Page 34 of Almost Maybes

“When guys at the Barrel want my number or grab my ass or want my attention,” Ollie said, passing their papers through the service window. When she turned around to look at Jackson, she noticed the expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“They grab your ass at the Barrel?”

Ollie shrugged. “It’s abar, Jackson, with every kind of drunk person.”

“But grabbing your ass…that’s harassment.”

“I’m a big girl, I can handle it.”

“Ollie,” he said her name with a frustrated sigh and she smiled. “What? Why are you smiling?”

“You called meOllie.”

“Because I’m annoyed. Not with you, but the circumstances.”

“Hey,” she reached for his hand and stepped closer. “I like that you want to defend my honor, but it’s not a big deal.”

“When was the last time someone grabbed your ass?”

Rolling her eyes, Ollie huffed, “Seriously?”

“Humor me, please.”

Ollie stepped closer to him and guided his hand around her waist. She slowly tugged it down to rest on her ass and tilted her head to smile up at him. “Today was the last time someone grabbed my ass.”

Jackson’s eyes widened as he smoothed his hand over the curve of her ass and moved it back to her hip. “I sound like a tough guy, but if I was around and someone grabbed your ass, I don’t know what I’d do.”

“You’d do nothing, Jackson. Like I said, I don’t need you to be my knight in shining armor.”

“I wish I could be.”

Ollie was starting to realize she would be okay if Jacksonwasher knight in shining armor. He seemed genuinely distressed knowing she got grabbed at the bar quite often. It was amusing to her, but she understood that for someone who’d never worked in that kind of environment, it was probably shocking. Even Killian docked her pay when Ollie slapped the first customer that grabbed her ass. For all of her history with men and being manhandled, Ollie had realized in the real world, people didn’t give a shit as much as you wanted them to.

If it wasn’t for the physical proof, her report about Pierce would have gone unheard. Ollie realized comparing Jackson to her ex wasn’t beneficial. For so many reasons, but starting with the fact that Jackson was a decent human being where Pierce wasn’t.

Then again, Ollie didn’t know enough about Jackson to judge whether or not he’d protect her in any situation. Would he think she was disgusting for having been with a woman before? Would he think she was ugly once he saw her naked? Her fears and worries would plague her for the rest of her life, but if she didn’t let herself go and drop her guard, she would never get to enjoy the little things in life. Though, she didn’t think Jackson would get so worked up about her ass being grabbed.

Ollie opened her mouth to respond to him when their names were called. She turned to the truck and found two disposable cups with lids, straws and spoons.

“Before you look inside, take a sip and let me know what you think.”

Ollie reached for the one with her name and handed Jackson his cup. She stuck the straw through the hole and took a sip, her eyes widening as her tastebuds were treated to the most incredible flavors.

When she looked up at Jackson, he had the same expression. “Holy shit.”

“Tell your friends to stop by, we’ll be here all weekend.” They announced before vanishing.

Ollie handed Jackson money for their drinks and took another sip, laughing as she shook her head. “This is a cup of magic.”

“Let’s swap, I wanna see what you got.”

Ollie handed her cup over and took a sip of Jackson’s, a quiet moan falling from her lips. “What did you put on your list?”

“Strawberries, dark chocolate, salted caramel, apple crumble, ice cream and coffee,” Jackson led them to a picnic table and as she sat down, he straddled the bench beside her. But his eyes widened and he started to reach for his drink in her hand. “Oh shit, babe, there’s coffee in there.”

She loved how easily he called herbabe, like he’d always been saying it. Ollie had never been a fan of terms of endearment, because they always sounded forced and unappealing. But coming off of Jackson’s lips, she knew he wasn’t doing it to flirt with her.

“Eh, it won’t kill me,” Ollie said and took another big sip before handing his drink back. “I also had dark chocolate, salted caramel and ice cream on my list, but also asked for red velvet, brownies and Oreos. I can’t taste any of those ingredients specifically, but somehow, it’s all there?”

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