Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Saturday was amazing, wasn’t it?”
Olivia was standing in her aunt Marsha’s kitchen with her. The two of them had spent a fun, relaxing evening together and were drinking decaf coffee and nibbling the remaining snickerdoodle cookies that Marsha had made for Haley’s visit. The windows of Marsha’s house were open, letting in a balmy night wind that smelled fragrantly of the garden and the ocean.
“It really was,” Marsha agreed, beaming at her. “I think that little girl is going to find it much easier to communicate what she’s feeling from now on.”
Olivia nodded, smiling. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Corey since Saturday—he’d been occupying her thoughts even more than usual. She felt a desire to help him even more, and she kept thinking about what she could do. Sometimes her thoughts veered toward what it might be like to go out on a date with him, but she kept firmly pushing those thoughts aside, since she didn’t know how he felt about her.
“I think this is really going to help Corey,” Olivia said. “This way, when she’s upset, either she can point to one of the beads on her bracelet or she can make some art if she’s struggling to express her emotions through words.” She felt thrilled that they’d been able to help both Haley and Corey in that way.
“Yes, I think so.” Her aunt smiled, and there was a curious gleam in her eyes. “Have you talked to Corey since Saturday?”
Olivia shook her head, feeling herself flushing. “I saw him briefly at Little Clams this afternoon when he came to pick the kids up, but I was talking to another parent then.” She’d wanted to talk to him—and she couldn’t help wishing that she and Corey could spend some time alone together. She wasn’t sure how he felt about her, but it was becoming clear to her how she felt about him, and she wanted time to explore those feelings. She felt a connection with him that made her heart flutter, and she wanted more of that.
At that moment, her phone began to ring. She casually pulled it out of her pocket, thinking it was probably one of her friends, but her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was Corey calling her.
“It’s Corey,” she said to Marsha breathlessly, and answered it. “Hello?”
“Hey, Olivia.” He sounded a little hesitant, almost as if he was nervous. “Do you have a minute?”
“I do,” she said, feeling her heart beat faster as she wondered what he was going to say. “What’s up?”
“Haley can’t find her favorite hair clip, and she’s getting really upset about it. She’s saying she wanted to wear it to camp tomorrow.” He inhaled, sounding stressed. “I’ve been helping her search the house for it, and I’m wondering if maybe it’s at your aunt’s place? Maybe it fell out of her hair when she was there. I remember putting it in her hair on Saturday morning and I haven’t seen it since.”
“Makes sense! I’ll check for it right away,” Olivia assured him. “I’m actually here at my aunt Marsha’s right now. We’ll look around for it and I’ll call you back in a few?”
“Sounds great. Thank you so much.”
“Of course. Hair clips are very important.”
He chuckled, and they said goodbye and hung up.
“What’s happening?” Marsha asked, interested, and Olivia quickly explained about the hair clip.
“Would you help me look for it?” Olivia asked. “He suspects that it’s here and I have a hunch he’s right.”
“Of course! Let’s check the craft room first. It’s most likely to be in there.”
The two women hurried down the hallway to the craft room, where Olivia turned on all the lights and they began their search.
“Here it is!” she said triumphantly after a couple of minutes. The hair clip was resting along the edge of the rug, underneath the craft table. It was bright pink, sparkly, and shaped like a butterfly—clearly the kind of hair clip a little girl might be particularly fond of. “I’ll call him back and let him know.”
Pocketing the hair clip, she dialed Corey’s number. “Hey, Corey? We found it.”
“You did?” He sounded relieved. “That’s great. She’ll be happy to hear it isn’t lost.”
“You said she wanted to wear it tomorrow, right?”
“She does, but it’s almost the kids’ bedtime, and I don’t have a sitter. I can’t run over there just now, but I can stop by tomorrow sometime, if that works for your aunt?”
“I can stop by your place tonight, if you want,” she offered, feeling her cheeks get a little warmer. “I think you guys live pretty close to me.”
“Are you sure?” he stammered. “I hate for you to go to any trouble—”
“No trouble at all. I’m heading home in a few minutes here anyway, and I can stop there on my way.”
“Thank you so much! Haley will be thrilled. I guess there’s a girl at camp she’s becoming friends with, and she really wanted to show her the hair clip.”
“I remember those days.” Olivia laughed. “Absolutely. Could you text me your address?”
“I will.”
“Perfect! See you soon.”
“Thank you again. So much.”
“Of course.” She noticed her aunt giving her a knowing grin, and she hurriedly added, “Bye Corey.”
“Bye.”
They hung up, and Olivia tucked her phone into her pocket, finding that she was suddenly buzzing with energy.
“I should get going, Aunt Marsha,” she said. “Sorry to duck out so quickly.”
“No problem at all.” Her aunt gave her a peck on the cheek. “You know I like to go to sleep early anyway.”
With the hair clip tucked carefully inside her purse, Olivia left her aunt’s house and drove back to Blueberry Bay. She’d been right about Corey and his kids living near her—their house was about a five-minute drive from her apartment. She arrived there in hardly any time at all and parked on the street outside.
This is charming , she thought, glancing up at the little stone house as she walked up the sidewalk toward it. But it needs a feminine touch. It’s got bachelor written all over it.
She chuckled to herself and rang the doorbell. Inside the house, she could hear shouts and laughter, as if the kids were running around having a good time. She smiled, and a moment later, Corey opened the front door.
“Hi,” he said, a little breathless. “Sorry, the kids are—”
At that moment, a loud shout came from the other room, along with the sound of something thumping.
“Well, I’m trying to get them ready for bed,” he said, grimacing good-naturedly.
“Letting them get all the energy out first,” she said, winking. “Good strategy.”
“You’re welcome to come inside for a little while, if you want,” he said, sounding a little shy. “It’s messy, but I’m sure the kids would love to see you.”
“Thanks, I’d love to,” she said, feeling a rush of excitement. She was eager to see his house and was always happy for an excuse to spend time with the kids.
She stepped inside and noticed that she smelled tomato sauce and laundry detergent. It was a darling house, and besides some toys lying around and a stack of mail at the end of the kitchen table, not very messy at all.
“Kids!” Corey called. “I have a surprise for you. Someone’s here.”
“What, Dad?” Max called, stepping out into the hallway. The second he saw Olivia, his face lit up. “Miss Olivia!” He raced toward her and threw his arms around her in a hug.
“Miss Olivia?” Haley squealed, appearing a second later. She also hugged Olivia, who was laughing, thrilled that the kids were so excited to see her.
“I’m bringing back your long-lost hair clip, Haley,” she said, taking it out of her purse.
“Thank you!” Haley cried, taking it eagerly. “It’s a migratory butterfly.”
“Very good, Haley.” Olivia was impressed, and she and Corey shared a grin.
“She loves butterflies,” he explained.
“Heck yeah,” Olivia said. “Butterflies are awesome.” She gave Haley a high-five and the little girl grinned at her.
“What was that thump we heard, you guys?” Corey asked, shutting the front door.
“I knocked over a chair,” Max said, as if it was an accomplishment. “And then I beat Haley in tag.”
“For now!” she countered, grinning.
Corey smiled at them, but he looked tired. “Nobody got hurt?”
“Nope!” Max said cheerfully. “Not even the chair.”
“Okay.” Corey sighed. “Olivia, would you like to sit in the living room for a little while while I try to get these two to go to sleep?”
“But, Dad!” Haley protested, her voice rising. “I’m not sleepy.”
“I can help out, if you want,” Olivia offered, smiling.
“Could you?” Corey asked, looking relieved. “If you could read to Max while I brush Haley’s hair?”
“Sure!” Olivia grinned at Max. “Sounds great.”
Corey made intentional eye contact with her. “Thank you so much, Olivia. Really. I mean it.”
“Happy to do it,” she said, returning the eye contact.
“Come on, Miss Olivia, I’ll show you my room!” Max said, sounding excited. He took off down the hallway, and with another smile at Corey and Haley, Olivia followed him.
“Ta da,” Max said, gesturing to the room, which had walls that were painted a deep blue and covered in superhero posters. “This is my room. What do you think?” He plopped down onto his bed, and Olivia noticed that he was also wearing superhero-themed pajamas.
“This is awesome,” she told him, meaning it sincerely. “I love the posters. Who’s your favorite superhero?”
“Batman,” Max said without hesitation. And then after a moment, he smiled and added, “And my dad.”
“Oh!” Her heart was touched by his words. She could understand where his statement came from—Corey was dependable and had done a great deal for his kids. He’d been the rock of the family when their lives had been completely turned upside-down.
Max got a knowing look all of a sudden, seeming to notice the way Olivia had her hand on her heart. “Do you think my dad is a superhero?” he asked, a touch slyly.
She laughed, feeling as though she might be blushing a little bit. “I think he’s pretty great,” she said, smiling warmly at the little boy.
Max nodded. “He is great. And so are you.” After a short pause in which they grinned at each other, he said, “I think my dad likes you.”
She laughed. “Does he?” She assumed at first that Max just meant generally—that he was stating that Corey didn’t dislike her. But then he nodded emphatically, and she could tell from the twinkle in his eyes that he was saying that Corey liked her especially.
She found that her heart was beating faster. Max handed her the book that Corey had been reading out loud to him— The Wind in the Willows —and she read a chapter to him. He laughed and smiled as he listened to the story, but Olivia only partially paid attention to the words. After what Max had said, she felt unable to stop thinking about the possibility that perhaps Corey was romantically interested in her as well.
That gave me more confidence, for sure, she thought as she closed the book. Maybe I’m not alone in feeling these feelings.
Max was sound asleep, his face smushed up against the pillow. She felt a sweet ache of love as she looked at him, and she gently stroked his hair back from his forehead without waking him up.
Quietly, she slipped out of the room and stepped into the hallway. Corey was just leaving Haley’s room, closing the door softly behind him as he went.
“Is she asleep?” she whispered, and he turned quickly, as if surprised that she was there.
“Yes.” He smiled. His eyes looked warm, and Olivia felt her heart beating faster. “Would you like to come sit in the living room for a while? I have… well, I have coffee and apple juice.”
She laughed. “Apple juice sounds great.”
He grinned at her, and they went into the kitchen together. He poured them a couple of glasses of apple juice, and together they went to sit in the living room.
“You have a lovely home,” she told him, perching on the end of the sofa and looking around the room. The couches were big and made of leather, decorated in colorful pillows and blankets—and some toys that were probably not supposed to be there.
“Thank you,” he said. He still had a kind of glow in his eyes, but he was also perched on the edge of the couch, sitting far away from her. Everything felt a little awkward, and Olivia could feel her whole bloodstream rushing faster. She felt that this was the moment to say something to him, and she was trying with all her might to work up the courage to tell him how she was feeling.
He seemed to notice the way she was staring straight ahead, concentrating so hard that she was starting to frown a little. “Is everything all right?” he asked softly.
“Yes, of course,” she assured him quickly, turning to him. Once she met his eyes, she felt as though she couldn’t look away, and her next words spilled out of her all in a rush. “I know you’re still dealing with grief from your past, and I want to make sure I respect that. But—well, I would also really love to get to know you better. I’d like to spend more time with you. Would you be opposed to that?” she asked softly.
Her heart was hammering, but Corey shocked her by reacting in a way she didn’t expect. He looked relieved, and he grinned at her, leaning his head back slightly. “I’ve been feeling the same way,” he said, his eyes shining at her. “I wasn’t sure how you felt —I’ve been wrestling with myself about when and how to ask you out for days. You beat me to it.”
“Oh, well, I didn’t formally ask you out,” she said coyly, scooting a little closer to him on the couch.
“Hmm, true. Olivia, would you like to go out on a date with me sometime?”
“Why thank you, Mr. Easton, I would love to.”
For a moment, they beamed at each other, and then he asked softly, “Would it be all right if I kissed you right now?”
Her heart leapt up, and she nodded. “Yes, please do.”
Smiling, he placed his hand on the side of her head and drew her in for a sweet kiss.
“I’ve been attracted to you since the very beginning,” he told her, his voice almost a whisper. He was smiling at her in a way that made her feel aglow. “You have such a kind heart, and I saw immediately what a rare person you are. But I kept holding myself back because I wasn’t sure how you felt. I have a lot of—well, I have a messy past and a complicated present, and I didn’t think you’d be interested in me.”
She shook her head firmly. “Everyone has a messy past and a complicated present. Life is always going to be messy. That doesn’t scare me off from you. Not at all. Besides, the two most complicated parts of your present are some of my favorite people on the entire planet.”
He laughed, and she grinned at him.
“I’m glad,” he said, smiling at her sweetly. “I’m really glad.”
They brought their heads together for another kiss, and her heart soared.