Page 3 of Finding Olivia (Trace + Olivia 1)

“I know,” I grimaced. “It’s a-uh-bad habit.”

Actually, I rarely ever said, uh, it was just that Trace turned me into a blubbering idiot.

He grinned, tapping his car door with his hand like he was playing a drum. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, you’ll see me. Gotta get this stupid thing fixed,” I smacked the hood of the car.

“Ask for me, okay, Olivia?” His eyes grew serious.

“I will,” I gave him a thumbs up, hating the way my body reacted to the way he said my name.

Wait, I gave him a thumbs up? What was wrong with me? That was not cool! He probably thought I was so dumb. Heck, I thought I was being dumb. How was it possible for one gorgeous guy to turn me into a complete pile of mushy goo? That didn’t seem fair.

Trace waited for me to get into my car and drive away before he did the same. Despite the bad boy appearance, he was obviously more of a gentlemen than most of the guys I knew.

I smiled to myself as I drove down the road and towards the college campus. My roommate, and best friend, wasn’t going to believe this. Things like hot guys pulling over to help a damsel in distress didn’t happen to me. In fact, I was pretty sure it didn’t happen to most people.

???

“What!? Oh my God! Olivia!” Avery, my roommate shrieked, as she gripped my arm like she was afraid I was about to run away. “Puh-lease tell me you got his number!?”

“Uh, no,” I mumbled. “I didn’t even think about it.”

“Olivia! If he was so hot you should have been all over that!” She finally let go of my arm, and I grabbed my laptop off my desk, sitting on the edge of my bed.

“He did tell me to come by Pete’s Garage and he’d put a new tire on,” I shrugged, turning on the laptop, and entering my password. I really hoped Avery never figured out my password or she’d be itching to get her hands on my computer and dig up my deep dark secrets. Because, according to Avery, everyone had a secret.

“He’s a mechanic!?” She shrieked, clapping her hands together. “That’s so hot! Just picture him shirtless, sweaty, and covered in grease,” her tongue flicked out to lick her red colored lips. “Oh yes, I do approve.”

“You haven’t even seen him, I could be lying,” I teased her.

She snorted. “I doubt that, I’ve never seen you wear such a goofy look on your face. Plus, his name is even hot. Trace Wentworth,” she fanned herself.

“It doesn’t matter,” I scooted farther back on my bed. “I’m not going. I’ll find somewhere else to take my car.”

In fact, I was already doing that. It wouldn’t be hard to find a mechanic in Winchester, Virginia. One that wasn’t a particular hot guy with emerald green eyes.

Avery gasped like I’d said the craziest thing on Earth.

Hopping onto my bed, and jostling me, she brushed her red hair over one pale shoulder. “You have to go there!”

“And stutter like an incompetent fool again?” I glared at her. “I think not!”

She narrowed her dark green eyes at me. “You are going Olivia Camille Owens, even if I have to drag you there.”

Oh no, Avery had that determined look on her face, the one she only got when she meant business.

“I’m not going and you’re not dragging me.”

Her eyes narrowed further until they were slits. “Don’t make me drug you Livie, I keep Benadryl on hand for occasions just like this.”

“Fine,” I conceded, throwing my hands in the air, then snapping the lid closed on my laptop. “But only if you go with me,” I pointed at her. “You’ll make sure I don’t say something stupid.” Like I had tonight. Trace probably hoped I wouldn’t show up.

She squealed shrilly, jumping up from my bed. “Deal! I have to figure out what we’re going to wear!”

“We need to get dressed up to get my tire replaced?” I asked her incredulously.

“No,” she rolled her eyes, “you need to get fixed up for Trace, and I need to get fixed up in case there are any other hot guys working there. I swear, do you not know anything?”

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