Lauren and Callie lean into one another, giggling and watching the two of us. When Callie stage whispers, “Get a room you two,” I’m drawn out of my haze.
“You girls are so damn loud!”
“Sorry, Rhett. I didn’t want to bother you, but we are supposed to stay in the cottage tonight, remember? I guess I forgot my keys, so I can’t get in, and?—”
“I’ll get my spare.”
As I dig through my drawer, Maverick comes padding down the steps that lead to my room.
“Hi, Mav!” Olivia coos, crouching down to the ground and extending her hands. “Rhett, can I bring him over to the cottage? I want him to cuddle with me tonight.”
“No, there’s still a couple things that haven’t been finished up there, and I don’t want him getting into anything. Besides, you girls are way too loud. I’m sure Maverick would prefer to have a quiet night over here.”
“But Maverick’s my baby. He should be with me!”
“He’ll be waiting for you tomorrow.”
“I want him now.”
“How are you going to leave him when you go back to San Francisco in a few weeks?”
“I’m not going back if I can help it. San Francisco sucks. It’s noisy and busy, and it doesn’t have you.”
The corners of my lips quirk, and my heart soars.It doesn’t have you.
Callie cuts in. “What about us? Are we chopped liver?”
“That’s what I mean. San Francisco doesn’t have any of you.” Olivia swirls her hands around to encompass the whole room. “Or my parents. Or Carol.”
There goes that soaring feeling. I’m just another friend to her. “Well, this is all news to me.”
She leans into my ear as if letting me in on a secret. When her lips brush against my skin, I shiver, even though it’s hot as hell tonight. “No one is supposed to know I’m thinking about staying yet. If I tell everyone and can’t figure out all the details, I’ll just hurt people. I need to do a few things first, like talk with my dad and find a new job.”
“All right, well your secret is safe with me.”
She gives me a satisfied and dopey-looking smile that makes me want to wrap her up in my arms. I don’t care what she says, I’m keeping her in Roots with me. Look at her! She’s so cute.
“How about I let y’all in now, so you can go to sleep?”
“Oh, we aren’t going to sleep yet. We have to have girl talk first,” Callie insists.
“Okay, then I’ll let y’all in so you can have girl talk.”
I desperately wish I could be a fly on the wall in the cottage tonight.I wonder if Olivia will talk about me. Will Callie try to play matchmaker again?Oh god, look what she’s doing to me! I’m not usually so obsessive and uncool.
They follow me over to the cottage like three drunken ducklings following their mother. I slip the key into the lock, giving it a little jiggle before swinging the door open.
“Thank you, Rhett.” Olivia slips her purse off her shoulder, searching for something before popping back up with a drunken laugh. “Oh my goodness! You aren’t going to believe this!” She dangles her keys out for everyone to see. “Ididhave the keys.” She bursts into laughter, immediately followed by Lauren and Callie.
Holding back a smile, I close the door behind me. “You ladies have a good night and please stay out of trouble, especially you two.” I point my fingers at Callie and Olivia, doing my best to look stern.
“Yes, sir.” Callie salutes me as I leave. Her lips are in a straight line for all of zero seconds before she bursts into a fit of laughter.
It takes everything in me to finally close the door behind me. Something about the energy in the room suggests trouble is ahead.
ChapterThirty-Eight
Olivia
