Page 59 of Waking Olivia

Will leaves with Jessica, and although I wish he were staying, it’s a relief to escape his girlfriend’s noxious presence. I sit on the couch with Dorothy.

"So that was Jessica, huh?" I say. "What alovelygirl."

"I think she was a little unsettled to find you here,” replies Dorothy. “She's not normally quite so ... controlling."

"Will could do a lot better than that," I grumble. “I don’t know what he sees in her.” Okay, that’s a lie. Anyone with two eyes knows what he sees in her. I guess I just expected more of him.

"Jessica is a nice girl,” Dorothy sighs. “And Will’s known her forever. Back in high school, Will’s father hoped they’d get together, but Will was never interested.”

“I see why he wouldn’t be interested. What could they possibly have in common? She wore stiletto heels to afarmfor God’s sake.”

“Maybe she isn't what I'd have chosen for my son, but it's not my choice to make. And she may be my daughter-in-law someday, so I need to make the best of it."

"You think he's going tomarryher?" I ask incredulously. "Her? She's not good enough for him in a million years!"

Dorothy’s face falls a little. "I think Jessica wants to get married," she replies carefully. "And she’s pretty good at getting her way.”

41

Will

The momentI saw Jessica’s car in my mother’s driveway, my stomach sank. I prefer to keep the various parts of my life—the farm, coaching, Jessica—separate. Her presence felt like an intrusion, but what could I possibly say? Jessica is a separate part of my life, but somehow Olivia is not. Oliviabelongsat the farm. When I go and she isn’t there something feels lacking. But since it’s something I can’t even explain to myself, how could I possibly defend it to Jess?

She was inside, sitting on the couch talking to my mom, who had her polite face on — the one she uses with strangers, except I couldn’t remember her ever looking like that with Olivia.

“I thought I told you I couldn’t meet tonight?” I asked. It was a struggle to keep the edge from my voice.

“I thought I could finally meet Olivia,” she replied. “She seems to be spending a lot of time with your family.”

Jessica is insecure about many things, and it became clear in that moment that Olivia was one of them. I should have expected it, I suppose. My interest in this job and the amount of time I put into it have increased exponentially since she joined the team.

I exhaled my frustration, knowing that if Jessica was already feeling insecure, actuallyseeingOlivia was not going to help. I went to shower, and my mother met me before I went out to the porch, where Jess was waiting.

“How much does Jessica know?” she asked.

“She knows Olivia has slept here before some of the meets,” I said defensively.

“And does she know you stay here too?”

“It was implied.”

My mother clicked her tongue in disapproval. “In other words, you never specifically addressed it and hoped she’dassumeyou were at your apartment. And she’s about to see Olivia, who even the most secure woman would be jealous of, and discover you’ve been sleeping here with her.”

“I haven’t been sleeping anywhere with her,” I snapped. “Jessica has nothing to worry about. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

She shook her head and walked ahead of me to the front door. “For all the girls you’ve run through in your short life, Will, you still don’t know much about women.”

And when I followed her outside and saw the looks on both their faces, I knew she was right.

Jess’s silencetells me everything I need to know when we get to her apartment.

“Are you okay?” I ask. I want her to smile and move on, but I know she won’t, which means we remain in this ugly sort of limbo until we’vetalked. And talks with Jessica don’t necessarily go well. The only way you seem to achieve resolution is by promising something more than you are really willing to promise.

She sighs. “That’s the girl who’s been sleeping at your mom’s house?”

“Yeah, I told you about her.”

She sucks in her cheeks and her jaw shifts beneath them. “She’s pretty.”

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