14. Leo
14
LEO
H eavy raindrops pelt my head as I sprint from my cottage to the hotel. I should’ve grabbed an umbrella. Olive and I agreed to meet in the lobby after our showers to check out the hotel grounds she hasn’t seen today. With this unexpected weather swooping in, I’m not sure that’s going to happen.
What Olive experienced in the sauna terrified me. I thought I might need to take her to the hospital or perform CPR if she stopped breathing. Then she mentioned hating hospitals, which confused me since I’m sure she said she was in nursing school in LA. What made her not follow through? The pandemic hit LA hard—that might have played a role. But guessing doesn’t get me anywhere.
I want to ask her a slew of questions, but she doesn’t need me prying into her business. I don’t want her to ask me certain questions either. This week will fly by, and I fear I won’t have the chance to get to know her as much as I desire.
Once I’m inside, I take off my jacket and shake off the rain. Boxes line the walls for the staff to pack up the Christmas decorations this week. Approaching the front desk, I find Olive staring out the picture window, unaware of my presence. Her profile catches my eye from where I stand, and I take a moment to admire her. From her slightly upturned nose to the tiny crinkles at the corner of her eyes and mouth from grinning, she’s beautiful from every angle. And she looks…happy and relaxed. It takes a huge load off my chest after what happened before. She turns toward me and her beaming smile is instantaneous, then her gaze turns sultry. Warmth fills my stomach and my body quivers as she walks toward me.
“What’s that look for?” I ask, my voice huskier than normal.
I feel the heat of her stare as her light brown eyes trace my face and my hair. “I have a weakness for men with hair like yours. Especially when it’s up. Even wet with rain, it gives you an edge. And the light scruff along your jawline does it for me too. I said don’t hide behind facial hair, but I think I was wrong.” I remember what she said to me in my bathroom last night. My ego can’t take this many compliments.
It would take hours for me to list all the things I find attractive about her. Like now. Her glossy hair is tightly pulled back into a ponytail, highlighting her sparkling eyes. Her heart-shaped lips glisten, and her endless curves evoke something deep within me. I want to touch her all the time. My reactions to her are addictive. I’m not sure I’ll be able to give her up when she leaves in less than a week. Why couldn’t we see each other again?
You’re looking too far ahead, buddy. Slow down.
“Thanks,” I reply. “I really can’t believe that you’re shy. What you say and do has proven the opposite. Not that I mind. Everyone loves compliments.”
“When I see you, the words fly out with no effort. Maybe someone slipped a truth serum in my drink last night.”
“I’ll have to keep that in mind when I ask you questions.”
“Oh no. Now I’m in trouble.” She steps to the side and pulls me with her as a couple passes us.
“Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you.” I point at the window where the rain is splashing against the glass. “Still want to head outside?”
“Not really. Another time?” she says, with a hopeful glint in her eyes.
“I’m sure I can squeeze something in for you between my work hours.”
“I hope so. Since you’ve been good to me, how about I check out your website before you work again tonight? Or has the problem been resolved?”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re not here to work.”
Olive places her hands on her hips. “Come on, show me.”
“All right. Let’s go. We can use my mom’s office.” I lead her there, greeting my coworker manning the front desk along the way.
I unlock the door, and we slip inside. Olive looks around, then says, “Tonya must take after your mom. There’s nothing out of place in here. Sticky notes, empty coffee cups, half empty dishes of candy, and wrappers cover my desk.”
“Oh yeah? What’s your favorite candy?” I ask.
“I love sour gummy things. Such a weakness.”
My mouth tingles thinking about it. “Sour gummy things…like bears, worms, and how about tongues?”
She crinkles her nose. “ Tongues? Where do you get those?”
I wave it off. “Sorry. I forgot that you can’t find them here. In Germany, you find gummy everything. I load up whenever I’m there.”
“You’ll have to share some with me one day.” She licks her lips, pulling my attention to her mouth.
Fuck me sideways.
I clench my jaw. Now I’m thinking about her petal-pink tongue and what it tastes like. Definitely not sour. Tingling heat spreads all over my body, landing below the belt. “We’re already getting off topic.”
“You asked,” she says coyly.
I quickly sit in the desk chair, hoping to hide the obvious bulge in my pants. “I know,” I mutter, “and I regret it now.” She covers her mouth, attempting to suppress her laugh. “Give me a second to find the login information.” And to calm down certain body parts.
She stands behind me, her hands resting on the back of the chair. I search through the pile of colorful folders that are stacked in the order of the rainbow. Tonya must’ve been in here. Mom’s a neat freak, but not to this extent. I find the green one and pull it out. Once I’ve logged into everything and Olive tells me what she needs, we switch places.
“This is like a foreign language to me. Go for it, but please be careful.”
“My dad owned a hosting company. I’ve been creating websites for clients since high school. Your website’s in expert hands.” She cracks her knuckles and wiggles her fingers for fun.
I peer over her shoulder, trying to follow what she’s doing. Click here, click there at a rapid speed. Windows pop up and close, making my eyes cross.
Several minutes later, she says, “Okay, I think I figured it out. A widget didn’t update properly.”
“A widget what?”
She giggles. “Forget it. Let’s see how it goes.”
We both look up when there’s knocking on the office door. Tonya pokes her head through. “Hey, guys. Whatcha doing?”
I point to Olive. “I think this website master fixed the reservation system.”
Tonya cocks her hip and crosses her arms. “You only met her yesterday, and you have her working here already? Tsk. Tsk. Don’t you want her to come back?”
“He’s a slave driver.” Olive pouts. “Said he’d never talk to me again if I didn’t do it. He’s so mean.”
I guffaw. “What the hell?” She smirks as Tonya approaches us and gives her a high five. “Two against one. That’s what you call mean.”
“Olive, why don’t you come to dinner at Mom’s tomorrow night? She’s making her famous pot roast,” Tonya says. “One section of the hotel is her house, so you won’t need to go too far. I know she’ll want to meet the person who’s fixed our woes.”
Smooth, Tonya. Meddling always was her thing.
“Oh. Um…I’m not sure.” Olive’s worried eyes bounce to mine. “Um. Well…I don’t know your mom. Isn’t it rude to show up without warning?” She lets out a nervous giggle. “Then again, I did the same at the party last night.”
All I want to do is kiss her worries away.
“Give me a second.” Tonya pulls her phone from her pocket and leaves the office.
“Leo, I don’t know if I’d feel comfortable. We only met yesterday, and then to go to dinner at your mom’s …” Olive continues to babble.
“It’s a done deal.” Tonya comes back in with the phone up in the air. “Mom would love to meet you. It’s a way of saying thank you for your help.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure I fixed it, but shouldn’t we wait for proof?”
I place my hand on her back. “Olive, please. It’d be perfect because we’ll be starving after our hike tomorrow.” When we walked back to her room, she agreed to go hiking with me. “I promise you, my mom’s awesome. You already know Tonya, you’re aware of Sully and his kitten. Donna will be there too. You met her yesterday. Believe me, Mom’s pot roast is amazing.”
This is perfect. I was already going to invite Olive to dinner before she offered to help. I know it might seem strange, but it feels completely right to have her with us. With me.
“You’re not a vegetarian, are you?” Tonya asks, her nose scrunching up.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that if you are.” I eye Tonya.
“Opposite. I love any type of meat. There’s nothing like a good ole steak.” Olive kisses her fingers.
“Good,” Tonya says. “Well, I’m off then. See you at Mom’s. Have a good hike.”
“Wait, Tonya. Why did you come here to begin with? I thought you were at Mom’s helping her cook something.”
“Good point.” She goes to the printer and pulls some pages off it. She checks each page, then waves them at us. “I came to pick these up. And you know everything has been meticulously prepared already. Mom’s working on the last dish right now. Don’t you know us at all? Jeez. Later, gators.” She straightens the tape dispenser and stapler before she’s out the door.
I stand in front of Olive and place my hands on her shoulders. “There’s no pressure to go with me. If you want, think about it tonight and let me know in the morning.”
“I want to go, but the thought of meeting more new people… My job is mostly virtual now. I hardly ever have to interact with anyone in person. You know, I think I’ve met more people in the last twenty-four hours than I have in the past six months.”
“Well, Mom’s the only person who’ll be there tomorrow that you haven’t met.” That’s not quite right. She hasn’t formally met Sully, but I’m not going to say anything.
“That’s true,” she concedes.
“Besides…” I scrutinize her playfully. “You said you had fun last night. Was that only because you met Sam?”
She taps her chin. “Hmm. He was a highlight. But there was this other guy…danced like Magic Mike. He caught my eye way more than Samuel Moore did. We even exchanged numbers. Can you believe he hasn’t asked me out yet? I’m one hell of a catch.”
I whip out my phone and type a quick text. A chuckle slips out when I realize she’s still listed in my phone as FG. Her phone pings. I change her name quickly in my contacts.
She glances at it. “Oh, look at that. He sent me a message. Took him long enough. Let’s see what he wrote.”
Me: Hey beautiful. Remember me? I’m the guy who couldn’t keep his eyes off you last night. Or right now.
She types back.
Olive: Was that you? I didn’t recognize you without your ’70s mustache.
I’m going to hear this for the rest of my life. Not complaining, though.
Me: That guy would like to take you to eat the best homemade meal on Orcas Island.
She looks up from her phone and says, “I’m not sure it’ll beat my mom’s. I guess I’ll have to go to compare.”
I slide my phone back into my pocket after I switch her name in my phone. “Good. You won’t regret it.” I straighten the green folder and place it back exactly where it was to avoid Mom’s or Tonya’s stink eye.
“Can I ask you a question?” she says.
Shit. Her tone is serious now. What if I don’t want to answer?
I rest my hip against the desk and cross my arms. “Shoot.”
“I didn’t hear you mention your dad.”
“Oh.” I tap my upper lip, wishing I’d kept that stupid ’stache. “He died when I was eighteen. He had a kidney transplant, but his body rejected it. He passed away the next day.”
She frowns. “Oh, Leo! That’s horrible. Your poor father and family. Transplants are always dangerous.”
I massage the back of my neck. “We got through it somehow.”
I regret a lot of things, not the least of which was my strained relationship with Dad. I’m ashamed to admit that losing my cousin was harder for me.
“I lost my dad too, a year and a half ago, to a bee sting. He was highly allergic and was never without his EpiPen—until that day. He went outside to do something in the yard while Mom and I were out grocery shopping. He didn’t make it to the house in time to get it. We usually shopped on Fridays, but that week, Mom switched it to Saturday. When she got home, she found him lying on the grass—it was already too late. I can’t imagine what she went through in that moment, dealing with it all alone. She doesn’t talk about it much, but I know she blames herself because she wasn’t there. If she had stayed home with him, he might still be here today. It’s brutal when guilt and grief collide.”
This conversation has taken a sharp nose dive, but I can definitely empathize. “It’s still hard, especially for my mom. After all this time, she has no interest in meeting other men. The pain doesn’t go away, but I’ve had more time to deal with it than you have.”
“Yeah, it feels like yesterday.” Her voice cracks and her eyes brim with sadness. “A life event that contributed to the way I am now.” She turns her back to me, and I hear her sniff. “I’m sorry. That ruined the mood. And now I’ve embarrassed myself two times in front of you today.”
I step in front of her and pull her into my arms. She rests her cheek on my chest and wraps her arms around my lower back. Her warm, soft body fits perfectly against mine. I kiss the top of her head like I’ve been doing it forever, smelling her floral shampoo.
“No need to be sorry, Olive. Sometimes it’s good to talk to a stranger. Someone who’s removed from the situation.”
“Why do you want to deal with someone who’s such a mess?”
“I like messes.” Because I’m one too.
“Sure you do. And you don’t feel like a stranger.” She looks up at me, then drops her chin to my chest. “It’s funny. The last thing my mother said to me yesterday was not to talk to strangers. What did I do? I came in here and started talking to you. Haven’t stopped yet. And don’t plan on it anytime soon.”
I arch an eyebrow, and she rolls her eyes.
“Yes, I know I’m thirty. It doesn’t matter to her. She probably thinks I’m still twelve. Another reason I ended up here.” Sniff.
“Even more of a reason you should come with me to Ma’s then. Hiking, pot roast, and apple crumble to take your mind off things.”
She strokes my back, then drops her arms. “I think you’re right.” Sniff.
I reach across the desk and snag a tissue box. She takes one from it and blows her nose like a bugle. Now I know I really have it bad because I find it adorable.
“Why don’t we go have a drink at the bar before I have to work again? No alcohol for me, though.”
“Okay. And you can tell me where we’re hiking tomorrow and other things I can do.”
“We never got to do that, did we? I’m horrible at my job.”
“Far from it. But is this how you treat all your female guests?” She smirks, but her eyes reflect uncertainty.
“Olive, you’re the first.” And the last . “No one’s caught my eye until you came through our doors yesterday.”
She covers her face. “Please tell me you didn’t see my butt triggering the door sensors when I first arrived.”
I throw my arm around her shoulders and steer her toward the door. “Let’s go to the bar first, then I’ll tell you.”