Page 31 of A Chance for Us
“Yeah, we’ll be fine. We just have to sell it and . . . lie.”
He walks over to me, taking my shoulders in his strong hands. “We have a plan, and since you’re a planner, it’s probably a great one.”
“It is.”
“If you do say so yourself.”
I smile at that. “If I do.”
“So, we stick to it, and if one of us goes off the rails, the other will have to adapt.”
“Are you planning a revolution?” I ask, somewhat as a joke.
“Well, I am a spy, after all. It’s important to think on one’s feet in my line of work.”
I groan and let my head fall back. “We are so fucked.”
Oliver shrugs. “Hey, you have your fun, I’ll have mine. If I happen to tell a little embellishment regarding my last mission where I saved a Spanish princess, what’s the harm?”
“For one, there is no Spanish princess . . .”
“All part of the lie, sweetheart.”
“I’ve created a monster,” I mutter. “You need to deflect, not embellish.”
“Sit and relax. You’re going to make yourself sick.”
He leads me over to the couch and then settles next to me without dropping my hand. I lean in, resting my head on his shoulder, and inhale his musky cologne. Why does this man smell so good? I shift, wanting to erase the space between us, and feel like I’m losing my mind. This is Oliver, who isn’t the man I thought I wanted to spend my life with just a few days ago, my friend who used to be in love with my best friend.
This web could not be more tangled if I tried.
We aren’t a thing and I need to remember that.
I make the mistake of glancing toward his face as I try to make sense of this. Oliver’s blue eyes watch my green ones, and the connection has tingles racing up my spine. I lean back, breaking the spell as I tuck my hair behind my ear.
The stress is getting to me, and I’m keyed up about seeing my dad again. Not knowing what to expect has always made me anxious, unbalanced, so my reacting that way to Oliver is nothing more than my subconscious reaching for something familiar. A friend.
I decide that, whatever it is, my best course of action is to use it to help sell the lie. I’ll just have to make sure I don’t buy my own snake oil.
Oliver laughs. “I don’t know how the hell I get myself in these things. I swear I’m like a magnet for the most insane situations. Seriously, though, I’m going to slip up on the job part, so please make sure you don’t leave us alone together.”
I smile. “Just be vague or circumvent the questions and you’ll be okay.”
“Got it. I’ll keep things brief, keep my answers short, and if I get in serious trouble, I’ll fake choking or something.”
I giggle. “My co-workers will play along. They’re really good at making up elaborate bullshit stories.”
“Seems like it’s an occupational thing.”
I shrug. “Sort of.”
“Oliver!” one of his brother’s calls from the front of the resort. “Your fake father-in-law-to-be is pulling in the drive.”
Nerves hit me like a ton of bricks, slamming the air from my chest. “Remember, I haven’t seen him in about six months. You and I have been together for three months, and you’re hopelessly in love with me.”
We get to our feet. “Right.”
“Okay. We’ll be good. We can do this,” I say because it has to be true.
