Page 13 of Before the Night Falls
Olivia hammed it up by looking as if she hadn’t known any of the snacks were there.
They were all laughing by the time the segment was over.
“Thanks, Tyson. That was fun.” Olivia reached for the food in his hands. “I’ll take these back now.”
He raised an eyebrow and stepped back, gathering the taboo food close to his chest. “I don’t think so.”
Olivia’s mouth dropped open. “Don’t you trust me?”
The horrified expression on her face was priceless. Too badthatwasn’t caught on camera.
“It’s not about trust. It’s about making good decisions.”
After staring at him in silence a moment, she finally said, “Fine, take it.”
Wes and Chandler glanced at each other.
“Olivia Montgomery, you mean to tell me you done gave up your comfort food just like that? Well, bless your heart.” Wes tilted his head in shock, his Texas accent stronger than ever.
She shrugged a little too innocently. “What can I say? If I’m going to do this program, I’m going to do it right.”
Wes and Chandler stared at her with raised eyebrows.
She glanced over at Tyson. “Technically, the program starts tomorrow. I can have one candy bar before bed tonight, right?”
Tyson shook his head. “Not a good idea. The high amount of sugar will lead to a spike and then a crash in your blood sugar levels. It will make it harder to sleep and can even cause nightmares, among other things.”
Olivia pursed her lips. “You just had to burst my bubble, didn’t you?”
“It’s what I get paid to do.”
“Burst bubbles?”
He let out a laugh. “Keep people accountable.”
“What if I get hungry?”
Her sparkling green eyes made him smile. She really was beautiful in a very natural way. Too many people on TV had so much work done. Tyson preferred people who were comfortable with themselves.
“You can grab something healthy from the kitchen,” he finally told her. “I have faith you’ll be okay, Kiddo.”
Olivia blinked as if offended.
He supposed it was too late to take the word back.
After a few seconds, a grin spread across Olivia’s face, and she jabbed his arm. “Okay, if you say so,Muscle Man.”
Muscle Man? He supposed he deserved that.
His time with Olivia would be very interesting, he realized. Very interesting.
* * *
Kiddo? Had Tyson really just called her that?
Olivia bit back a frown.
His opinion of her was clear.
