Page 54 of The Making of Marnie Jones

“Do you believe that? Has he given you any indication he wants to walk away?”

At least Olivia looked chagrined. “No. Since they arrested my mom, he says he's been nothing but worried about me. He sent Wolf to find me.”

Maybe that incident had been Olivia's way of testing Jake's resolve. Fortunately, he passed the trial.

Olivia yawned, prompting Marnie to collect the mugs and put them into the dishwasher.

“Tonight sleep, tomorrow shopping.” She didn't miss the look on the younger woman’s face. Half anticipation, half concern. “What's wrong?”

“I've never shopped for new clothes.” Olivia’s chin tilted. “I'm good at finding bargains. I know several good secondhand stores…”

Marnie shook her head. “Since Jake admitted Jessica won't mind if you wear her clothes, I've got a great idea.” She held up her hands. “I've never had a manicure before, so I say we book ourselves in to get our nails done. Then we go shopping. Let's make it a girls’ day out.” It’d also give Jake a chance to get caught up on whatever it was he needed to do to get his life back to normal. Because that was what they needed—a sense of normalcy.

“Sounds like fun.” Olivia's eyes shone with enthusiasm.

“Promise you won’t try to sneak out again tonight?”

A solemn expression. “I promise I won't try to sneak out of here. You were right, it wouldn't be fair to either Jake or Wolf.” She glanced down at Marnie through her lashes. “Do you have to tell Jake?”

Proud of the young woman's mature perspective, Marnie's answer came quick and sure. “No, he doesn't need to know. We’ll keep this to ourselves.”

“Okay.”

Olivia hopped off the stool with an ease Marnie envied. Before she could react, The younger woman pulled her into a swift and tight hug.

Despite herself, Marnie stiffened. If Olivia noticed, she said nothing as she pulled away.

“Good night, Marnie.”

“Good night, Olivia.”

The young woman disappeared back into her room.

Marnie took a breath of relief. She made a quick detour to the bathroom before crawling back under the blanket on the couch. The air-conditioning was on low, but a slight chill permeated. It sure beat the muggy air from the city, though. Pulling the blanket up a fraction tighter, she let sleep overtake her.

***

The aromatic smell of coffee pulled Marnie into consciousness. Surprisingly, she felt refreshed and well-rested. She poked her head over the arm of the sofa and spotted Jake puttering around in the kitchen. Ah, he was cooking eggs.

Olivia sat at the breakfast bar, and the two conversed in hushed tones.

Marnie sat up. “Good morning.”

Jake took a step toward her, an easy expression on his face. “I'm sorry if we woke you.”

“What time is it?”

“Ten o'clock.” At her grimace, he grinned. “You're probably still on west coast time.”

Marnie exchanged a quick look with Olivia before turning back to Jake. “You're probably right. I’ll go freshen up.”

“Eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee when you're ready.”

Grabbing her overnight bag, she headed to the bathroom. Brushing her teeth and changing her clothes left her in a much better state of mind. She was normally a morning person, but the previous night's chat had sapped some of her enthusiasm. Now her stomach grumbled.Need to grab more clothes from the hotel.She stowed her bag and then joined them.

A steaming mug awaited her.

“Milk? Sugar?”

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