Page 45 of Olivia's Only Pretending
Adam’s phone rang. “Oh,” he said, checking the caller ID. “That’s my brother. I’m going to take this really quick.”
Adam stepped out of the kitchen, and Lucy spun toward me. The light over my kitchen island made her green eyes glow. “I’ve been dying to ask how the dinner was with yourpretend date?”
Better than I’d hoped. Way too fun; way too confusing.“It went fine.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “We were convincing. Victor was actually amazing the entire time. Everyone adored him.”
“He is easy to adore,” Lucy said.
“It’s the Victor Effect,” I said with a small shrug, tearing a piece off Adam’s roll. “He came to the festival today. He’s dedicated to being a buffer at all of the events.”
“How’d today go?” Lucy asked, her eyes searching mine.
“It was fine,” I said.
“Fine?” Lucy repeated.
“It was great, actually,” I said, feeling my guard lower a little. Victor was making my work life, which I already loved, somehow even better when he was there.
“Did you see Ryan?”
“We spoke briefly at the dinner last night, and then today, I saw him in the distance at the fall festival. He’s basically just an annoying background presence at these things, now, like a fly buzzing around. I can mostly forget about him if he keeps his distance,” I said, feeling only mildly guilty to compare him to a bug.
Lucy patted her chin thoughtfully with the plastic fork. “What happens if everyone finds out about this scheme?”
I took a beat to think. My eyes settled on Adam in the living room across the way, laughing into the phone. “We’re just taking advantage of the assumptions everyone had already jumped to,” I said, trying not to think too much about when Victor told our couple origin story last night at dinner.
“Or maybe you two will start dating and—” Lucy said.
“No, no, no. Let’s not go there!” I said, holding up a hand. I felt like I’d gotten into the habit of saying the same thing over and over to my own heart:no, no, no, let’s not go there.
Adam walked back into the kitchen, where Lucy was closing the takeout boxes. “You ready to head out, Luce?”
She nodded to Adam, but placed her hand on my arm, looking at me with serious eyes. “I’m calling you tomorrow, and I needactual detailsabout the past couple of days, okay?Details,Olivia.”
Fifteen
Group message with Lucy, Olivia & Gracie
Lucy
*sends multiple screenshots from their mom’s LoveLocal inbox of her accepting date offers*
mom is just accepting almost every date offer!
some of these guys look like creeps. Especially the first one I sent.
I think we need to intervene.
Gracie
I just got mom to stop snooping around my love life, I do not need to start snooping in hers
“It feels like my uterine lining is clawing its way out,” I groaned into my phone’s speaker, sending a voice message to Lucy. I was burrito-wrapped in my thick white comforter on Saturday morning.
Lucy was calling again. She was adamant we sisters needed to investigate Mom’s new suitors. Meanwhile, I was curled up in a ball on my bed, hanging onto my heating pad for dear life. I had no energy to investigate.
I patted around my bed for my remote so I could put on something light and fluffy to distract me from my period pain. I turned onFriends.
Rachel and Chandler were eating cheesecake off the floor when my phone vibrated again. I slid the call open without checking the screen. “Lucy, call Adam or something,” I groaned into the phone.
