AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She wanted to be the one dancing with him. Not just dancing, but flirting and laughing and not holding anything back. Even if she could pretend he was merely a colleague when they worked together, she couldn’t do it now.
She caught Dusty’s attention, shouting to make herself heard over the music. “I’m going for a walk. I’ll see you later.”
“You want me to come with you?”
Though Olivia appreciated the offer, she didn’t want to drag Dusty away from Stuart. Maybe tonight, things would finally click between the two of them. “Thanks, but I’m good. I just need a break. Have fun.”
As she left the camp, the strains of music faded into the distance. She headed down the road toward the village, stopping to pet a few of her favorite stray cats. The tabby always made a beeline for her legs. She scratched its sleek head, suddenly wishing she was back at home in San Diego, curled up on the couch with the family cat, rather than stuck in Cyprus battling her uncontrollable emotions.
Without giving much thought to where she was going, she ended up at Spyros Taverna. The restaurant was bustling with customers, but she snagged a small table in the corner of the patio. The abundance of couples enjoying a romantic summer night made her all too aware of her solitary status.
After she ordered a brandy sour, she pulled out her phone to text Sofia. Her little sister was probably out partying somewhere. On a yacht. Or at a nightclub. But she was never too busy to text back.
Olivia composed her message, only to delete it. Why bother asking Sofia for advice? She knew damn well what her sister would say.
She’d order Olivia to have fun and stop worrying about the consequences. To go after Rick and tell him exactly what she wanted.
Why couldn’t she do it?
You know why. The last time you followed your heart, you paid for it.
But this scenario wasn’t remotely similar. She wasn’t nineteen, sneaking away from camp with a hot guy, a stolen truck, and a bottle of contraband booze. She was twenty-six. If she kept things with Rick discreet and didn’t break any laws, no one should care. Certainly not Dr. Roth, who seemed to live by field rules.
What’s it going to be? Three more weeks of longing?
Or three weeks with Rick, savoring every moment alone with him?
Even if he couldn’t promise her any more than that, they’d have a great time together.
She tossed back the rest of her brandy sour. The sweet cocktail flowed through her, loosening the tightness in her chest.
I’m going to do it. March back to camp, take Rick aside, and tell him how I feel.
Providing he still wanted her. She’d rebuffed him so many times he might not give her another chance.
Maybe a second drink would give her an extra dose of courage. She was about to wave the waiter over but froze at the sound of Rick’s voice.
“Olivia? What are you doing here?”
She stared up at him, stunned that he’d suddenly materialized. “I…needed a break. A drink. Not that I’m a lush or anything, but I couldn’t unwind. I mean, I should have been having fun because it’s a party…but…” Unnerved by his scrutiny, the words caught in her throat.
“Can I join you?” When she nodded, he pulled up a chair and gestured to her empty glass. “Want another?”
“Sure. A brandy sour.”
He waved over the young server. “Hey, Kostas, can we get a couple of drinks?”
“Sure, Mister Rick. Two beers?”
“Make it two brandy sours. Thanks.”
How was it that Rick always knew everyone’s name? That he seemed so comfortable everywhere he went? As he leaned back and assessed her, she flushed under his gaze, ashamed he’d caught her in such a pathetic state. What kind of loser left a party to go off and drink by herself?
“Were you looking for me?” she asked. “Or were you craving a break, too?”
“I tried to find you earlier, but Dusty told me you went for a walk. There aren’t many places to go around here, so this was my first guess.”
When the server set down their drinks, she focused on stirring hers with the swizzle stick, too nervous to meet Rick’s eyes. “Why’d you come after me? You looked like you were having a good time.”
