I huff as I look down at myself. “Maybe if I didn't look like a drowned rat.”
Olivia shakes her head, blonde waves brushing her delicate jaw. “You look gorgeous. But here, if this will help…”
She heads toward the door, exiting the bakery entirely and leaving Sadie and me to blink after her in confusion.
“Scared her off already,” I sniffle forlornly. “New world record for me. God, I'm such a mess.”
“I don't think she's leaving.” Sadie turns around with a secretive smile and begins adjusting her camera. “In fact, she’s coming right back in.”
“Huh?”
Well… shit.
To my absolute shock, Olivia walks into the bakery about as soaked as I am. Gown dripping, hair plastered to her face. Still way more put together than me, though, with her lipstick intact.
“Better?” she asks as she approaches.
I swallow hard at the drops of rainwater clinging to her lashes and dripping onto her chest. “Uh… yeah. I think.”
No. Notbetter. Her skin looks soft and part of me wants to know what the rain tastes like off her body. This is actually much,muchworse.
Sadie turns on one of the umbrella lights, motioning for our attention. “Ready to begin? Let's start in front of the confectionery.”
Olivia moves first, heels clicking gracefully against the floor as she takes her place near the pastry display. When I follow, my soggy flats suction to my feet and make every step sound like a fart.
God, this is mortifying.
“Okay,” Sadie says brightly, peering through her lens. “You can stand close. No touching yet.”
I scoot closer to Olivia, immediately aware of her warmth and the sweet, wildflower scent of her perfume. It makes me think of home.
“Relax your shoulders,” Sadie adds. “Arya, you’re holding some tension.”
“Smells so good…” I whisper under my breath. When Olivia raises her brows, I blurt out, “The food, I mean.”
Sadie nods. “Perfect. Now, Olivia, look at Arya like you’re seeing her for the first time.”
Oh no.
Olivia turns her head, and I follow suit. When our gazes meet, faces only inches apart, my breath stutters. The camera flashes once, then again. Olivia’s sapphire eyes and pouty, heart-shaped mouth are even more stunning up close.
I turn away when my thoughts—and my vagina—run wild with less-than-pure ideas of what she can do with those lips.
No,I tell myself,do not flirt.That isnotwhy we moved here.
Sadie lowers her camera, studying us with a frown. “Okay,” she says. “I want you two to forget I'm here.”
Olivia tilts her head. “Meaning?”
“Just be yourselves. Talk. Do whatever you’d normally do if no one were watching.”
A snort nearly leaves my lungs. If no one were watching, I'd probably benaked—
“Do you like pie?” I blurt out, turning my attention to the buffet table to distract myself.
Amusement dances across Olivia's features. “Is that a trick question? Of course, I love pie.”
“Good. Because I think if you said no, I'd have to leave.”
