Page 67 of Scoring Lessons

I shot him a blank expression.

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. I’m leaving. Be a loner if you want.”

I let out a sigh of relief when he finally left then grabbed my phone and sucked in a breath when a sudden idea struck me.

Me

Be ready in 10. I know what we’re doing.

An hour later, a ride share dropped us off in front of a local romance-only bookstore.

When Olivia’s eyes landed on the small red-brick building nestled in the corner of a quiet street her eyes sparkled. The usual midnight-blue hue changed to a shade closer to dawn, soft and glowing, like the world had handed her a piece of happiness. My traitorous heart somersaulted, like it was desperate to chase after the warmth her gaze carried.

“Here are the rules,” I began saying.

A giggle slipped out of her, the sound airy like a light summer day. I’d never felt so fucking accomplished in my life until now. There was a sense of gratification that expanded in my chest like a balloon filling with air. “There are rules?”

“Of course.” My brows furrowed, bewildered. “What did you think this date was going to be like?”

She hollowed one of her cheeks as she contemplated her reply. “I thought I’d browse and you’d be waiting for me outside or something.”

My mouth fell open. “That’s what you call a date?”

The light breeze moved her hair enough for the floral notes of her shampoo to hit my nostrils. It was a weird juxtaposition, how she could smell so sweet sometimes and be anything but.

“The point of a date is to spend time together.” I blinked once. Twice. She was so perplexing sometimes.

She rolled her eyes. “Tell me the rules.”

“You have twenty minutes to browse. Get the lay of the land since you’ve never been here. Then you’ll have ten minutes to fill your basket.”

She scrunched her nose. “That sounds…expensive.”

“There’s no budget limit.” The doorbell jingled as I opened the door for her. An employee waved as she welcomed us in. “I don’t want you to hold back. This is supposed to be fun.”

“Spending money is fun for you?”

I grabbed a basket. “That’s what a respectable man who’s trying to court you would—and should—do.”

She interrupted me with a snort. “Court? What in the Bridgerton fuck is the matter with you?”

“Huh?”

She blinked, stunned. “You don’t know what I’m talking about?”

“Do I lose brownie points if I don’t?”

“Oh, God.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

She gripped my shoulder with a shake of her head. Her face looked so haunted, a laugh bubbled out of me. “You have so much to learn.”

My smile widened. “Good thing I can multitask. I can be a good teacher and student.”

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Are you flirting?”

Leave it to Olivia fucking Anderson to always be blunt.