Olivia follows up her text with a request for my order.I type it in automatically, my brain whirling.
I was nervous enough about meeting Olivia.Now I have to meet her friends at the same time?Assuming our meeting went well, I was planning to ask her about her relationship.If she’s married to two men, it must be a positive experience.But were there bumps on the road?Did her husbands battle things out at first, like Gage and Dmitri did?
I won’t be able to ask these questions with other people around.
It’s fine, though.The main point is to talk about her after-school non-profit and how I can bring something new to the program.
With all of my fretting, I reach V’s Café in no time.My heart feels like a chunk of granite in my chest, but I stride into the coffee shop with a bounce in my step.
“Leah!”A short woman with brown hair waves at me and stands up, as if the wave wasn’t enough to catch my attention.
She’s with a blond woman and a brunette with curly, dark brown hair.
I plaster on a smile and approach their table.“Hi, Olivia?”
“That’s me.”When she smiles, her gray eyes crinkle at the corners.They’re a softer gray than Dmitri and Danica’s, and she has on a gray silk blouse to match them.“These are my good friends Samantha and Ella.”
Samantha is the blonde.She has her hair up in a messy bun.Ella?—
“I know you,” I say.“Cinderella.”
Ella gives me a soft smile.“I remember meeting you.”
I roll my lips together.I’m not supposed to say where I met her.
“It’s okay.”She gestures to the other two women.“We all go to the same club.”
“Wow, what are the chances?”I look around me in wonder.
“In San Esteban?”Samantha laughs.Of the three women, she seems the most extroverted.“The chances are super high.This city has a reputation.”
She’s right about that.San Esteban is one of the more sexually open-minded cities in California.And of course three friends might all frequent the same club.
“All right, let’s get down to business.”Olivia points to the fourth seat, where a steaming mocha is waiting.“I got your coffee, and I want to hear all about test prep.”
“Thanks for the drink.”I take the seat and launch into my spiel.I talk about how, as a tutor, I primarily work with students and families who can pay me.I talk about how test preparation has proved helpful for the students taking standardized tests.And I talk about the exercises and strategies I've developed to teach those skills.
Ella, Samantha—and most importantly, Olivia—are riveted.
“I know it’s not flashy or fun like the artistic outreach of San Esteban Youth Arts,” I finish.“But I’d still love an opportunity to share these skills with students who might not be able to afford my services otherwise.”
“I think it’s brilliant.”Samantha raises her coffee cup in my direction.
“Yeah, I love it.”Olivia beams.“It’s inspiring to see our students flourish in art, but a lot of them don’t want to do art as a job—and we know how hard it is to find full-time work as artists.Helping these students kick ass on college admission tests is the logical next step.Let’s do it.”
We spend the next hour brainstorming ideas and hashing out some logistics.Obviously, I’m not the best choice to run the whole thing because I love my tutoring work and my students.But I definitely want to be as involved as possible, and I make sure Olivia knows that.
It’s the most normal I’ve felt in several days.
Until a woman our age catches my attention across the room.She holds up her phone like she’s taking photos.
I shift in my seat, trying to move sideways and hide my face.Nobody has approached me when I’m in public, but I also haven’t gone out much since everything blew up with Nicola.
Ella waves the woman over.
“What are you doing?”I ask in horror.
The woman beams.“Are you sure?I’m a fan and now I’m embarrassed you caught me.”
