NINE
CJ
“Busy day?”
Olivia lets out a nervous breath.“Yeah, busy, but good.”
“Can I take you out to dinner?”I ask her hopefully.
“Oh, um…”
“Come on.You have to eat.”
She sighs and relents.I grin like I just blocked a goal and won the whole game.Then I take her hand and lead her out of the youth center.
We head around the corner to the pizza place and slide into a booth in the back.Olivia grabs a menu, but I lean back in my seat.I can’t stop looking at her.
My inviting her out to dinner was supposed to be a casual event, some pizza, low stakes, nothing like the gala with donors breathing down our necks.Just me and her, tucked into a booth with some food between us, but Olivia Walker in soft lighting?Yeah, nothing about that feels casual.
I’m falling for her.I think I fell the first moment I saw her.
Now, how do I get her to fall for me?
I’ve never tried to win a woman over before, and now I have no idea what I’m doing or who to turn to for help.None of the other guys on the team is in a relationship.None except for Logan, and he got lucky by winning his girl, Violet.
“How was practice?”Olivia asks me, setting the menu aside.
“Rough.Coach put us through the wringer.We have a game this weekend to get ready for.”
“Is it here in town or are you traveling?”
“It’s a home game.You should come.I’ll get you tickets.”
She blinks.“Oh, you don’t have to go through all that trouble.”
“It’s no trouble.”
“Okay.”
I grin.Progress.Maybe my plan to make this fake dating thing real is working after all.
The server comes over and we order a large pizza with pepperoni.Once he’s gone, I lean closer to Olivia and ask her how her day was.
She tells me about getting caught up on work and creating a new budget with the money raised last night.She’s so passionate about it, and I find myself hanging on her every word.
Our food comes, and we each eat a few slices.It’s starting to rain outside, so I pay and head out to pull the car up to the door so Olivia doesn’t get wet.
“Thanks,” she says when she slides into the passenger seat.
“No problem.Where to?”I ask, pulling away from the curb.
She stifles a yawn.“My place.”
We drive back to her apartment in comfortable silence.My hand finds hers, and she smiles slightly, relaxing as I interlace our fingers.
“You know, I’ve never actually seen your place,” I say as I pull up to the curb outside.
“There’s not much to see.”
