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Chapter Fifteen
Emmett
I wasn’t sure what was wrong with me. I was rushing around my house like I’d lost my head. I made the beds in the spare rooms with a dinosaur blanket for Charlie and a floral one for Olivia, in case she wanted her own room. Then I made sure Tank didn’t mess them up.
Tank was confused and out of sorts. He was sulking out on the deck, totally uninterested in the dental chew I gave him. He’d usually scarf that thing down in three seconds flat, but he had no idea what was going on with me.
I tidied my kitchen and living area, I hosed the sand off my back deck. Anyone would think I was anxious about Olivia and Charlie coming here. I wanted everything to be perfect.
The timer on my oven went off, and I pulled out the tray of chocolate chip cookies and set them on a cooling rack. I glanced at the clock hanging on the living room wall. It was already eleven-thirty in the morning. It would be lunchtime soon, and they would probably be hungry when they got here. I decided to make a spread of cold meats, salad, and cheese with fresh bread bought from the bakery that morning.
Yeah, I had it bad.
I was squeezing some fresh orange juice when I heard a car pull up. I quickly poured the juice into a glass pitcher my mom had given my ex for Christmas one year, then headed to the door.
I drew in a couple of slow, deep breaths to center myself before calmly walking out the front door to the driveway. My dog was quickly on my heels. Olivia was at the trunk of the car. The sun shone on her silky brown hair, reflecting the golden highlights, and she looked casual in denim shorts that hugged her ass and a plain white T-shirt. Did she realise how sexy she was?
“Hey, you made it!”
“We certainly did. We made good time, too.”
“Hi, Emmett!” Charlie walked on his crutches and threw his arms around my waist.
I hugged him back. “Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling today?”
“Okay. Sorry I was mean to you yesterday.”
“Thank you for your apology.” I lowered myself to his level. “I get it, though. Your ankle must be painful, and who wants to lay on a couch all day, right?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll try to get you a little more active here, okay?”
Charlie nodded and with a grin, he reached out to Tank.“What’s your dog’s name?”
“His name is Tank. Tank, come.”
Tank didn’t have to be told twice. He was between Charlie and me in an instant and he melted into the pats Charlie was giving him.
I went to the trunk of the car and helped Olivia with her bags.
“Are you as nervous about this as I am?” Olivia whispered.
“No way, are you kidding? We’re going to have a blast, you’ll see.”I was so full of shit. “I made lunch. I thought we could sit out on the back deck and eat it.”
“Wow, that sounds great.”
Olivia and I headed inside with the bags while Charlie kept Tank occupied out on the deck.
I stood in the middle of the hallway. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want your own room or not, so I made one up for you in case.”
“I haven’t told Charlie about us yet, but I do want him to get used to the idea of us. I’m happy to sleep in your room.”
“Okay.” I gave her a brief kiss. “Now there’s no stopping us, you know that?”
Olivia teased her bottom lip between her teeth. “You said something about lunch?”
“Come on,” I said with a smile.
