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“You have some nerve,” Shane growled as she stomped into the DLO.
Oliver’s head snapped up. “Excuse me?”
“And to make such a decision without even talking to me first!” the blonde continued, trying to shoulder out of her coat. In her frustration she almost violently wrenched her arms from the sleeves, sending bracelets in various directions and leaving the coat in a balled up heap on the floor. She let out an annoyed sound and turned to dig through her handbag.
Oliver pressed his palms to the surface of his desk, taking a moment to collect himself before he stood. His eyes darted toward Rita and Norman, curious if either of them knew what had upset Shane. The two pairs of anxious eyes staring back at him told him they had no more information than he did. He smoothed out his tie and walked towards the abandoned coat. He carefully righted it and hung it on the rack before scooping up the various bangles.
“Ms. McInerney, would you...” he started, setting the bracelets next to her bag.
“Don’t you ‘Ms. McInerney’ me,” Shane spat.
“Shane,” he tried again. The use of her given name lowered her hackles, just for a moment. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. What’s wrong?”
“Your lawyer called. Wants me to sign some paperwork,” she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Oh that? It’s just standard forms,” Oliver nearly smiled, it appeared this was just a simple misunderstanding. He’d had his lawyer start drawing up the papers to add Shane’s name to his accounts.
“Standard forms?” she looked incredulous.
“Yes. That’s why I didn’t mention it. I thought it wouldn’t be an issue,” he shrugged.
“You thought it wouldn’t be an issue?” She arched one manicured eyebrow.
His brow furrowed. He wondered if she was being purposely obtuse. “Are you just going to repeat everything I say?”
“If it will help you realize the colossal mistake you’ve made...” she replied flippantly.
Oliver bit back the urge to parrot the words ‘colossal mistake’ not wanting to create a double standard. He opened his mouth to reply but was cut off.
“Do you think I actually care about your money?”
“Well no, certainty not in a way that has any bearing on our relationship, but the truth is I have a very large sum of money and with that comes certain responsibilities.” He bounced on his heels. The whole conversation was beginning to make him anxious.
“Of course you’re doing the responsible thing,” The mockery in Shane’s tone only concerned him more.
“Yes. We need to be prepared in the event something were to happen.” He said evenly.
“And do you think something is going to happen?” She asked, almost accusingly.
“Of course not! But Shane, things happen all the time.” He didn’t understand why she was so upset. He wanted her taken care of in the event something happened to him. The forms were just a formality. Tension built in the silence that stretched between them.
“You are unbelievable,” Shane ground out finally. “I’m going to lunch.”
Oliver swallowed thickly. He lifted his head to find Norman and Rita suspiciously over invested in a dated phone book.
“I…um...I’m going to give her a minute. Then I’ll...um...”he made a gesture towards the door.
“Probably a good idea,” Rita nodded vigorously.
As he entered the Mailbox Café, Oliver’s eyes searched for Shane. His throat tightened as he noticed she was not alone, but instead seated with his father. In all of the drama, he’d forgotten about this standing lunch the elder O’Toole.
“Oliver, hey,” Joe waved him over.
“Hey Dad,” Oliver clapped the man on the shoulder. “Shane…” he gave his fiancé a cautious glance.
“It was nice catching up with you, Joe. But I have to get back to work now,” Shane abruptly stood from the table. “Oliver,” she said with a curt nod as she slid past the man in question.
“That was…unusual. Everything alright with you two?” Joe asked.
“She’s…angry with me,” Oliver sighed, staring longingly after Shane’s retreating form.
“Did you do something to make her angry?” his father chuckled. He knew his son had a tendency to set Shane off, despite how well intentioned he may be.
“I don’t know. I had my lawyer draw up papers to add Shane’s name to my estate. I didn’t mention it to her, but I never imagined a couple signatures would upset her.” The younger O’Toole shrugged.
“Upset her how?”
“She said she couldn’t believe I made such a decision without talking to her and that I’ve made a colossal mistake. Dad, I just wanted to make sure she was taken care of if anything were to happen to me.” Oliver relayed the episode in the DLO.
“Of course. Does she know that’s all it is? Are you sure she doesn’t think you’re having her sign a prenup?”
Oliver’s face went scarlet. “What? No! Of course not, I would never...” he sputtered. Suddenly, something the lawyer said flashed through his head. A vague one liner in legalese he might have accidentally consented to. “C...can I borrow your phone?”
“Yes, this is Oliver O’Toole. My fiancé said she received a call asking her to come in a sign some papers. There’s seems to have been some kind of mistake. Can you tell me which papers you prepared for her?”
Joe bit back a laugh as he watched his son go deathly pale. It appeared there had been a miscommunication between Oliver and his lawyer.
“I specifically asked you not to draw up a prenuptial agreement. No, I didn’t change my mind. When I said standard forms, I meant in relation to adding her as a beneficiary and power of attorney. Yes, I understand the risks of leaving myself unprotected. It won’t be an issue. I am sure, thank you.”
“So they did send her a prenup?” Joe grinned when the call ended.
“It appears they did,” Oliver nodded, sliding the phone back to his father. “Which explains why she is so angry with me. I wish she would have just said that,” he sighed.
“You know, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for you to ask her to sign one…”his father started carefully.
“Dad…” he warned.
“Just hear me out, Oliver. I think Holly would have cleaned you out without a second thought, given the chance.”
“Shane is nothing like Holly,” Oliver’s tone was so vehement, that Joe threw a hand up defensively.
“I know, I know. I don’t think for a second that Shane is going to leave you, but you have a lot to lose if she did.”
“What I would lose if Shane left would be so much more than just money, that she might as well just take the money.”
“Fair enough,” A smug smirk settled on Joe’s face. Shane was the best thing to happen to Oliver. It amused him how long it took his son to admin that.
“I need to go find her. Do you mind?” Oliver sighed. He hated to cancel lunch, but Shane took precedent.
“Not at all, do what you need to do. We’ll catch up later this week,” Joe smiled.
In his rush back to the DLO, Oliver almost missed Shane sitting at one of the tables surrounding the coffee cart where they first met. He stopped short and changed directions.
“Ms…er…Shane!” he called for her attention.
Shane’s head snapped up from her phone, her eyes hard. She knew she would have to talk to Oliver eventually, but she’d been so blindsided by the document the lawyer sent over that she needed time to process. She thought they were past this. She thought he trusted her. “Please don’t leave. Let me explain,” he pleaded. She gestured to the open chair next to her, allowing him to sit. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.
“I wouldn’t have minded, you know. If you would’ve have just talked to me about it. I mean it makes sense to sign a prenup and it is the responsible thing to do, like you said. It just caught me off guard that you did it without even having a conversation with me.”
“Shane, no. I had no idea my lawyer give you a prenuptial agreement. My only intent was to add your name to my estate and give you access to my accounts. That is all. The lawyer did the rest on her own.” Oliver explained.
“…oh.” Shane felt her cheeks go pink. For all the grief she was giving him for falling into old habits, she was doing the same thing, taking the one piece of information she had and jumping to all the wrong conclusions.
“I wouldn’t have done that to you,” Oliver leaned forward and took her hand between his.
“I just thought with everything you went through with Holly…you might…”Shane shrugged.
“My love, you are not Holly,” he chuckled.
“And thank goodness for that,” Shane grinned. Oliver sent her an amused look. “I’m sorry, Oliver. I just wasn’t expecting it.”
“Apparently I wasn’t either,” he shrugged.