To her relief, he laughed. “How long will the cart take to charge?”
“About fifteen minutes, and we’ll have enough power to get to the club. Why don’t you head inside and get some water? I’ll grab the pills.”
Olivia headed upstairs to her mother’s bathroom, found the Xanax, then made her way down to the kitchen. It was the only room in the cottage that looked entirely the same as it had in Olivia’s childhood. Lulu couldn’t bear to remove the faded yellow wallpaper with its little white flowers, or replace the deep, old-fashioned sink, or purge any of the knickknacks on the counters and windowsills: the weird milk jug that held decades-old dried baby’s breath, the yellow-and-white antique cookie jar that never seemed quite clean enough to store actual cookies, the random soap dishes and vases that had been in the same spots for so long, they seemed more like barnacles on a ship than items that could be easily moved around.
Zack stood at the sink, gulping down a glass of water. Heswallowed, refilled the glass, then kept drinking. “Sit down a sec.” Olivia took his arm and started to guide him over to the long wooden table that bore the scars of countless art projects and baking attempts gone wrong.
Zack hesitated. “I should get going. I don’t want to leave Jonathan alone for too long.”
“It’ll take you longer to walk there than it will to wait for the cart to charge.”
Zack followed her to the table, and they both took a seat on the vinyl chairs, the only items of furniture Lulu had taken from their pre-Bill apartment. “Pretty nutty day, huh?” Zack said, taking another, slower sip.
“Did you know there was something going on between Jonathan and Natalie?” Olivia asked.
“Jonathan swore nothing had happened before.”
“And you believe him.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“I don’t know what outcome I’m even hoping for at this point.” Olivia certainly didn’t relish the thought of her family facing two hundred bewildered guests, but that was a minor inconvenience, all things considered. “Going through with the wedding doesn’t feel like the right move, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t. They’re both great people, but something about their relationship never felt organic to me. What about you?”
Olivia paused, considering this. “I don’t think I gave it enough thought, to be honest. I was so relieved Marigold had found this amazing guy to take care of her, I didn’t stop to think about whether she seemed happy.” She gave Zack what she hoped was a meaningful look. “We’re not always good at figuring out what we really want.”
He raised his chin to meet her eye. “It’s never been a problem for me.”
Olivia felt herself blush. “I guess I’m not as evolved. Or self-aware. Whatever, who cares. All that matters is that I was a huge idiot. I’ve had a crush on Andrew for so long, it became a kind of habit. And it kept me from recognizing who I hadrealfeelings for.”
“That Dylan guy, right? The guy from the bonfire?”
His delivery was so deadpan, it took her a beat to realize he was joking. “Nailed it. How could you tell?”
“Oh, the loathing in your eyes was a clear giveaway.”
“Loathing?”
“Yeah, the more you act like you despise someone, the more you secretly want to sleep with them. At least, that’s what I think… or what I hope.”
It’s not too late, Olivia thought.I haven’t ruined everything.
“I’m sorry I acted like last night was a mistake. I was confused and embarrassed and… I panicked. I never should’ve sent that email.”
“Yeah…” Zack rubbed the back of his neck. “That was a pretty rough thing to wake up to. But I figured you just didn’t want to ruin your chances with Andrew.”
“I wasn’t thinking about him at all,” Olivia admitted. “I think I was worried about messing things up with you.”
“Oh yeah? What things?” Zack cocked his head expectantly.
“Come on, are you really going to make me say it?”
“Say what?” Zack said, biting back a smile.
“Oh my god! I like you, okay? I really, really like you. I made a huge mistake. I don’t care about Andrew at all and I’m sorry for dicking you around. It was unfair and unkind, and there’s noreason you should forgive me, but I’m hoping it’s not too late to…” She trailed off and looked away, too embarrassed by her undignified speech to gauge his reaction.
She braced for him to respond with a joke, or worse, to sigh and explain that she’d missed her chance. But he said nothing. Instead, he leaned forward, cupped the side of her face, and drew her toward him until their lips touched. Olivia had never felt herself respond to a kiss like this before. In an instant, every remaining ounce of tension in her body disappeared as a tingling warmth spread through her. Zack wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer, kissing her more deeply.
