Page 76 of Olivia's Only Pretending
“Well, I think it’s time I show you what it would be like to be my real girlfriend. Can I take you on a real date?”
I shot up from my desk chair, sending it rolling backward.A real date?
A thousand tiny doubts prickled at the back of my mind.
But then I thought about last night’s talk with Gracie and standing in Victor’s garage, realizing he might be the steadiest thing in my life.
Who was I kidding right now?Yes, I wanted to go on a date with Victor. I wanted to kiss Victor. I wanted to call Victor freaking Hernandezmine.
I was so tired of pretending that we were just pretending.
“Yes, I really do,” I breathed.
“Are we finally doing this?”
My chest buzzed. “I think it’s about time.”
“Olivia Rhodes is my date tonight?” he said, his voice striking a tone of awe as if he were meeting an idol tonight and not a tiny red-haired history professor. “Hmmm, so I get to show you what it’s like being my girlfriend.”
Hot, rough memories of his fingertips on my waist, his lips pressing into mine, flooded my mind. “With ground rules,” I blurted out.
“Give ’em to me, Rhodes,” he said without missing a beat, as if this was to be expected. I mean, the man knew me well.
“No kissing,” I said quickly. Because, somehow, his lips had become my biggest weakness. I needed my wits about me tonight.
“Well, okay.” He cleared his throat. “There goes the first thing on my list.”
I bit my lip, grinning so wide I could barely stand it.
“What else is on this list?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said. “That’s part of the fun of being myrealgirlfriend, by the way. I’m full of surprises.”
“That comes with being your best friend, too, you know.”
My workday dragged by slowly, like a long plane ride.Could I just get home yet?Five minutes before my workday ended, while I was packing up my tote bag, Victor sent a photo.
It was the top of a legal pad, just the top line showing. It said in messy handwriting I’d recognize anywhere:
1: Meet me at the Sweet River Market.
I threw the tote over my shoulder and called him as I locked my office door, with my phone cradled between my shoulder and ear.
“Yes?” he answered, all business.
“What should I wear tonight?” I half whispered, rushing down the hallway, passing open office doors.
“Oh,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “This is a powerful position to be in. I have a lot of ideas, actually. Not sure how practi?—”
“Victor, stop.” I snorted. “It’s you, so I’m assuming jeans and a T-shirt or something.”
“Yeah, that’ll do.” I could imagine him grinning into the phone, his brown eyes twinkling.
Iwore jeans, a loose long-sleeve white top, and my favorite worn-in brown boots. I did my makeup with crimson lip stain and the perfume Victor always told me made me smell delicious.
The Sweet River Market was tucked into one of the downtown buildings, on the street corner. It was small, but it had everything you might need, from fresh produce to laundrydetergent. When I walked in, big orange pumpkins lined the entrance, sitting on stacks of hay.
I found Victor browsing the market aisles, casually pushing along a shopping cart like this wasn’t a big deal. Like we weren’t about to go on our first real date.
