The words hung between them for a long moment, and he thought maybe she blushed, but then she pulled her leather notebook close and opened it. It looked as if she’d already clipped some pages together because it fell open to a fresh page and she pulled the pen out of the leather loop.
He wasn’t sure if she’d opened it because it would be easier to get started before their meals came or if it was a pointed message to remind him this was something of a business meeting, but it threw him off. Either way, it wasn’t the time to find out if she’d like to get together outside of their mutual involvement with Village Hearts. And if he was smart, he’d wait until they were done here, since he didn’t want any awkwardness if he’d been misreading their chemistry to spoil their meals.
They got a lot done before the food showed up. She was a smart woman and together they brainstormed some great prizes they’d like to solicit. Derek would pass the list on to Ella, since she was really good at schmoozing people, and because Jess and Olivia worked in those business circles. Using connections could come in handy, but they tried not to put their volunteers in potentially awkward positions professionally.
Olivia slid her notebook back into her bag before reaching for her napkin, which Derek took as a sign they could ease off the charity talk and maybe get a little more personal. There was a lot he wanted to know about her—namelyeverything—but he kept quiet as she ate the first bites of her dinner.
“I am definitelynotdisappointed,” she said and, even in the dim lighting, he could see the humor and warmth in her eyes.
“So I’ve been wondering something. Why Boston? A woman as smart as you could have gone anywhere in the country if you didn’t want to stay in Virginia, so why were we lucky enough to get you?”
The hint of pink on her cheeks told him she wasn’t immune to the sincere flattery. “Staying in Virginia wasn’t an option. I have a very...toxic family, I’m sorry to say. I mean, I love my parents and they love me, but once they stopped loving each other and divorced, things took a turn for the unpleasant.”
That probably went a long way toward explaining why hearing him mention his ex-wife had made her smile freeze up, and why finding out he and Amber had children had made her look uncomfortable. A lot of people their age had marriages in their rearview mirror, so it shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise. But if her parents’ divorce had ruined her family, she might think he had a lot of toxic baggage of his own. Quite the opposite, but he didn’t want to get into that now.
“I’m sorry to hear that. My divorce was amicable and still hard for the kids at first, so I can’t imagine what that’s like. So when it was time to strike off on your own, you obviously chose Boston for our sports teams, right?”
She laughed, as he’d intended. “It’s an awesome city with a lot of history, and they had the fields of study I wanted at a school I was accepted to—business and psychology, which is probably an odd mix. And a friend from school got accepted to the same school, so we got to start fresh on a new adventure without being alone.”
“It’s no fun being alone so that worked out well.”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, she really hated it here and dropped out halfway through the first semester. She went home and got her degree while living at home.”
“I’m glad you stayed.”
It was probably the most overtly flirtatious thing he’d said yet and he could tell by the way her expression softened that she didn’t miss it. “I am, too.”
He asked her how she’d started her business, and she talked about freelancing and YouTube and such. And she’d written a book, which blew his mind, and traveled sometimes to talk at conferences. A lot of the computer terminology went over his head, but she was obviously intelligent, passionate and driven. He liked that about her.
Once she’d declined dessert and he’d paid the bill—over her objections and he didn’t give a rat’s ass if itwasa business expense—there was no reason to stay, but he would happily have sat across the table from her all night.
“My Lyft will be here in a few minutes,” she said, which answered the question of what she’d been doing on her phone while he signed the credit card slip.
“Did anybody tell you about the fundraiser next Saturday?” he asked as they walked toward the door.
“Brynn shared a graphic about a fundraiser at a bar. Is that the one you mean?”
“Yeah. It’s more than just a bar, though. Kincaid’s Pub is owned by Tommy Kincaid, who retired from Engine 59. His son, Scotty, helped get us out of the elevator. So it’s almost more like a family hangout than a bar to us.” Even as he said it, he realized that they might love Kincaid’s, but he had a hard time picturing Olivia there. Definitely not her kind of place. “All the net proceeds they make Saturday from five o’clock until close will go to Village Hearts.”
“That’s very generous of him.”
“Tommy’s a good guy. I know you’ve got a busy schedule, but I’d love it if you could stop by.” Her kind of place or not, he wanted to see her again.
“I usually block out Saturdays to write, but I can probably sneak out for a while to support the cause.”
He held the door open for her, and then let it go when some idiot stumbled on the sidewalk. Without thinking, he hooked his arm around Olivia’s waist and pulled her closer to him and out of the guy’s path as the door swung closed behind him.
“Thank you,” she said in a soft voice. A little drizzle was falling, and the moisture sparkled on her upturned face.
“Not to downplay the fundraising aspect,” he said, “but I should probably clarify that when I said I’d love it if you stop by, I was speaking on behalf of myself, not Village Hearts.”
He couldn’t miss the curving of her lips into a smile, since he was staring at her mouth. She hadn’t moved out of the curve of his arm and, with her face turned up into the light rain, he hoped like hell it was an invitation because he was going to kiss her.
“Since writing a check and going back to work is the most efficient way for me to support a fundraiser, if I’m there, it’ll be because of you.”
He tightened his arm around her waist and his gaze dropped from her eyes back to her lips as they parted slightly.
As he lowered his mouth to hers, Derek felt the same fear and exhilaration he’d felt the one and only time he’d jumped out of an airplane. If it ended badly, it was really going to hurt, but he knew the experience would be worth the risk.
