Chapter 26
OLIVIA
Icannot believe I was so reckless. I can’t believe I almost banged my fake boyfriend in a car behind an abandoned warehouse—without a condom.
I will be forever grateful to that old cop for showing up when he did and to my jeans for being so tight, because I was so horny that it didn’t even occur to me that I’d been taking my birth control pills at different times—what with all the traveling and time-zone changes.
Who knows what could have happened?! I could have gotten pregnant.
Yes, there’s always emergency contraception, but that would really mess up my hormones and make me feel sick.
I will never drive a car again—I know that much.
It made me so libidinous that I wanted to screw John Brandt in public in broad daylight more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.
More than I wanted to screw him those other times.
Possibly—and this is what terrifies me—possibly more than I want to dance the lead in Giselle for a prominent-city ballet company.
This month with Johnny is supposed to be fun. It’s not supposed to change the course of my life. This is why I’m so dedicated to ballet. Because deep down I know that I’d be ruled by my feelings all the time if I didn’t have such a rigorous devotion to practice and conditioning and choreography.
But that’s my work. That’s ten months of the year.
This is the part of my year where I should be able to have some fun.
This is when I’m supposed to correct imbalances.
This is supposed to be an unchoreographed dance.
I have absolutely no idea who’s leading.
I don’t know if John has more to lose than I do, but why should either of us lose anything?
In a shocking turn of events, John appears to be a bit flustered but unperturbed. “You sure you don’t want a drink?” he asks. We’ve been at the restaurant for his fundraiser for twenty minutes, and he’s asked me that three times.
“No, thank you. Do you?”
“I should wait until after I give my speech. Shit. I haven’t worked on my speech.”
“You haven’t?”
“I mean. Not today. I’ve been working on it for the past month.”
“Of course you have.” I straighten his tie. “You’ll be great.”
He grins sheepishly. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me.”
“I’m straightening your tie.”
“I mean, I’m about to give a speech to a restaurant full of people, asking them to donate money to my foundation for the advancement of women in tech, and I’m not the least bit stressed that an officer almost found us humping in a rental car.
I actually can’t believe how lucky we are that he didn’t show up earlier when you were driving without a permit.
” He squeezes my arms and rests his forehead against mine. “You are nothing but trouble.”
“Who, me?” I blink my doe eyes innocently. “I’m your Pepper Potts. I keep you out of trouble.”
“You’re my kryptonite.”
“Stop mixing your superhero metaphors. But thank you.”
“It’s not a compliment,” he says, tugging on his shirt cuffs.
“Yes, it is.”
John re-buttons his suit jacket. “Yes. It is.” Lowering his voice, he says, “We have to pose for pictures in a few minutes. Do me a favor and try not to grab my dick or flash your boobs.”
“Ever?”
He waves to someone behind me. “Mr. Mayor. Good to see you.”
I take both of his hands and whisper, “So…don’t flash the mayor is what you’re saying?”
“Behave yourself.”
A man behind Johnny clears his throat. “John?”
I feel John’s body tense up, but it’s not reflected on his face.
He pulls away from me and turns around to face… “Hi, Dad.” He shakes hands with the silver fox who looks so much like an older version of John, it’s startling. But it also makes me infinitely sad for some reason, seeing evidence of how beautiful my fake boyfriend is going to be decades from now.
“Hi, Mom,” he says to the slender woman who’s regarding me with polite interest. He got the dark hair from her, the blue eyes from his father, the intense seriousness from both of them. He and his mother don’t hug so much as they give each other a two-handed pat on the arms while leaning in.
“Hello, John. It’s good to see you,” she says with a little more affection in her tone than if she’d been speaking to a coworker at an office party.
“Good to see you. I’m glad you could come. This is my girlfriend, Olivia Montgomery. My parents, Calvin and Sofia.”
I smile at them, just as politely curious as his mother is. You don’t spend any holidays with him, but you’re just in time for the photo op at your son’s fundraiser?
“Hello. It’s so good to finally meet you.” I hold out my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Olivia Montgomery.” His father is friendly, but I can tell there’s zero name recognition.
Finally, there’s a flash of recognition in Mrs. Brandt’s eyes. “Montgomery?”
“Yes, she’s Monty’s sister,” John says. “Nathan Montgomery’s sister.”
“Oh, my goodness. What a small world. You still live in Cleveland?”
I open my mouth to answer, but John answers for me. “She lives in San Francisco. She’s dancing with the Bay Area Ballet out there.”
“Oh, how nice. Ballet. How lovely and…nice.”
“Great turnout tonight, John.” His father nudges me and says, “Not the ballet kind of turnout!” He chortles at his own joke.
I laugh politely. That was actually pretty clever. I take John’s hand again. It’s not sweaty exactly. A little clammy, though.
“Are your parents here, Olivia?” his mother asks.
“No. We’re staying at their house. They wanted to come, but they just got a new puppy, and they can’t leave him alone for very long, or he’ll chew everything up and pee on everything, apparently.”
“Ah,” his father says. “Shame they couldn’t be here.”
I don’t like his tone.
“I think the photographers are waiting for us over there,” his mother points out.
“Right. Let’s get to it,” John says. “I am happy with the turnout, yes.”
“There are a few people we’re dying to meet,” his father says. “Did you seat us with the Forsters?”
“Of course. I asked Iris to arrange that. Just let me, uh, let me know who you want me to introduce you to, and I’ll…”
I think, for the first time ever, the unflappable John Brandt is flapped. I’m not sure why he’s nervous. Is it because he’s introducing me to his parents? Is it because he’s introducing his parents to me? Is he worried I’ll flash my boobs at them?
We pose for pictures on the small red carpet, in front of a divider with the Encompass Foundation logo and the logos of various Cleveland businesses and schools that are partnering with John tonight.
Calvin and Sofia Brandt are all too proud to announce to the photographers that they’re John’s parents.
I understand why John isn’t mad at them.
They are perfectly nice people, and they probably aren’t even aware that they neglected him.
Look how great he turned out—not the ballet kind of turnout—they must have done a great job parenting him. Only…it was my parents who raised him.
When we are done posing for pictures and John’s parents are listing off the VIPs they want to be introduced to, I notice my dear old brother and a very pretty lady watching John and me from afar.
I know immediately that Nathan has been observing us, because he has a thoughtful look on his face and he is nodding to himself.
He finally realizes I’m looking right at him and waves.
I excuse myself from the Brandts and meet Nathan and his girlfriend halfway.
“Hi!” I reach my hand out to Katie. She’s wearing a perfect little black dress and has a dusting of freckles around her nose, tamed wavy hair, and what looks like a permanent wry smile and a knowing look.
I can just tell she’s got my brother whipped in the best possible way, and I already want to be related to her. “You must be Katie. I’m Olivia.”
She pulls me in for a hug. “Wow, you’re even more gorgeous in person. I’ve been dying to meet you. I love your shoes.”
“I love your nail polish.”
“Oh my God, that bracelet is so pretty.”
“Johnny gave it to me in New York. Isn’t it so pretty?”
She gasps. “It’s so pretty. You are, literally, the prettiest person I’ve ever met. I can’t stand it.”
“Stop it—you are gorgeous, and I can’t believe you like my brother.”
“Yeah. I’m here too. Hi, asshole.” Nathan waves his hand in front of my face.
“Yes, hello.” I hug my brother. “Hi, asshat.”
“So, you and Johnny look pretty good together, huh?” He wraps his arm around Katie’s waist as he says this.
I shrug my shoulders. “Do we?”
“You are such a beautiful couple. You should see the way he looks at you.” She touches her hand to her heart. “It’s like how Ryan Gosling looked at Rachel McAdams in The Notebook.”
“I was just thinking that,” my brother says.
“You were not,” I say. “Shut up.”
“You shut up. We watched it in the hotel room last night.”
I clutch my head with both hands. “Who even are you?”
“Who even are you?” Nathan says. “Staring at my best friend all moony-eyed when you used to give him shit your whole life.”
“Moon-eyed,” Katie corrects him.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, a person can be all moony and dreamy because they’re infatuated with someone, but it’s moon-eyed, like wide-eyed,” she explains. “Why are you still questioning anything I say when you know I’m right about everything?”
“I don’t—I think you’re just confused because you’re so moony for me.”
I watch them banter good-naturedly, smiling and touching each other.
It’s so obvious they’re in love. Are people really looking at me and Johnny and thinking we’re a real couple?
Do I really look at him all moon-eyed? Or does my brother just not recognize the expression on my face when I want to mount someone?
The dining portion of the event gets underway. John is busy chatting with guests, and I chat with my new best friend Katie and my fake boyfriend’s best friend for most of the night. I enjoy one and a half glasses of wine.