Page 14 of Love for a Lifetime

“I know that’s not for me,” Anna said, eyeing the contraption.

“It’s for me, but I was hoping you’d help me style it. And maybe take some photos and videos I could use.”

Anna rubbed her hands together. “This could be so fun. You definitely need a light-blue blouse and maybe medium wash jeans. And boots. I have the perfect pair.”

“Bring them over tomorrow,” Olivia said.

“You got it.” Anna leaned against the coop wall beside the hen bath. “Remind me again why you don’t live here?”

The chickens and goats were on the family farm, and as much as she loved her childhood home and her dad, she didn’t want to live here now that her mom was gone.

She’d offered to move back home after her mom passed, but thankfully, her dad declined. She still worried about him, but not as much as right after Mom died.

“Two grieving hearts don’t equal a whole. We’d just bring each other down. Plus, I’m in and out so much it would probably annoy him.”

Anna sighed and reached for Olivia, wrapping her arms around her neck. “I love you. I’m always here for you.”

Olivia squeezed back. She couldn’t be more different from her friend, but they balanced each other out in ways neither of them understood.

Anna loved fashion and made a good living as an online influencer. Clothing designers sent her pieces from all over the world. It helped that Anna looked good in anything. She could wear a towel, and the internet would go wild, scrambling for the exact one she posted on her Instagram and vlog.

Anna was also an attorney working at her dad’s firm. She had the brains to back up that beauty.

Olivia, on the other hand, promoted mostly small businesses that made home decor featuring poultry.

“Friend, I ask this with all the love in the world, but how are you going to find a man if you spend all of your extra time volunteering or hanging out with chickens?”

Resting the back of her hand on her forehead, Olivia wailed, “My kingdom for a date!”

Anna swatted Olivia’s shoulder. “I’m serious. You never date. It’s sad.”

Olivia groaned. “I don’t need a man. I’m doing what I want to do.”

“But who doesn’t love love? I mean, you’re a strong, independent woman, but we’re both getting old, and we need husbands and families.”

Olivia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Anna knew about Olivia’s endometriosis, but they’d never talked about Olivia’s possible inability to bear children, and it needed to stay that way. “I don’t need a man or a baby. I’m fine. Can we talk about something else?”

Anna clapped her hands and flashed a smile so bright it rivaled Times Square. “Yes, let’s talk about Dawson. Has he said anything about me lately?”

Not this again. Talking about Dawson always sent her heart racing, and not in a good way like a cardio workout. “He says a lot, but I only listen a little.”

Anna tapped a finger against her lips and lifted her chin. “I wonder if he’ll ask me to be his date to the wedding.”

Ugh. Another topic that needed to be avoided. Dawson would be the perfect wedding date, but there wasn’t a chance in the world Olivia would end up with him that night. “Why don’t you just ask him?” The words burned her throat as she spoke.

Anna frowned. “Um, no. A woman needs to be pursued.”

“Why don’t you just tell him how you feel?”

Olivia was one hundred percent guilty of keeping her feelings to herself, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t good advice. Dawson didn’t have a clue Anna was interested in him, despite her obvious attempts to let him know. The guy flirted and joked with everyone. Anna was just another woman who flirted and joked right back.

“I just can’t. He needs to make the move. Who are you going with?”

Despite her excitement over Asa and Lyric’s wedding, Olivia had zero intentions of bringing a date. “I’m not taking a date. I’m a bridesmaid, and I’m helping with the planning. I have to focus on making sure things go smoothly.”

“Too bad things with Trey didn’t last a little longer. You could have gone with him.”

Olivia furrowed her brows and leveled her friend with a lethal glare. “No, thank you. I’m glad that ship has sailed.”

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