“Don’t worry, Rhett has been sitting in the parking lot for the past hour waiting on us.” Callie laughs.
“Oh, wow. Sounds like Rhett has taken a liking to the new girl, huh?”
I give him a soft smile, but Callie says, “Oh yeah, he has, so back off.”What?!Kissing him on the cheek, as if she didn’t just say that, she cheers, “Goodnight, Jax!”
Swiveling around, she leans into my ear. “Damn, girl! You better be careful. You’re going to have this whole town falling for you. First Rhett and now Jax seems to be taking a liking to you too.”
“I’m sure he was just being friendly.”
“Jax is known as the biggest flirt in all of Texas. I don’t think he knows how to just be friendly, but we can use this to our advantage. Watch this.” She winks at me as we approach Rhett’s truck.
Rhett gets out to open his rear door for us and grabs Callie’s hand to help her in. She takes it and turns back to me. “Jax is known for being flirty, but, man, he seemed genuinely interested in you.”
Rhett places his other hand out in front of her, pausing her from getting into the truck. “What’s going on with Jax?”
She doesn’t miss a beat. “Jax seemed interested in Olivia. I think she should go for it because IloveJax. What do you think?”
I give her a skeptical look as Rhett offers me his hand. Rage swirls in his eyes, and he presses his lips together. I have to admit, it feels damn good. That look right there inflates me with hope.
“I think she should stay away from Jax.” He’s talking to Callie, but his eyes don’t come off me. “He has a reputation for a reason. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I can throw him.”
“His reputation is for being a big flirt, and I hear a pretty good hookup. Maybe that’s what you need to complete your Roots experience, Olivia. It’s perfect! What with you leaving and all, Jax is exactly the kind of guy to go for. It’s uncomplicated. No strings.”
“Is that really what you want though? A fling?” Rhett gets into the driver’s seat, meeting my gaze in the rearview mirror. I give him a soft, perhaps slightly cocky smile, as I shrug.
“Your parents asked me to keep an eye out for you, and I don’t think they’d be too happy if they found out I just stood by and let you get involved with Jax.”
“She’s a big girl and can look out for herself. It’s not your place to get involved in her love life.”
I’m starting to feel uncomfortable with all of this, but I can’t help the smile that crosses my face when I swear I hear him murmur, “Maybe it is.”
He pulls out of his parking spot, but when he reaches the exit, he asks, “Where am I taking you two? Callie’s?”
“Yup, the plan still hasn’t changed. Can you be a dear and connect my Bluetooth? I need to play more Shania Twain for Olivia.”
Reluctantly, he presses a couple of buttons on his dash.
Callie swipes and taps a few times on her phone until her phone starts playing one of the songs from the bar earlier. “Can you turn it up? I’m going to be singing along, and either you turn it up, or you have to listen to my horrible voice.”
Rhett huffs but turns up the volume more than just a few notches. In the rearview mirror, I see the hint of a smile, which only fills my heart with adoration for this man. From that simple gesture, I am reinvigorated with my determination to crack Rhett open, even if it means putting myself out there too. Whatever darkness he thinks he holds inside of himself is worthy of love, and despite knowing that I’m leaving in a couple of months, Ineedto give him a chance to see that.
* * *
With the smell of whiskey on my breath now replaced by fresh mint, I draw back the comforter on Callie’s queen-size bed, murmuring, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For taking me out for a fun night and for making me feel so welcome here. My parents are great. Rhett is great. Really everyone in Roots is great, but I don’t think I’d enjoy my time here half as much if it weren’t for you. You just have this way of making me feel so… loved, and worthy of that love.”
She gives me a soft smile, and I can see hints of pain and warmth in her eyes. “That means a lot to me.”
“How did you get to be so vibrant?” I prod, amazement still filling me.
“Stop! You’re making this a bigger deal than it is.” She swats at me. “My whole life, my parents always picked my sister first. I never really questioned it. In fact, I understood. She was kind and brilliant and funny. But at the end of the day, it definitely made me feel like I wasn’t good enough. With time, people like Ms. Easton and Benny swooped in and made me feel loved. It made me realize the profound impact one person can have on another, and I wanted to be that person for someone else. Then after high school, I went through a tough breakup that made me feel like I wasn’t someone’s first choice again, and my sister passed away a year later, proving how quickly life can be snatched away from you. Since all that, I’ve made it my mission to live a positive life and to help others to hopefully never feel like they’re someone’s last choice, at least not in my presence.”
“I admire that. And for what it’s worth, I think you do a hell of a job at it. I’m sorry you’ve felt that way in life. You deserve better. If I can help it, I’m going to do my best to be a good friend to you who never makes you feel that way.”
“Thanks, Olivia.” She pauses. “Can I ask you something?”
