Page 29 of Roman & Olivia
Her eyes widened briefly, shock and confusion filling them. “What?”
“Not yet,” Roman insisted. He turned his back to the group and continued working as he spoke quietly. “Mason is interested, but not enough. Think of it as more of a curiosity. He’s going to need a little more to go off of. He still sees you as his father’s assistant—maybe even a friend. We have to show him what you’d be like as a girlfriend.”
Olivia’s brows pulled together. “Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?”
He tensed. She was right. The way they held hands in front of Mason. The way she leaned into him and rested her cheek on his shoulder. Mason had plenty to witness.
But not enough.
“The fact that he’s still bringing Cammi along might mean he has a thing for her.”
That got Olivia’s attention, and she frowned. “Do you really think so?”
He shrugged. “How many times do you see him with the same girl?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Not… often… I guess.”
Roman nodded. “Okay, so let’s feel this out. For the weekend, we can watch the way he is with her. And we can really play up our relationship.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He glanced over to Cammi and Mason. The latter was now seated in the chair that Olivia had vacated. Their heads were close as they spoke, but the tension that one would normally see with an attachment wasn’t really there.
It didn’t appear either one of them was committed to their relationship in the way Roman had described to Olivia. It was only a matter of time before Olivia figured that out. And then what excuse would he be able to give her?
What excuse did he have?
He turned his attention to Olivia.
She was staring up at him with those large, innocent eyes and those perfect pouty lips. Everything about her that he’d somehow missed over the course of their friendship.
He didn’t want to admit it, but there was a small part of him that might actually be developing feelings for her.
Roman shook his head and cleared his throat. The one thing they hadn’t done to put a show on for Mason was kiss. That act could go one of two ways. It could make Mason jealous, or it could turn him off.
A sigh burst from Roman’s chest, and he forced himself not to look at her lips. “Let me just… watch him, okay? I know guys. I’ll tell you if I see anything that will help.”
She didn’t look convinced, but she nodded anyway. Good. She was willing to listen to him. That would give him enough time to figure out what these jealous feelings meant. Because they couldn’t possibly mean that he was developing a crush on his best friend.
Could they?
They took the afternoon to set up everything and to fix a simple meal. They went for a walk, and when the nip in the air became a little much, they started their fire.
Bright orange, red, and yellow flickered in front of him. He’d set up a blanket on the ground the perfect distance from the flames so they could roast marshmallows. Olivia sprawled out on her back, her head in his lap as they listened to music and chatted.
“Roman, what do you do exactly? Here at the ranch?” Cammi asked from a blanket next to them. She was seated cross-legged beside Mason.
He glanced at her and flashed her a smile. “I’m my brother’s second. We are first and foremost a ranch that specializes in training ranch dogs. But we have started to expand. He still oversees the dog part of the business, and he hired someone to oversee the other stuff. I’m still the guy he delegates to when he can’t be available. So I guess I’m a Jack-of-all-trades of sorts.”
Cammi nodded. “That’s so cool. Is it nice to work for family?”
Mason scoffed at this, drawing curious gazes from the girls and a narrowed look from Roman. When he noticed all the attention, he chuckled and waved a dismissive hand. “I’m sure Roman can tell you that working for family isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Not only do you have to be on your A-game at the office, but you have to deal with your mistakes at work when you’re off the clock, too.”
Olivia turned her eyes up to Roman. He didn’t give her his focus, but he could feel her attention.
Roman turned toward Cammi. “I can’t speak for Mason, but working with my brothers is everything. We all moved out here to be with my oldest brother. We left our folks so we could start this business on our terms. It’s not easy all the time, but it’s definitely worth it.”
Cammi crooned over his statement, and Roman didn’t miss the eye roll that came from Mason.
