Page 106 of Olivia's Only Pretending
“I don’t care. I bragged on you. And the class.” She chuckled. “And Victor.”
“The audacity of that man—after spreading rumors about me—to now try and gather intel.” I rolled my eyes. “Can he just fly home now?”
Gabby put her hands together in prayer. “Please, Lord, send Ryan back home.”
“Amen and amen,” I added, heading toward my office door. “I have a lecture. Let’s talk after.”
Iwas wiping down the chalkboard after a lecture on early Greek life as the last few students trailed out of the classroom, when in rushed the seminar moderator, Alexis.
“Dr. Rhodes?” She had a short black bob that bounced when she walked and big blue eyes. Her eyes looked intent, like she was on a mission.
“Hi, how can I help you?”
“Ryan dropped out of the seminar happening this afternoon,” she said, her voice high and stressed. This seminar was the big grand finale for the Fall Seminar Series. It was going to be packed. Almost the entire department was going to be there. Except for me. I was happily missing.
“Oh my.” I leaned my hip against the podium in front of the room. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to ask you to take his place.” She raised her shoulders up toward her ears in question. “Will you take his place, please?”
My eyes went wide. “I-I have plans tonight …”
“This seminar’s big plug was a closing lecture about a closer look at daily life in Ancient Greece. You gave a riveting and quite popular lecture on this topic a couple of years ago … I still havenotes from it. You’d be the perfect substitute.” She took a few steps closer, her hands clasped at her chest. “Please.”
“I truly do have plans.” I twisted my fingers together. “A rehearsal dinner.”
“Are you in the wedding?”
“No, but my boyfriend is.” I shrugged
“Can you tell him your department is in a real bind and that the head of the department had been the one to specifically bring your name up to step in?”
I loved this department, this school, these students.But Victor, and his toast.
“I’ll call him and get back to you,” I said.
“Olivia, Olivia, don’t worry about it.” Victor’s voice was a balm to the anxious ball in my chest. “There’s a reason they asked for you to step up. They know they can rely on you. You’re the dang heart of that department. Show up for your team, okay?”
I groaned, sinking into my leather office chair. “I want to be your date tonight, though, not be at school. Lucy was going to curl my hair. I was going to record your toast. I had big plans.”
His laugh vibrated into the phone. I could almost feel it against my skin. “You’re still my wedding date tomorrow, right? No school parade they need you to lead or something?”
“Yes, I’m still your date tomorrow, I promise.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“I’m really, really sorry.” I spun in my office chair until I was facing the window behind my desk that looked out onto the campus. Trees in reds and oranges blew in the breeze.
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about. I’m proud of you. You’ll be a million times better than he would’ve been. You should’ve been the first pick anyway.”
“Well, I’m proud ofyou,” I said. “Your toast is better than you realize. Don’t worry about anything other than saying it straight to Gabriel, okay?”
“Okay,” he said, like following orders.
“You’re so much more amazing than you realize.” I rubbed the tender place on my chest.
He cleared his throat. “Back at you.”
We hung up, and I buried my head in my hands.
