I grab her hand without hesitation. Her vulnerability is kind of shocking me. Ididonly meet her yesterday, and it’s not like we got off on the right foot. Maybe I won some points by agreeing to take Maverick home.
“Long story short, I felt like I needed help, and when my mom learned what was happening, she freaked out. I think she’s always had this insecurity after the miscarriages, like it was her fault she couldn’t have a baby right away. When she saw me struggling, I think it dug up those old feelings, and she felt like she did something wrong when she raised me. Except now she actually had a chance to do something about it, so she did everything she could to step in and help me.”
I’m hanging on the edge of my seat. I thought Olivia was a monster, but each time she opens her mouth, she proves me wrong. Now, I just want to know the whole story so I can understand her motivations.
She scans my face like she’s debating exactly how much she wants to let me in, and I can’t help but hope I look trustworthy enough as I ask, “Why are you hesitating?”
“I’ve told you a lot about me, but I know nothing about you. Maybe you could share something. That’d make me feel better.”
“Okay.” I pause as I try to think of what I could tell her that doesn’t get too deep into the past I’ve been trying to carefully hide. “My favorite color is red. When I was little, I wanted to be a cowboy because I loved the idea of getting paid to be outside and get dirty. Let’s see… oh, and my favorite TV show isFriends.”
“What are you a twenty-year-old girl?” She giggles.
“What are you talking about?”
“Your favorite TV show isFriends?”
My cheeks flush. “What’s wrong withFriends? It’s a timeless classic!”
“There’s nothing wrong with it, but I wouldn’t expect some gruff cowboy like you to enjoy it.”
“It’s funny, and I have a special attachment to it.”
She cocks her head. “You mean you actually have a sense of humor?”
I’m trying to act unamused, but I kind of like her sass.
“What’s your special attachment to it?”
My smile from moments earlier is swept off my face, and I immediately close down. We weren’t supposed to get into this territory. I’m not trying to talk with her about my life before Roots. I don’t mean to, but I wind up growling out my response. “A friend of mine introduced me to it in college. That’s all.”
She assesses me for a moment but doesn’t dig further. “Lame.”
“You’relame.”
“Oh, good come back. I never would’ve thought of that.”
“Okay, okay. We’re getting off track. It’s your turn. What’s your favorite color? What’d you want to be when you grew up, and what’s your favorite TV show?”
“Okay, um my favorite color is green. I wanted to market for animal shelters because I liked social media and animals, and my favorite TV show isDexter.”
“Myturn to judgeyou. Isn’t that the TV show where the guy is addicted to murdering people?”
“Yeah, but he only kills bad guys.”
“That show is one of the most depraved shows to ever exist! Do you seriously watch that? For fun?”
Her jaw falls to the floor. “Are you kidding me? Depraved? He kills bad guys! That’s agoodthing. It’s such a great show. Have you even seen it?”
“I don’t need to see it to know how messed up it is. The main character is literally a psychopath, but the writers get you to root for him. That’s messed up.”
She turns to me, fully invested in defendingDexter’s honor. “The show is a masterpiece! The fact that they can get you to care so much for someone who has very few human emotions and has the urge to murder people is what makes it so great.”
“Did you hit your head at some point today?”
Laughter slips from her lips, and it sounds like music. “I assure you I didnothit my head. You just don’t have good taste I guess.”
“I have excellent taste. You’re the one who likes dark, deranged shows.” A swirl of something mixes in my chest. When I woke up this morning, I wasn’t expecting today to go this way. I didn’t anticipate bringing a dog home or enjoying a conversation with Olivia. This needs to stop. I’m getting off track from my goal for the day. I need to steer this conversation toward the original topic.
