Page 42 of Time To Live Again

16

OLIVE

Man, this is nerve-racking. It’s not a date or a meet-the-parents kind of thing. It’s nothing more than a home-cooked meal.Are you sure about that?But when Leo opens the front door to his mom’s house, I straighten my jeans and smooth down my shirt as best I can with one hand. The other one has a death grip on a bouquet I insisted on buying. Once we’re inside, we remove our shoes and leave them lined up at the door, next to the others.

“We’re here,” Leo calls as he leads me down a long hallway with powder-gray walls, white chair rails, and beautiful hardwood flooring. The delicious scent of pot roast wraps around me like a blanket. For a second, it’s like I’m home having Mom’s traditional Sunday pot roast dinner with Andy and my parents. It was Dad’s favorite meal. This smells similar and familiar, my heart fills with warmth and maybe ease.

I’m pulled away from the visit down memory lane when Tonya appears in front of us wearing a cute strawberry-patterned apron and holding a pink martini in one hand. Cosmo maybe? I wouldn’t mind one right now.

“Hey, Leo. Hi, Olive. Welcome! You’re just in time for a drink before dinner.” She turns around and says, “Follow me.”

Leo gently ushers me forward with his hand on my lower back, a calming little gesture. Really, any touch from him keeps me grounded. Tonya leads us to a gorgeous country kitchen with floor-to-ceiling white cabinetry and a massive center island. A muted gray, blue, and green mosaic backsplash adds color to the room. High-back stools line one side of the island. Far to the right side of the kitchen is a long wooden table with five place settings. Mom would love it here.

“Ma, stop hiding in the pantry,” Tonya calls, smirking. “Olive doesn’t bite.”

“Tonya,” Leo warns.

“I’m not hiding. I’m getting the cornstarch you didn’t put out for me. You’re losing your touch, Cosmo Girl,” his mom says as she appears with a box in her hand. Her apron matches Tonya’s. She’s a couple inches taller than me with light brown, shoulder-length hair.

Tonya’s face turns pink. “Blasphemy!” she cries. “My ears are burning.” She’s a hoot.

Leo’s mom turns toward us, a welcoming smile on her face. It falters for a second when she looks at me, and her hazel eyes flash. I correct my posture, suddenly uncomfortable. Does she not want me here? Did Leo see it, or is this my usual insecurity? Maybe she’s protective of her son? She’s already intimidating, and I just met her!

“Ma, this is Olive.” Leo gestures toward me as he introduces us.

She extends her hand. “Hi, Olive. I’m Marla. It’s nice to meet the woman who’s caught my son’s eye.” Her eyebrows tip up. “And look at your pretty ones. What a unique shade of brown.”

“Here we go,” Leo grumbles, scratching his neck like he has hives. My mom would be the same if I brought him home with me. Probably worse. “Let’s not lay it on too thick tonight.”

“And look at her thick eyelashes, Ma. They’re real! Isn’t she lucky?” Tonya says, finishing her martini.

Be brave, talkative, and polite. “Nice to meet you, Marla. Thanks for having me. Happy New Year too. It smells delicious in here.” I hand her the flowers. “Leo says you love yellow roses.”

She puts the cornstarch on the island and takes the flowers from me. “I really do. Thank you. A woman can never get too many flowers.” Her smile reaches her eyes this time.Phew. “Leo, will you please get my favorite vase from the other room? You know which one.”

“Sure.” Leo leaves the kitchen.

“I hope you’re hungry and like pot roast. The gravy is almost finished,” she says, heading for the stove.

“We hiked most of the day. We’re starving.”

Marla lifts a lid off a steaming pot and stirs the contents. “Good. That’s what I want to hear because we have plenty of food.”

“Who wants a drink?” Tonya interrupts. Then she looks beyond me at something over my head. I startle when I realize someone’s behind me.Holy hell.

“Hey, Sully,” she says. “We didn’t hear you come in.”

I step to the side to let him pass and melt when I see his kitten curled up on his shoulder. I wonder if he’d let me hold it. Tonya clips the stems of the roses in a snap and takes the vase from Leo, who’s back. She arranges them perfectly, then places the vase on the table.

Leo formally introduces me to Sully. He remains silent but nods and shakes my hand. Then he kisses Marla’s cheek. Now that I have a better look at him, I can see his resemblance to Leo. His eyes are slightly more brown than golden, perhaps due to the black cloud around him. He’s about two inches taller and wider too. He’s handsome in that angry, don’t-fuck-with-me kind of way. It gives him an edge that some women find attractive. He’s the dark force in the room, and Leo is the light from what I’ve witnessed so far.

Tonya stands out in her own way because her hair is brunette, not as dark as mine, and straight. It’s styled in a bob right below her chin. Her eyes are hazel, like her mom’s. She’s short, petite, friendly, fiery, and seems to have good business sense, but no one outshines Leo.

Tonya asks again what we’d like to drink, then orders us to sit at the kitchen table and relax. I offer to help, but both she and Marla say no. Message received.

“Where’s Donna?” Leo asks, taking his beer from Tonya a few minutes later. She hands me a cosmopolitan garnished with an orange peel and Sully a beer. I sip mine and go cross-eyed.Holy shit, that’s strong.

Marla wipes her hands on a dishtowel, then continues to stir the gravy. “She’s having problems with her back again. Didn’t she send you a message? She wanted to see if you could fill in for her tomorrow afternoon, hoping she’ll get a doctor’s appointment.”

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