“You know what? That’s not a bad idea,” I tell her. I’ve been trying to come up with a name for my business. Kayla’s suggestion is perfect.
She beams. Hannah elbows her. “You stole my idea. I was going to tell her that.”
Kayla sticks her tongue out. “I beat you to it.”
Oliver smirks. “It’s a great idea,” he tells them. “I’ll see you all tomorrow morning.”
The kids take off, leaving just me and Oliver in the back of the room. The studio is mostly cleared out with just a few stragglers heading for the door. Lana is on the other side of the room, looking at her phone. She does everything in her power to avoid eye contact with me and Oliver, which I think is our cue to leave.
“Why did you lie to your students?” I ask him as we head for the door.
He frowns. “What do you mean?”
“About me being your girlfriend,” I remind him.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess so they won’t let our little secret slip to Tina.”
“Oh. Yeah. Good idea.” I’m not sure in what context my relationship status would be brought up in a conversation between Tina and some of her dancers who she doesn’t even know are Oliver’s band students. I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.
We reach my car. His is parked next to mine. “What are you doing now?” he asks.
“I’m going to a ranch to meet some horses.”
Oliver frowns. “Horses?”
“For the carriage ride,” I clarify. “When Tina’s mom proposed to her dad, they rode in a carriage pulled by white horses. Tina wants a reenactment of that.”
“Want some company?” he asks. “I’ll drive.”
ChapterNineteen
Strawberry
I’m surprised by Oliver’s offer to come with me. “Oh. Uh. You don’t have to.”
“I want to.” He clears his throat. “Shouldn’t I be more involved if I’m helping Ryan with the other half of this proposal?”
I shrug. “I guess so. Fine.”
I get in his truck and drop my phone into one of the two cupholders between us. He does the same with his. I tell him where to go, and a few minutes later, we arrive at the ranch.
I wrinkle my nose as I step out of the truck. It’s not a bad smell per se; it just smells like animals and the great outdoors. I’m more of a city girl. I don’t usually venture out into the countryside, so I’m not used to things like this.
A couple of horses stand on the other side of a nearby fence. One of them snorts and scratches at the ground with its hoof. I stop walking.
Oliver comes around the side of the truck. “Are you okay?” he asks. “You seem nervous.”
“It’s that horse,” I tell him, keeping my voice low so I don’t spook it. “What if it charges at us?”
“There’s a fence between us,” he says. “I think you’ll be okay.”
I look at the fence. It’s a wooden rail fence with wide slats. “The horse is much taller than the fence. He could jump over.”
“The horse is not going to attack you,” he says. I can tell that he’s trying to keep from laughing.
I elbow him in the side. “How do you know that?”
“Because these are domesticated horses,” he says. “We’ll be fine.”
