AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was confused as hell. “So, you aren’t mad?” I had expected anger. A long lecture, complete with some name-calling—not underhanded attempts at matchmaking.
“As long as you don’t make a habit of getting busy with our clientele, no, we aren’t mad.” Sophie’s satisfied smile told me she’d predicted this from the start, which meant partnering with her was one of my better ideas.
Unlike Oliver.
“We’re happy for you,” Olive insisted. “And as long as you give Oliver a fair shake, we’ll stay not mad.”
I shook my head. “That’s blackmail.”
“No, it’s leverage. You and Oliver are both pretending that this is all about winning the bet, when nothing could be further from the truth. You’re into each other. Big time.”
I shook my head, refusing to acknowledge the reality of my feelings for Oliver. They could amount to nothing, and feeding into them would only lead to heartbreak. “No. You’re wrong.”
“Are we? Then why are you guys kissing and hanging out? Spending all day and night in bed together?” Sophie folded her arms and sent me a knowing look, daring me to find a plausible explanation.
“It just happened, okay! Too much time together and getting to know each other. If anyone is to blame, it’s you two and your damn meddling!” I couldn’t believe they were doing this. “Everything changed after that date you set up.”
Sophie was still unapologetic. “You two were never gonna do it and, quite frankly, we were all exhausted watching you. If you two could just admit your feelings and get on with falling, the rest of us could get on with our lives.”
“Falling? Are you crazy? Do you remember how all of this started in the first place? Permanent bachelor, is that ringing any bells?” My eyes bounced wildly from Olive to Sophie and then to the ceiling. “You’re supposed to be my friends and you want me to willingly court heartbreak, why?”
“Because,” Olive said with a wide smile, “men are idiots. Oliver isn’t going to just admit that he was wrong about relationships or that he’s falling for you, but his actions will tell you everything you need to know—if you’re willing to listen.”
“Why can’t you just admit that you like him?” Sophie made it all seem so reasonable, as if all I had to do was confess and everything would be all right.
“I do like him, all right? Oliver isn’t as shallow as I thought he was, but that doesn’t change anything. He can be charming and nice and kind and sweet to old ladies, but it doesn’t change the fact that what he wants and what I want are two totally different things.” I would keep telling the girls that, as well as myself, whenever I felt myself starting to slip, to misread his actions as something more than what they were.
Oliver just being Oliver.
“So, this one time you’re choosing to take a man at his word? How convenient,” Sophie practically sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“I won’t have him accusing me of dragging him down the aisle or forcing him into a commitment he doesn’t want. I like him, a lot, but if he can’t admit even that much, then it doesn’t mean a damn thing.” I let out a long rush of breath and smiled. “Now, can we please get back to work?”
“And let all this food go to waste?” Sophie shook her head. “Let’s multi-task.”
A knock sounded at the door a moment before Kendra appeared. “You have a visitor, Eva.”
Of course, Oliver chose that moment to walk into the office wearing a nervous smile with a big red cooler in one hand. “Thought we could do something different, like catch our own dinner tonight. If you have the time?”
Dammit, why did he have to be so charmingly adorable? So effortlessly kind? Why couldn’t Oliver March just be the man he presented to the world?
“Our meeting is over, so Eva is free,” Sophie announced as if the decision was hers. “Enjoy your date.”
I glared at my friend’s satisfied smile and wondered which of us was really fighting the losing battle here—her for trying to make this match happen, or me for fighting it so hard.
I didn’t have an answer to that, but there was a gorgeous man who made me laugh standing there and wanting to spend time with me, and I knew exactly how to respond to that. “I’d love to.”OliverI couldn’t believe I’d gotten Eva to say yes to fishing. With some help from Sophie, she’d agreed easily as long as she could change into something more comfortable—words that called to mind something tiny and lacy. The reality wasn’t tiny or lacy, but it was just as appealing. Eva in cut-off jean shorts that showed off shapely tan legs was its own special kind of torture. But the paper-thin tank top she wore that hung off one shoulder, showing off the lacy cream bra underneath, made my fingers itch to touch her again.
