“Yeah, I know. And I don’t thinkThe Simpsonsinvented it.”
“Sorry.” Andrew shook his head. “I can’t believe I just tried to mansplain that joke to you.”
“You’re forgiven. You haven’t reached your mansplaining quota for the weekend.”
“Oh yeah?” He gave her a knowing look. “You’re right. I doubt I’m the worst offender.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sorry,” Andrew said, almost sheepishly. “I just heard that you and Zack broke up, and I thought…”
“Yes…?”
“I’m being stupid, sorry. I assumed that part of the trouble was that he’s so pompous, and I figured you were tired of being lectured.” Before Olivia could interrupt him and explain that Zack wasn’t pompous at all, that he was actually pretty humble and open-minded when you got to know him, Andrew continued, “And then here I was, trying to ask you out, andIended up lecturing you. The irony, right?”
Olivia waited for the rush of excitement she’d been waiting for, but it never came.
“Totally ironic,” she said, forcing a smile.
He surveyed her for a moment, then said, “No pressure if it’s too early. We can always put a pin in it until you feel ready.”
A weird, perverse part of her wished Zack were here so she could see him react to “put a pin in it.”
Stop it, Olivia chided herself.Zack doesn’t want to date you. Andrew does. Focus on the one real thing you have going on.“No, not at all. We were never official; it wasn’t that serious.”
“And it’s not too tacky to ask out a woman who just broke up with her boyfriend?”
Olivia affected a playful shrug. “I don’t know. You should probably consult Emily Post first.”
“Of course.” Andrew turned to inspect the bookshelves behind him. “Hmmm, let’s see,” he said, running a finger along the spines. “It looks like mostly whaling chronicles and Stephen King novels… Oh, wait. Here we go.” Andrew pulled out a book that clearly wasn’t an etiquette manual, flipped to a random page, and pretended to read. “If a man and a woman have never presented themselves to society as a couple, one may ask the woman out on a date after a twelve-hour grace period.” Andrew closed the book and replaced it on the shelf. “I think I’m good. Olivia, will you go on a date with me when we’re back in New York?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“Is that a ‘yes’ then?”
“Yes… but I just want to make sure… I know Emerson’s not your girlfriend, but are you guys…” Andrew gave her a funny look, and she trailed off. “Sorry, it’s none of my business. Especially in light of my own recent situationship.”
“Just relax,” Andrew said with a smile. “I promise, everything’s under control.”
Olivia returned his smile and then excused herself to go find Lulu, trying not to wonder what bothered her more: the fact that Andrew had told her to relax, or that he hadn’t answered her question.
Olivia found Lulu at a table on the patio with her best friend from art school, Paula, and Paula’s wife, Karen. It was unclear whether the two women were already dressed for the wedding. Ruffled sequin skirts, layers of pearls, and cowboy boots constituted casual wear for Paula, who’d gotten her start as a fashion designer in New York in the ’80s before moving to New Mexico to teach art. And Olivia couldn’t remember ever seeing Karen in anything other than jeans and western shirts.
“Look at you!” Karen exclaimed as Olivia approached. “You lookgorgeous.” Olivia did a little twirl before she sat down.
After the update from Natalie, Olivia had called Lulu and assured her that Marigold would arrive in time. Apparently, she’d been convincing, because Lulu seemed perfectly relaxed, beaming at her friends and her daughter. “I was just telling Paula and Karen about my conversation with Jonathan’s aunt Nancy last night,” Lulu said.
“Oh god,” Olivia groaned. “What’d she do this time?”
“She spent quite a bit of time telling me about alternative cancer treatment, like juice cleanses and sound therapy.”
“Soundtherapy?”
“Apparently, gong vibrations can interfere with the replication of cancer cells.”
Karen nodded. “You know, I did read something about that.”
“So how did you respond?” Olivia asked.
