Page 14 of Roman & Olivia
At that, Olivia’s eyes dipped down to her clothes and a groan escaped her lips. “I didn’t wear this to work. I had to stop by the ranch today.”
Understanding filled Cammi’s expression. “Another one of those dating lessons, huh?” She tilted her head. “But why the getup? Did Roman need to recreate some sort of cowgirl fantasy in order to be believable?”
That gave Olivia pause. It made sense, didn’t it? Roman had a type. He liked girls who could hold their own. When they were kids, he’d always said he’d marry a girl like his mom, and the woman who raised him was as hardworking as they came. She wouldn’t have been caught dead in an office job.
And if Cammi was right, then Olivia had one less thing to be worried about. Roman would never go for her. She was too soft for his preferences. Sure, when they were kids, she’d had her share of scrapes and bruises. But now? She was the assistant to the mayor, for heaven’s sake. She couldn’t afford to be covered in mud from head to toe or stuck in a tent for a week-long camping trip—even though those thoughts did bring her joy of memories past.
“You know? That’s a good point.” She practically threw herself over the edge of the island to come face-to-face with Cammi. “He’s a crazy good actor, though.”
“Really?” Cammi said, glee and interest dripping from that word. She flipped the magazine closed. “Do tell.”
Olivia waved a dismissive hand and laughed. “Oh, it wasn’t anything special. He came in real close, lowered his voice…” Chills ripped through her body at the memory, and she scowled.
“That good, huh?” Cammi laughed.
“Hmm?”
Her friend gestured to her face. “By that look alone, I’m going to assume that he got under your skin—and in the good way. Are you sure there isn’t the slightest hint of something between you?”
“Oh, whatever. You know there isn’t.”
Cammi cocked her head to the side, her smile widening. “I don’t know,” she sang, “looks to me like all this pretending is going to get messy.”
“No, it’s not!” Olivia said it with a laugh, but deep down she couldn’t help wondering if she was walking into something she wasn’t prepared to shield herself against.
As quickly as the thought came to her, it dissipated.
“Anyway, today went better with Mason. He came to my desk to ask me to help him with writing up a proposal to submit to the council, and I didn’t trip all over myself. So that’s progress, right?”
“Sure. What did Roman say?”
Her brows creased. “I didn’t tell him about it.”
“Why?”
Why indeed? She’d been so excited to tell Roman that she’d done everything right at work. She hadn’t sought Mason out. She didn’t stare at him whenever he came into the room. And when he approached her, she’d been professional, if not a little overlysweet. It was probably obvious that she liked him. She’d long since had to get over that thought whenever they were in the same vicinity.
“Earth to Olivia.” Cammi waved a hand in front of her face. “You in there?”
Olivia startled as Cammi came back into focus. She shrugged. “I don’t know. The second I got there, Roman told me to change so I could help him with a few things while we talked.”
“Or maybe he wanted to see you in something other than that stuffy shirt and skirt getup that you wear to work every day.”
“Roman doesn’t care about what I wear. He’s not like that. It was actually sweet of him to think about me. He said he didn’t want my clothes to be ruined.”
“Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.” Cammi turned back to her magazine and only directed a few glances in Olivia’s direction. “So, your double date is coming up. Any clues as to who Mason is bringing?”
“Nope.” She straightened and moved to the fridge to get herself a drink of water. “Could be anyone. Could be someone he’s already taken out. Honestly, I don’t even know if he has someone in mind.”
“Maybe you should recommend me.”
Olivia froze with her hand on the fridge handle, and then she peeked over her shoulder at Cammi. “What? You wouldn’t want to do that… would you? I seem to remember that you said it would be too messy.”
Cammi’s eyes didn’t leave the magazine article she was supposedly reading. “Why not? I know you’re not into Roman and… well…” Her eyes flitted up to Olivia, and her grimace was a mix of a smile and embarrassment.
Olivia gasped. “Seriously? You’re interested in Roman?”
Cammi giggled. “What? I’ve always thought he was hot. All those rippling muscles and the way he pulls off that cowboy hat?” She made a mock groaning sound.
