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Shaking my head, I reply, “There’s no need to apologize.”
“Yes, there is. It looked as though you and Olivia were sharing an intimate moment, and I interrupted that. And I know she came upstairs shortly after that, so I apologize for interrupting your evening.”
I was not expecting this.
“Thanks,” I say, unsure of exactly how to respond to her.
“I can tell Olivia likes you,” she continues. “She hasn’t said anything to me, but I’m very intuitive––especially when it comes to Olivia.”
Her comment makes me smile. “Well, that’s good, because I like her, too.”
“I wouldn’t normally say anything to anyone taking her on a date, but I feel as if I can tell you this without you taking it the wrong way.”
Confusion and worry wash over me, wondering what she could possibly have to say.
Lorelei’s smile fades a bit. “Olivia has been through a lot in her life. I’m not sure if she’s told you about what led her to living here in Seaside with me, but she’s had trouble trusting people ever since. Of course, she’s gotten better, but I don’t want to see her get hurt like that again.”
What led her to living here? I thought Olivia said it was because she lost her job. Why would that cause her to have trouble trusting people? There must be more to the story she’s not telling me.
I nod my head. “I understand what you’re saying, and I want you to know that I have no intention of hurting her.” And that’s the truth. Who knows what’ll happen between Olivia and me after I leave town, but the last thing I want to do is hurt her in any way.
“Good,” Lorelei says. “Also, Stone, just so you know…”
I cock an eyebrow, wondering what else Lorelei is going to say.
She smirks. “I’ll make myself scarce tonight, so you and Olivia don’t need to worry about me interrupting anything else between you two.” She pats me on the arm, then turns around and heads back to her flower bed.
I chuckle, then turn toward the house. She’s going to make herself scarce, so she doesn’t interrupt us again? Surely, she’s giving the green light for Olivia and me, which is both sweet and a little strange. I mean, Olivia and I are both adults, so we shouldn’t need permission to do what we want to do… although, I guess it’s a little different since she lives and works under Lorelei’s roof.
As I walk into the house, the scents of jasmine and patchouli hit my senses. I notice there’s incense burning on the table in the hallway. The house is quiet, although I do hear soft music coming from the shop. I go upstairs to my room to change my clothes. This morning, at breakfast, I got Olivia’s phone number, so I send her a text to let her know I’m at the house and will be ready to go in about twenty minutes.
I change into gray slacks and a white button-down shirt, complete with oxfords. I check my phone once I’m dressed and see that Olivia replied to my text, saying she can’t wait to see me. Her words make me smile. I can’t wait to see her either, and I decide to tell her that in a text. She replies immediately with a winking emoji.
It’s been a long time since I went out on a date. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Olivia these past couple of days, and I’ll admit I’m anxious for tonight. I want everything to go right, and hopefully, we’ll continue where we left off last night. However, after speaking with Lorelei a few minutes ago, I’m wondering whatreallyhappened to Olivia to make her move here and have trust issues. Obviously, she didn’t want to tell me about that herself, only mentioning the loss of her job leading to her move. I don’t want to dwell on this bit of information I’ve learned, and I definitely don’t want it to spoil my evening, but I’m curious to know the truth.
I freshen up, fixing my hair and applying cologne. I want to look my best for Olivia.
Once it’s time, I head downstairs to meet her. She’s not downstairs yet, though, so I walk into the parlor. It’s a large room, decorated with a fusion of both modern and Victorian-era tastes. There’s a large painted portrait of a woman’s face on the wall, and I wonder who she is. Just as I’m admiring the painting, I hear footsteps behind me.
I turn and see Olivia standing in the threshold of the room. She takes my breath away, wearing a black dress with a floral print. Her strawberry-blond hair is curled in soft waves, and her makeup accentuates her natural beauty even more so. She looks absolutely beautiful.
Picking my jaw up off the floor, I walk over to her.
“Hi,” she says, smiling.
“Hi,” I say, secretly hoping she can’t tell I have a hard on. Jesus, I’m going to have a hard time controlling myself tonight. I can’t wait to pick up where we left off last night. “You look stunning.”
Her smile widens. She’s glowing, and it makes me happy to be the one to make her feel good. “Thank you,” she says. “You look pretty good yourself.”
Damn. I hope this dinner thing goes by quickly so Olivia and I can be alone.
She points in the direction of the painting I was looking at before. “I see you met Mavis.”
Her choice of words throws me off. “Mavis?” I do a double-take looking back at the painting. “You mean the portrait?”
She laughs. “Yes. Mavis owned this house before Lorelei. She was sort of like a second mom to her back in the seventies and eighties. She took Lorelei in, let her run the bed and breakfast with her, and then she left it to her when she died.”
My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Oh, wow. That sounds like an interesting story. That’s how Lorelei ended up running this place?”
