Me: :kissy face emoji:
Ollie: :blushing face emoji:
I put my phone down and meet Andie’s eyes.There’s a flush on her cheeks to match Ollie’s emoji.Maybe her text convo with Colby was flirty too?
I nudge her leg with my toes.“Ollie’s riding home with Colby, do you want to hang here until they arrive?Colby will walk you home.”I wink.“Or to his house.”
“We’re friends!Like you and Ollie.”
That makes me squirm.“Ollie and I are engaged.”
“Uh-huh.And Colby and I are friends.”
Why do I feel like I’m playing verbal chicken with my business partner and friend?Is she lying about being friends, like how Ollie and I are lying about being engaged?Or is she telling the truth about being friends, like how Ollie and I are truthfully engaged?This is so confusing.I can’t read the meaning behind her smirk.
“Okay, what do you want to do while we wait for them?”I ask.
She wiggles her brows mischievously.“Plan your wedding?”
“No.We’re not even thinking about the wedding until after our show and their season.We need to focus on those things first.”That’s not a lie.
In the end, we watchShifters At Sea, a reality show about the crew of a charter yacht catering to rich shifters.I couldn’t do it.The thought of being trapped on a boat in such close quarters with coworkers seems like hell to me.
It’s shortly after one in the morning when I hear a key in the lock.Butterflies take flight in my tummy as I get up to welcome Ollie.He stops short when he walks in.
“Hey,” he says when he sees me standing there.He looks tired.And like he needs a hug.
“Hey,” I reply, stepping up to him, wrapping my arms around his waist, and resting my cheek on his chest, where I can feel his strong, steady heartbeat.The tension in his body melts as he rests his cheek on my hair with a sigh.
“Oh, Phoebe, I needed this.Need you.”
“Talk to you later, Phoebe,” Andie says as she scoots past us to where Colby waits on the porch.To either walk her home or walk her to his house—don’t know, don’t care.All that matters is that Ollie is home.
“I missed you,” I murmur, blinking at the unexpected tears flooding my eyes.
His arms tighten around me like we can’t be close enough.
“Can I get you something to eat?Do you need anything?”I ask.
“Sleep.Holding you.”
“Okay.”
I step out of his embrace and take his hand.Telling the lights to turn off by voice control, I lead Ollie into my bedroom.
“It’s not a Bigfoot-size bed, but I’m happy to share with you,” I say, standing before my standard queen-size bed.
“Looks heavenly to me.I’m exhausted.My bed and car arrive this afternoon.”
I tug on his hand.“Okay, well, get ready and we’ll go to bed.I’m getting a bottle of water, want one?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
I leave him to get changed and see him go to “his” bedroom where his clothes are.
After getting us each a bottle of water and placing them on the nightstands, I go into the bathroom connected to this bedroom and change into a pair of cotton knit pj’s with a pink T-shirt and matching shorts.Nothing sexy, but it’s feminine and comfortable.I’ve finished brushing my teeth and doing my bedtime routine when Ollie walks in, wearing his glasses with a faded blue T-shirt and dark gray knit shorts.Yum.I want to swoon.
We stand there looking at each other.I think we’re both unsure what to do.
