Page 24 of Olivia's Only Pretending
His eyes twinkled. “If that changes, I’m here.”
“Victor.” I closed my eyes, shaking my head.
Nine
Texas fall was moody. Some days, it was crisp and cool, and then by the afternoon, it was sticky and humid.
Tonight, as we strolled across the dimly lit campus, there was a light chill in the air. I rubbed my bare arms. Victor’s eyes tracked the movement.
He had slipped on a dark sports coat after he parked his truck. Noting my cold arms, he immediately shrugged it off and wrapped it around my shoulders.
It was warm and smelled like him. I tugged it tighter around me as we walked up the cement steps toward the wide glass doors of the history building.
“You know,” he whispered, leaning closer to my ear, eyeing his jacket around my shoulders, “youdolook like my girlfriend right now.”
I grinned as he pulled the door open for me.
“Olivia!” Gabby raced over to me, her long, velvety, plum dress swaying at her ankles. “I—” But then she stopped, her gaze stopping on Victor. “Wait, you brought Victor?”
“Duh.” Victor slung an arm around me, his fingertips pressing into my shoulder.
“Yeah, the invitation said we could bring a plus-one,” I said.
“Are you wearing his jacket?” Gabby crossed her arms, eyes assessing the two of us.
“I was cold.” I shimmied the jacket off my shoulders.
Victor’s face fell.
I immediately missed the warmth. “What’s up?”
Gabby chewed on her lip, as if she were considering asking something else. “Okay, this whole situation distracted me. I came over to tell you that the bar has fall-themed cocktails, and they’re actually good. So, come along.” She grabbed my hand to drag me through the sea of fellow professors, department aids, and staff. The scent of warm perfumes and cheesy appetizers wafted by my nose.
I glanced behind me to make sure I hadn’t lost Victor. His eyes were on me, smirking amusedly at this other version of me. The one who wore silky dresses, attended events with open bars, and had work friends who definitely knew about him.
I asked the bartender for a spiced apple fizz, and Victor got a maple old fashioned. The hard apple cider and honey were warm on my tongue. A couple of my work friends joined us by the bar, eager to meetmy date, Victor.
Victor fit naturally into my evening, into this other part of my life. He asked thoughtful questions, eager to learn everything he could about Professor Olivia. His arm was always around me, which hadn’t been part of our game plan, but I guess we didn’t have one. There was no label, no rules, letting how we fit together say it all. His presence felt steady, comforting, and frighteningly addictive.
I was taking the last crisp sip of my drink, deep in conversation with the head of my department, Dean Oates, about the coming semester, when Victor chimed in.
“I’ve loved hearing about Olivia’s romance book club with the students,” he said, beaming.
My heart stopped. The book club was ninety percent accidental, and I hadn’t ever run it by the department. It honestly felt separate, like a vacation, from the school. I wasn’t sure how my bosses would react.
I glanced nervously toward Victor for help, but he was the one who’d randomly dropped the conversation dynamite.
Dean Oates raised an eyebrow, her glossy lips pursed. “Romance book club?”
“Yeah, it was honestly just a few friends reading romance books together, and a few students joined in …” I put the empty glass to my mouth and took a fake sip, my mouth suddenly dry. “It’s very unofficial.”
“You know, I’ve heard some rumblings about this book club here and there, now that you mention it.” She tucked a strand of her chestnut hair behind her ear. “I’ve heard the students really love it.”
“You should see a couple of the emails students have sent her thanking her for including them,” Victor chimed in. He gave my arm an encouraging squeeze.
“I’m not surprised. I know I’d love to be part of something like that. Nothing like decompressing with a romcom,” Dean Oates said.
I tried to imagine professional, academic Dean Oates curled up with one of my favorite romcoms.
