“Oh.”
I frowned at the phone. This conversation wasn’t going at all how I’d planned.
“Is this the point where I should ask if you have a boyfriend?”
She laughed so hard, she snorted, and it was fucking adorable. “No. I don’t.”
“Good.” Relief coursed through my veins, relief and excitement. “Because I’m taking you out when I come to LA next week.”
“Are you even going to ask me?” she teased.
“I’ll send you a formal invitation,” I said, an idea already forming in my mind.
“What does that mean?” Despite her confusion, despite her earlier hesitation, she sounded excited.
“Just check your email, okay?” I said, unable to hold back my smile. There was a knock at my door. “I have to go.”
“Bye, Connor,” she said in a soft voice.
“Bye, Olivia. I’ll see you soon.”
I might not know what the future held, but one thing was for certain—I wanted Olivia to be a part of it.
Chapter Nine
Olivia
“Tell me again what it says.” Alyssa stood behind me in the mirror, curling my hair.
I held the phone up to my face so I wouldn’t have to look down as I read Connor’s latest email aloud for a third time. Not that I minded. I’d read the email so many times myself, I could all but recite it.
Dear Olivia,
You swore to meet with me if I came to California. Well, I’m asking you to make good on that promise.
I’ll be at The Last Bookshop this Saturday at four in the afternoon. I’ll be the tall, sexy guy with the blue button-down shirt.
I look forward to meeting you then.
Sincerely,
Connor
When I finished reading, Alyssa let out a sigh. “Gah! How did you luck out with a hot SEAL who is totally book boyfriend material?”
She stood behind me, wrapping my hair around the barrel of the curling iron. She was almost done, and it looked amazing—romantic and sexy at the same time. What would Connor think?
“Ah!” she squealed. “This is so exciting. Can I go with you if I promise not to interrupt,please?”
I laughed. “Um. No.”
“But you are going to send me a picture of him, right?”
I frowned at her in the mirror. “I’m not sneaking a picture of him. That would be weird.”
“Well then, ask him to take one with you. You know—to commemorate the fact that you actually met.”
I laughed. “We’ll see. Besides, you’ll get to see him on Monday at the panel.”
