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I pause. “Oakley’s meeting me back at the house later, so I thought I’d bring some of this so we don’t have to cook tonight.” I survey the neat rows of mini quiches, and the sample-sized plate of what looks to be some sort of pork dish.
“You’ve been cooking a lot together?” Oliver asks, leaning back on the counter top. He takes a big bite of the croissant, smiling around it like the Cheshire cat.
“Most of the time. Just some basic things. I don’t think Oakley wants to order in every night. I get the sense she’s being careful with her money.”
“What else do you get the sense for?” He perks a smile. “As far as Oakley goes?” He shoves the remaining bite of croissant in his mouth.
“Oliver,” I say. “I’m not talking about this with you right now.” I move to push past him, grabbing a couple of mini quiches, too.
He finishes chewing and then swallows. “That’s fine. But Sebastian might be checking the gym security footage tonight since, you know, he can’tnotdo it, even though he asked me to be in contact with the security team this week for him. You know how particular he can get, right?”
I wheel back around. Oliver’s face is flushed. He is loving this.
The security footage. First my embarrassing fall. Now my very private moment with Oakley?
One that should not have happened in such a public setting.
I look around the busy kitchen. I don’t want to talk about this here, but if I keep my voice down, maybe it will be okay.
“I hate that you had to see that,” I say, my voice low. “But I’d hate it even more if Sebastian did.”
“Look, I’m not judging. How long has it been?” His eyes squeeze with sympathy. “I know Callie was…really special and I—”
“Nope. We’re not doing this right now, Oliver.” I hold up both hands.
“Alright. Okay. I can respect that. Let’s not even bring Callie into this. Oakley is an amazing woman and—”
“Nope!” If we weren’t in a semi-public place, I would use stronger language to convey how I feel about this conversation.“Come on,” Oliver mutters, grabbing one of the slices of pork on his way out.
Like a lamb to the slaughter, I follow him, the paper sack in one hand and my dignity ready to be handed off with the other.
Oliver’s head whips around the lobby. “Sophie’s up in the library, so we can’t talk there. Unless you want a woman’s opinion, then Sophie would be perfect. She loves to talk about relationships and she’s very wise.”
“She’s too busy with the library stuff.”
“Dude, you know that’s not true. She’s always up for the relationship talks.”
Maybe at some point I’d be willing to talk with Sophie about all this. I can’t think of any other woman I’d feel more comfortable talking to, but certainly not yet.
I charge past him to the back sliding doors and onto the patio. A gust of wind hits my face, cooling me down.
Oliver follows me outside. A twist of concern hits my gut. I have a job, a responsibility to my brothers and the family company to get these rec programs up and running here. I can’t be thinking of women right now.
Check that. I can’t be thinking of one woman, Oakley. Because she’s the only one who’s ever given me a run for my money since I lost Callie.
Oliver looks out over the rhythmic waves of the lake, not saying anything, like he’s waiting patiently for me to speak.
“I like Oakley,” I concede, my voice coming out with a harshness I hadn’t planned on.
“Uh huh,” Oliver says, prodding me to go on. “And what’s the ‘but’? I know there’s a ‘but’ coming.”
Just to bother him, I’m not going to say the word “but” however right he is.
“She’s only going to be here for a few months, tops. You know she’s looking for a position with a professional team, and as soon as she gets one, she’s gone.”
“And your point is?”
“Callie,” I say simply. It’s not as hard as it used to be to say her name. “But if you’re going to tell me to get over it already, I swear I’ll punch the daylights out of you.”
