by one. He loves me, he loves me not, she chanted silently.

The ladies continued to chat while Olivia listened with half an ear. She picked up the tankard and idly studied the design. For a reproduction, it really was quite remarkable. The weight was almost perfect for one of real silver. Usually she could tell real Colonial silver from reproduction without a second glance, but this piece almost left her guessing.

“Where did you get this?” Olivia asked. She held it up and stared at the bottom, looking at the mark. Her stomach did a quick flip-flop and she tried to remain calm.

“At the supermarket,” Geraldine said. “I love fresh flowers and they have bouquets of daisies and carnations and mums for $3.99. They last nearly a week.”

“Not the flowers,” Olivia said. “The silver tankard.”

Geraldine stared at it for a moment. “Oh, I don’t know. I used to go to a lot of rummage sales when Louis and I were first married. We didn’t have much money so I had to decorate on a budget. I must have picked it up then.”

“At a rummage sale?”

“What difference does it make? It’s just a cheap little thing, but I always thought it made a pretty vase.”

Olivia pushed up from the table. “Would you mind if I borrowed this for a while?”

Geraldine’s brow wrinkled in confusion but she nodded. “Why, certainly. In fact, if you’d like it, you can have it.”

Olivia shook her head. “I-I don’t think you want to give this to me,” she murmured. Excitement pulsed through her, the same thrill she got whenever she found a hidden treasure. She’d wondered if she’d ever get that feeling back again, and here it was, as if it were simply part of her nature. “I have to go into Boston, but Conor has the car.”

“Is there something wrong?” Sadie asked.

“No,” Olivia said. “In fact, there might be something really right. I just need to check it out first. Can one of you take me to the train station?”

“What is it, dear?” Sadie asked.

“It’s this,” Olivia said, holding up the tankard. “Geraldine, I think this might be very valuable. I’m not sure yet, so I have to check some books.”

“Valuable?” Geraldine said. “That old thing? How valuable?”

“Very,” Olivia said. She turned from the table and grabbed her purse and jacket from the couch in the living room. “So who can take me?”

Sadie smiled, then clapped her hands. “Why, we’ll all take you. This is very exciting. A valuable treasure right in our midst. Come on, ladies, let’s go. We’ll get the details in the car.” With that, all five of them hurried out the door. Olivia glanced around the apartment, then wondered whether she should leave a note for Conor.

In the end, she decided not to. It would take her an hour at the most to get downtown on the train and an hour to get back. She’d only need a few minutes at the shop and she’d have her answers. No, she didn’t need to leave a note. She’d be back in plenty of time.