Page 113 of Finding Olivia (Trace + Olivia 1)

She took her seat and Trace pointed to his mom. “That’s my mom, Lily.”

Lily, like Eleanor, stood to hug me. She was on the shorter side with straight dark brown hair and bright blue eyes.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lily,” I whispered when she pulled away. My voice had all but completely left me.

“And that fucktard—”

“TRACE!” Lily and Ellie screamed while Warren chuckled.

“—is my brother, Trenton,” Trace grinned.

“But everyone calls me Trent,” the guy spoke up. He looked a lot like his brother, with dark hair and expressive eyes, but while Trace’s were green, Trent’s were a bright blue like his mom’s. A black baseball cap sat atop his head and he had black gauges in his ears. His grin was infectious, with small dimples indenting each cheek, and I was sure that the girls at his school dropped at his feet. Trace had the whole hot bad boy thing going for him but Trent had it even more. The sleeves of his blue sweatshirt were rolled up to his elbows and at the edge of the fabric, I saw the start of a tattoo that I was sure went up the rest of his arm.

“Hi,” I waved.

“Now that introductions have been made,” Warren grinned, “you can sit down and eat.”

I followed Trace to the side of the table where his grandma and Trent were sitting. He pulled out the chair beside his brother and flicked his hand in a gesture for me to sit down. I did and he pushed the chair into the table.

“I knew there was a gentleman in there somewhere,” Warren chortled.

“Gramps,” Trace muttered, “quit it.”

“A little teasing never killed anyone,” Warren winked and took a sip of red wine. “Cecilia!” He called through a doorway I hadn’t noticed. An older Hispanic lady came scurrying into the room. “We’re ready for lunch.”

Cecilia brought out each of our plates, and drinks for Trace and me. She paused by Warren’s chair, waiting for instruction.

“That’ll be all,” he said, “please help yourself to a plate in the kitchen. There’s plenty.”

She smiled, and scurried out of the room, her short black heels clacked against the marble floors.

I took a bite of the roasted chicken. It was coated in a citrus glaze with a hint of basil and the flavors exploded across my tongue.

I was swallowing a bite of garlic-mashed potatoes when Lily asked, “Did you grow up around here?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I grew up in New Hampshire. I came here for college.”

“Oh,” she smiled, “what are you planning to major in?”

“I want to be an English teacher,” I answered nervously.

She beamed. “I was a science teacher before I met my husband. I miss it.”

“Really?” I asked, shocked.

She nodded. “It’s a rewarding job when you’re in it for the right reasons. So,” she cleared her throat, “are you planning on staying here after you graduate or going back to New Hampshire?”

Before I could answer her, Trent nudged my arm. “That’s her backwards way of asking if you’re going to take my brother away. He’s her favorite,” he grinned boyishly. His smile and looks were so similar to Trace’s that it was disarming.

Trace chuckled beside me at his brother’s words and his mom was blushing. “Trent,” she scolded.

“What?” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s all true.”

I laughed, starting to feel more at ease. I looked across the table at Lily. “I plan on staying in the area. I like it here.”

Trace squeezed my knee under the table.

“Good,” she smiled, “it’s nice here.”

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