Page 62 of Waking Olivia

I stop. “Fine, but I’ll sleep on the couch. It’s one thing before meets, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t have your own room tonight.”

“There are miles of woods around here,” Will says. “You’re not sleeping on the couch and that’s final.”

I sigh deeply. “It’s fine, Will. I haven’t been having the dreams as much, and if I do, I’m not likely to make it far. Running barefoot in the woods ought to wake me up pretty damn fast.”

“What if it doesn’t? Do you know how many miles of woods are out there? You think I’m gonna sleep for shit, worried that I’ll wake up in the morning and discover you’ve been lost in the woods, freezing for God knows how long? And if nothing else, I don’t want my horndog little brother coming out to the living room every morning and watching you traipse around in your pajamas.”

“I don’t traipse around, first of all, and second of all, I wearrunning clothesto bed almost every night so it’s not exactly sexy.”

“You wear a tight little tank with no bra,” he glowers. “That’s enough. Did you see the way he was looking at you just now? Multiply that times 10.”

If I didn’t know better, I’d think he sounded a little possessive. I like it. And I like that he seems so intensely aware of what I wear to bed.

“Okay.”

“Okay? You’re giving in, just like that?”

I shrug. “Sure. If it means that much to you, I’ll do it.”

“I guess that’s why it’s so much colder this afternoon,” he says, opening the door. Brendan and Dorothy stand right on the other side, and I suspect they were listening. “Hell must’ve frozen over.”

Dorothy takesme into the kitchen, where she has a list of jobs for me. More than anything, she seems excited to have someone to cook for again. "You're sure this is okay?" she asks for the hundredth time. "I'm not keeping you from a date, am I?"

I laugh. "No."

"From what Will says, you have your pick. I hear you have the entire men's track team and most of the football team on a leash.”

“That’s a slight exaggeration.”

"No it’s not. I heard the football players were singing some song at you from the bleachers. It irritated Will to death."

"Everything irritates Will to death," I mutter. "And that song stopped a while ago."

She nods. “Will spoke to the head of the football program about it.”

“He told you that?” I ask, surprised the song annoyed him that much. And I thoughtIwas irritable.

“No,” she says, suddenly turning pink. “Peter did.”

She asksme to set the table, which I’m happy to do until she informs me we need an extra place setting for Jessica. I dread her arrival long before it occurs, bracing myself for her big fake smile and big fake laugh and big tits—sadly, those are probably real—and the way she’s always pawing at Will.

She shows up once again in a suit that looks super expensive—what the hell does she do for the university anyway? I feel young and silly in my sweater and jeans. She hugs all of us, though her hug for me is decidedly stiff with dislike.

“You always do such a nice job with dinner, Mrs. Langstrom,” she gushes as we sit down to eat. She glances pointedly at me. “If I’d known you had such acrowd, I’d have gotten here sooner to help.”

“I’ve been cooking for a crowd on my own for as long as I can remember,” says Dorothy.

“Well, you shouldn’t have to,” says Jessica, reaching beside her to clasp Will’s hand. “And besides, I want to learn how to make all of Will’s favorite things. Why don’t I come by tomorrow? We could make dinner together.”

I wish there were a vomiting trough someplace close by. I catch Brendan’s eye. It looks like he needs one too.

“It’s really not necessary,” says Dorothy with more certainty. “Besides, if I need anything, Olivia can help.”

Me? Help in thekitchen? I can’t think of a less likely candidate, but I like the way that Jessica’s smile seems to contort around something very large and very sour. It doesn’t even look like a smile anymore, more of a grimace with teeth.

“I’dloveto help,” I coo.

Brendan disguises his laugh as a cough and turns to me. “So where are we headed tonight?”

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