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She puts a hand on her hip and pegs me with a cool glare. “Nope. Skye requested a plant-based menu.”
“So, you’re the one who baked those pies last night?”
“Yeah, I made them. No baking involved—everything was raw, including that macadamia nut crust. It’s a new recipe I’m working on. What did you think?”
The pavilion is warm this morning, thanks to the sunlight streaming in through glass windows and a fire in a hearth along one wall. Around the room, couples are yawning, scrubbing sleep from their eyes, and digging into plates of food.
A little way down the buffet line, Olivia’s serving herself some sort of quinoa and fruit salad… which I walked straight past.
Fruit? Yes.
Quinoa? No thanks.
I see Olivia flick her eyes my way. Then her gaze roves over Danielle, and back to me.
“It was good,” I tell Danielle. “If I closed my eyes, I could imagine it was made out of instant pudding packets.”
Danielle cocks an eyebrow at me. “And that’s… what? A compliment?”
“Yeah. A compliment.”
I check in on Olivia again. She returns the serving spoon to the fruit salad bowl, then primps her hair and fiddles with the neckline of her sweatshirt.
Uh oh. She’s getting ready to come over here.
Maybe that’s a good thing. Back in Silver Creek, she talked about how this whole act might help me get with Danielle.
Right now, I couldn't care less about dating Danielle. But that’s because I’ve been rendered brain-dead thanks to spending the night alone with Olivia.
When this is all over, I’ll come to my senses again. So maybe it’s a good thing that right now, Olivia’s marching my way like she’s some warrior princess heading into battle.
She pastes a smile on as she draws near.
I can tell it’s fake, but that’s because I know Olivia better than I know the engine in my truck, and I’ve stared at that thing more than is probably healthy.
When she slips her hand around my waist and leans her head on my shoulder, I feel my whole body stiffen. Danielle’s eyes narrow.
“Hi, Olivia…” Her gaze darts with uncertainty between me and Olivia. Now, as she fidgets with the platter of avocado toast, I can tell she’s just moving the same piece back and forth. “I didn’t realize you two were… um… together.”
“Oh, we are,” Olivia responds, her voice all honey coated. “Off and on for years now… Gosh, how long’s it been now, baby?”
“Ah…ah hem.” With Olivia this close, I’m inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo. She must be wearing lotion, too, or some sort of perfume.
Man, does she smell good.
And she feels good, too.
Soft.
Comforting.
Right.
She tilts her face up toward mine and makes a show of searching my eyes. Her nose scrunches. “What’s it been… fourteen years now, all told?” I feel myself nodding.
Weirdly, it has been fourteen years.
Fourteen years since I first met her, anyway. I was getting into trouble, during my senior year at Farmdale High. My parents and teachers decided I should finish school in Silver Creek. I started hanging out with Trent.
