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I snort.
I have to hand it to her. She can make me laugh.
“Maybe you should go get some fresh air or something. It’s super nice outside.” She pulls out her phone and starts scrolling through. “All I have to do is find a guy to go with me and pretend to be my boyfriend.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard,” I mumble, more to myself than anything. “Bunch of bickering couples sitting around, getting in touch with their feelings…? That’s every guy’s dream vacation.”
She ignores my sarcasm.
I catch a whiff of her shampoo as she flicks her curls back and presses her phone to her ear. I do my best to tune her out as she jokes around with a guy named Sam, who I remember from high school. Then Randy, who runs the golf course just outside of town. Next up is some dude named Charlie that I’ve never met.
It’s her turn to sigh when she hangs up, after that third call.
Trent’s on her, right away.
“What, he couldn’t go, either?”
“He’s working. Everyone’s working.” She tugs at one of her curls. “Maybe this is going to be more of a challenge than I thought.”
Trent taps a pen on his metal desk nervously. “Maybe this Skye lady will be okay with it if just Maggie and I show up.”
“Nope. No way.” Olivia shakes her head, and her hair swishes across her back, right in my face.
There’s that smell again. It’s nice, actually. Like honey and vanilla.
“She was super insistent about me being there…with‘my partner’. She said if I was there alone, I’d put participants on edge. I have to find a fake boyfriend or else this whole thing is off.”
“Can’t you write about the place without seeing it? Let’s call her back.” Trent picks up his phone like he’s going to make the call, but I know he won’t.
He’s put this whole mess in Olivia’s hands now, and he’s going to defer to her. The two of them bug me sometimes because he’s older, but she bosses him around.
Olivia shakes her head, vetoing his idea. “Nope, I don’t think she’d go for that, either. I have to be there and see the place if I’m going to write about it. That’s the whole point of what I do. I can’t write about how good Cannoli’s straight from a cafe in Rome tastes without actually going to a cafe in Rome. And I can’t write about Sunrise Ranch in Desolation Valley without actually going to Sunrise Ranch.”
“So… you have to be there in person.”
“Exactly. I have to look around and smell the smells and feel the sun and watch Skye teach in person if I’m going to write anything worthwhile.”
I slug down some coffee.
Desolation Valley.Why does that sound so familiar?
Ah, right. Danielle mentioned that place, this morning.
“Hang on… did you just say Desolation Valley?” I ask. She keeps her back to me.
“Yes, yes I did. Do I have to speak slower for you two or something? Did you pickle your brains last night or what?”
“I think Danielle’s gonna be there. Catering.”
My mention of Danielle is, apparently, worthy of Olivia’s attention. She swivels around to face me.
“Danielle Simpson? Are you seeing her or something?”
“I saw her. This morning.”
“I mean are youseeing her, likedatingher.” She does that eye-roll thing, and then reaches out for my travel mug and helps herself to a sip.
“I wanted to take her on a date, but she said no.”
