Page 16 of Love in Fine Print
That was not Olivia. My mind was still trying to wrap my head around her reputation versus reality when the door opened, and Olivia walked out with a cast on her right wrist and a crutch beneath her left arm to support her sprained ankle.
Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw me. “You didn’t have to wait.”
I grinned. “Yes, I did. I’m your ride.”
“I can Uber.”
I grinned. “I’m full service.”
For a second, I thought that she might turn down the ride. In the short time we’d been apart, she seemed to have put a wall up. Or maybe I was being paranoid. Or maybe I was letting her reputation influence my impression.
Her shoulders dropped as she sighed, “Okay, thank you.”
I wanted so badly to pick her up and carry her again, but now that she had a crutch, I was pretty sure that would be overkill. Still, it took everything in me to not do just that.
She didn’t speak on the way out of the building, which only confirmed to me that there was a distance between us that hadn’t been there before. It bothered me more than it probably should have.
Once we reached the truck, I helped her inside, placed the crutch behind the seat, and then got in the driver’s side.
“Where to?” I asked.
“Um…” She winced as she began to pull the seatbelt over her right shoulder.
When I saw her discomfort, I leaned over her and grabbed it. After clicking it in place, I lifted my eyes to hers, and I felt it.That same spark, that same connection that I had the first time I’d seen her. The wall was down.
“Do we need to stop by a pharmacy?” I asked as I leaned back and started the truck.
“No, I can’t take medication. I have work to do.”
She was clearly in pain, and I wanted to argue with her, but, again, I knew that wasn’t my place so I leaned back. “Where to?”
“My office.”
She told me the address and I started to punch it into my satnav but then realized it was right around the corner from the park. Which was just down the street from my house. Interesting.
As we drove, my mind was racing with things to say to her. I’d never had a problem speaking to women. Gran used to say that I was born flirting with the nurses, who nicknamed me Romeo because I had a twinkle in my eye. Still, as I drove the three blocks to her office, I realized I didn’t know what to say.
“I’m sorry, again, for Dolly. I’ll replace your shoes and clothes and, obviously, pay for your medical expenses. And if you need to take time off work I’ll pay for?—”
“I’m not taking time off of work.” Her tone left no room for argument. “And I appreciate you offering, but I don’t need any reimbursement. It was an accident.” She glanced my direction. “You’ve done enough. Thank you.”
Again, I found myself wanting to argue with her. To tell her that I hadn’t done enough. But I knew that would be an exercise in futility.
Far too soon for my liking, we were pulling up in front of the high-rise building her office was in.
“Wait there,” I instructed as I put on my hazards and hopped out of the truck.
Before I got to the passenger side, she was already climbing out. I reached out to help her down, then grabbed the crutchfrom behind the seat. Once it was secured beneath her arm, she pulled the strap of her purse up on her other arm.
We looked at each other and I could feel tension crackling between us. I wondered if she felt it too. On my side, it was attraction. But I thought that after everything that had just happened, hitting on her would be bad form.
“Thank you again, Ben.”
She started to walk away. “Olivia, wait.”
She looked back over her shoulder. I pulled out my wallet. “Here, let me give you my card in case you need anything. Ever.”
Her eyes flicked down at it, but she didn’t reach out to take it. “Trevor took one at the park.”
