“No, I want to andhavewanted to. I just… I couldn’t find the right time. It shouldn’t be about the timing, I realize that now. It’s about letting you in.” I squeeze his hind. “Tonight. I’ll pick you up.”
“Okay.” He nods, and I lean in to kiss him on the lips.On the sidewalk… in front of DragonFly Books… where everyone can see.
I glance over his shoulder, and yep, there’s Mira’s face smooshed against the glass at Ink Me. I flip her the bird behind Olly’s back as one would do in this situation.
We untangle and he pivots. “Tonight?” he confirms as he walks away.
“Eight o’clock,” I say.
He stops for a moment and turns around, cocking his head to the side. “Was it you?” he asks. “Was it you who told them about me, for the carnival?”
I clear my throat. “Yes. They needed someone they could count on, and I knew you would be the perfect person for the job.”
“Thank you,” he says quietly before walking away. The sincerity with which he says it fills me with relief that maybe—just maybe—I didn’t overstep my bounds.
“Shutit,Mira!”
“What? I didn’t say anything… yet.”
I stop, look at her, then roll my eyes. “Fine outwith it.”
“I saw Jasper kissing Olly,” she says. Loudly.
I hear the roll of stools across the floor as they all stick their heads out of their workstations.
“Ha! Looks like you’re next on this love-bug train,” Jaxon says from his chair at the end of the hall.
“First of all, love bug, really? And I’m not the one who brought it into the building.” I look at Finn. “If anything, it was Finn’s fault.”
Finn scoffs. “Hey, I was new and didn’t know any better. Plus, look at him. How could I not?” His goofy grin is disgusting. Kinda. Ok, and maybe kinda sweet, too.
“Next thing you know, babies will be contagious,” Dom jokes.
I gasp. “How dare you put that into the universe!”
Dom gives a boisterous laugh.
“Oh, you think it’s funny now? I believe you’re next to be bitten by this love bug, Dominic.” Yeah, I full-named him.
He swears and ducks his head, rolling back into his workspace. That’s what I thought.
Finn and Jaxon both put their hands up in surrender, slowly rolling away.
Glancing at the clock, I see I have thirty minutes until my first client comes in.
I sink onto my stool, letting out a long, slow exhale. The earlier events are at the forefront of my mind. I should have told Olly about Marcus, Jacob, and The Matthew House sooner and not by overhearing us talking.
Fuck! I fucked up.
I don’t know why I was so worried. In the beginning, I wasn’t ready to bring up my sad, if not boring, past. Which, fine, makes sense. But as soonas I recommended Alex’s company for Marcus to invest in, and everyone started mixing and mingling, I should have acknowledged it.
Now here I am, pissed off because Olly deserved better from me. I need to figure out a way to let him know I’m in this with him. I really want to see where this goes.
I hear a commotion in the hallway.
“What are you guys doing?”
Mira, Finn, Dom, and Jaxon are all jockeying for space in my doorway.
