16. Olive
16
OLIVE
M an, this is nerve-racking. It’s not a date or a meet-the-parents kind of thing. It’s nothing more than a home-cooked meal. Are you sure about that? But when Leo opens the front door to his mom’s house, I straighten my jeans and smooth down my shirt as best I can with one hand. The other one has a death grip on a bouquet I insisted on buying. Once we’re inside, we remove our shoes and leave them lined up at the door, next to the others.
“We’re here,” Leo calls as he leads me down a long hallway with powder-gray walls, white chair rails, and beautiful hardwood flooring. The delicious scent of pot roast wraps around me like a blanket. For a second, it’s like I’m home having Mom’s traditional Sunday pot roast dinner with Andy and my parents. It was Dad’s favorite meal. This smells similar and familiar, my heart fills with warmth and maybe ease.
I’m pulled away from the visit down memory lane when Tonya appears in front of us wearing a cute strawberry-patterned apron and holding a pink martini in one hand. Cosmo maybe? I wouldn’t mind one right now.
“Hey, Leo. Hi, Olive. Welcome! You’re just in time for a drink before dinner.” She turns around and says, “Follow me.”
Leo gently ushers me forward with his hand on my lower back, a calming little gesture. Really, any touch from him keeps me grounded. Tonya leads us to a gorgeous country kitchen with floor-to-ceiling white cabinetry and a massive center island. A muted gray, blue, and green mosaic backsplash adds color to the room. High-back stools line one side of the island. Far to the right side of the kitchen is a long wooden table with five place settings. Mom would love it here.
“Ma, stop hiding in the pantry,” Tonya calls, smirking. “Olive doesn’t bite.”
“Tonya,” Leo warns.
“I’m not hiding. I’m getting the cornstarch you didn’t put out for me. You’re losing your touch, Cosmo Girl,” his mom says as she appears with a box in her hand. Her apron matches Tonya’s. She’s a couple inches taller than me with light brown, shoulder-length hair.
Tonya’s face turns pink. “Blasphemy!” she cries. “My ears are burning.” She’s a hoot.
Leo’s mom turns toward us, a welcoming smile on her face. It falters for a second when she looks at me, and her hazel eyes flash. I correct my posture, suddenly uncomfortable. Does she not want me here? Did Leo see it, or is this my usual insecurity? Maybe she’s protective of her son? She’s already intimidating, and I just met her!
“Ma, this is Olive.” Leo gestures toward me as he introduces us.
She extends her hand. “Hi, Olive. I’m Marla. It’s nice to meet the woman who’s caught my son’s eye.” Her eyebrows tip up. “And look at your pretty ones. What a unique shade of brown.”
“Here we go,” Leo grumbles, scratching his neck like he has hives. My mom would be the same if I brought him home with me. Probably worse. “Let’s not lay it on too thick tonight.”
“And look at her thick eyelashes, Ma. They’re real! Isn’t she lucky?” Tonya says, finishing her martini.
Be brave, talkative, and polite . “Nice to meet you, Marla. Thanks for having me. Happy New Year too. It smells delicious in here.” I hand her the flowers. “Leo says you love yellow roses.”
She puts the cornstarch on the island and takes the flowers from me. “I really do. Thank you. A woman can never get too many flowers.” Her smile reaches her eyes this time. Phew . “Leo, will you please get my favorite vase from the other room? You know which one.”
“Sure.” Leo leaves the kitchen.
“I hope you’re hungry and like pot roast. The gravy is almost finished,” she says, heading for the stove.
“We hiked most of the day. We’re starving.”
Marla lifts a lid off a steaming pot and stirs the contents. “Good. That’s what I want to hear because we have plenty of food.”
“Who wants a drink?” Tonya interrupts. Then she looks beyond me at something over my head. I startle when I realize someone’s behind me. Holy hell.
“Hey, Sully,” she says. “We didn’t hear you come in.”
I step to the side to let him pass and melt when I see his kitten curled up on his shoulder. I wonder if he’d let me hold it. Tonya clips the stems of the roses in a snap and takes the vase from Leo, who’s back. She arranges them perfectly, then places the vase on the table.
Leo formally introduces me to Sully. He remains silent but nods and shakes my hand. Then he kisses Marla’s cheek. Now that I have a better look at him, I can see his resemblance to Leo. His eyes are slightly more brown than golden, perhaps due to the black cloud around him. He’s about two inches taller and wider too. He’s handsome in that angry, don’t-fuck-with-me kind of way. It gives him an edge that some women find attractive. He’s the dark force in the room, and Leo is the light from what I’ve witnessed so far.
Tonya stands out in her own way because her hair is brunette, not as dark as mine, and straight. It’s styled in a bob right below her chin. Her eyes are hazel, like her mom’s. She’s short, petite, friendly, fiery, and seems to have good business sense, but no one outshines Leo.
Tonya asks again what we’d like to drink, then orders us to sit at the kitchen table and relax. I offer to help, but both she and Marla say no. Message received.
“Where’s Donna?” Leo asks, taking his beer from Tonya a few minutes later. She hands me a cosmopolitan garnished with an orange peel and Sully a beer. I sip mine and go cross-eyed. Holy shit, that’s strong .
Marla wipes her hands on a dishtowel, then continues to stir the gravy. “She’s having problems with her back again. Didn’t she send you a message? She wanted to see if you could fill in for her tomorrow afternoon, hoping she’ll get a doctor’s appointment.”
Leo’s eyebrows furrow. “Olive and I wanted to do something together.”
I nudge him with my elbow. “Don’t worry, Leo. I can wander around by myself. I’d like to go in to town and visit the shops I saw this morning while getting my hiking shoes. Maybe buy some new clothes.”
“I’m going in to town tomorrow to check out the sales and to run a couple of errands. Want to come along? I can show you all the good stores,” Tonya offers. “It’ll be fun to have some company.”
When was the last time I went shopping with a friend? Years! “I’d love to. Are you sure?” I mentally pat myself on the shoulder with pride. One more step out of my comfort zone.
“Positive,” she responds, polishing her fork and knife. I grin as she places them perfectly next to her plate like we’re at a formal affair.
To my surprise, Sully sits next to me at the table. The kitty is on the shoulder next to me. “Can I pet her?” I ask. “Is she a he?”
“Sure. She.” Okay, one-word answers. At least I didn’t get a grunt or a growl.
I lift my arm and gently stroke her soft fur. Light purring vibrates my fingers. I gush at the cuteness. I’d love to get a cat, but it’s not allowed in my apartment complex.
“What’s her name?”
“Smokey,” he responds.
“That’s cute. It fits her.” I push my luck. “Can I hold her?”
Grunt. Okay, I guess not.
“Come on, Sully. Be nice,” Leo urges.
“Don’t worry. I understand.” If he’s going through a hard time and that little kitten is the one thing that’s keeping him together, he doesn’t have to share. I’d be the same way.
Like Leo’s helping me. If another woman, like Bethany, tried to get his attention right now, I’d probably do more than grunt. Hell, I didn’t think I was the jealous type. But Leo’s unique. He’s a keeper.
Marla places steaming dishes of meat, green beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy on the table, and we pass them around. As we devour the food, conversation ranges from the hotel’s reservation system to hiking and even stories from when they were kids. I thought Tonya might bring up Leo’s dancing, but she remained quiet. Marla asked about the whole fake girlfriend business, and Leo took charge of that discussion. Overall, it’s been easier than I thought because the focus hasn’t been directly on me.
“ Mmm, delicious,” I praise. “This pot roast tastes similar to my mom’s. And I love that I’m not the only one who eats it with mustard.” I raise my chin to Marla because she has a large dollop of mustard on her plate.
“Thank you,” Marla says. “I picked up the habit a long time ago. So, Olive, tell us a little about yourself. Have you ever been to Orcas Island before?”
“No. My family’s always vacationed in places like Southern California, Mexico, or Hawaii. My parents preferred more tropical destinations. Because of them, I never really considered coming here. Habit, I guess. Before I was born, they came here, but said it’s too touristy and didn’t like the weather.”
I cross my legs and accidentally kick Leo. “Sorry,” I whisper. Before I can move away, he presses his leg against mine and leaves it there. Adorable.
Tonya passes the platter of pot roast to Sully and he stabs two large slices, then drops them on his plate. He offers me some, but I decline before he puts the platter back on the table and I decline. I’m only halfway through my plate, and he’s on his second serving. Then again, I’m talking a lot more than he is.
“Do you agree with them now that you’ve seen the island?” Tonya asks.
“Not at all, but it’s not tourist season. Hiking was spectacular today, and the view from Mount Constitution was breathtaking. I’d love to come back in the summer and do it again.”
Marla adds more green beans to her dish, then asks, “Are you from Washington?”
I wipe my mouth with a napkin and place it next to my plate. “I live in a small town north of Seattle called Aston Springs.”
Marla drops her fork. It hits her plate with a clang and topples to the floor. Smokey wigs out and hangs by her claws off Sully’s shirt. “Boy, do I have butterfingers today. I also dropped two glasses this morning, and they shattered all over the kitchen floor.”
Tonya gets up and fetches a new fork for her and throws the dirty one in the sink. Smokey climbs Sully’s shirt again and cuddles up where his shoulder meets his neck. My heart melts.
“Do you live alone or with your parents?” Marla asks with a strange twang in her voice. I can’t tell if this is her personality or something else. All I know is that I’m catching a vibe. I hate that I’m paranoid.
“I live alone. My mom lives nearby in the house where she grew up. When my grandma died, my parents moved in right before my brother was born and never left.”
“No father? How many siblings do you have?” she questions further, cutting up her second slice of pot roast into equal-sized pieces. She focuses on her plate, not me.
“Ma, what’s with the questions?” Leo interrupts with an annoyed edge to his tone.
“It’s okay, Leo.” If I’m going to stop hiding in my apartment, I have to get used to people asking me personal questions. “I have an older brother who lives in San Francisco. And my dad died a year and a half ago.”
“Oh, I’m really sorry to hear that.” Marla’s sudden warmth and sympathy makes her sound like she really cares. She blinks her glassy eyes, then grabs her napkin to dab the corners of them. “How’s your mom handling it?”
“As best as she can in her situation. My parents were happily married. They were inseparable. Always affectionate, even after being together over thirty-five years. It’s something I—well, anyone—would be lucky to find.” I keep my eyes from seeking Leo’s, sensing what my heart already knows. Something ridiculous, but maybe not. “Because he’s gone,” I finish, “she’s kind of attached herself to me. It’s been hard for her.”
“Over thirty-five years… That’s a long time,” Marla sympathizes.
“They got married after college and had kids later when my dad’s business finally took off. My brother and I were born in the same year.” Like Leo’s family really cares about that.
“Our parents were happy like that too,” Tonya mentions, glancing at Marla. “Right?” Marla blinks several times.
“Ma? Are you okay?” Sully says, startling me.
Marla tilts her head back. “I think I might have gotten a little mustard in my eye. It stings. Excuse me for a second.”
“Do you need help?” I ask, quickly standing. “If you have eye solution, like eye drops, you need to flush the eye immediately. If you don’t, a lot of water. It can damage your eye if it isn’t treated right away. I can help you if you’d like.”
Unbelievable! That came out of nowhere and it felt unbelievable. I didn’t have to think about it, I knew what she should do. I had patients in the ICU with horrific eye injuries. Nurse Hansen is in the house!
“Thanks for the advice. I’ll be fine. Please finish your food.” She pushes away from the table and leaves the room, sniffling along the way.
Was it really mustard or is she crying? If it were mustard, she’d be in a lot more pain. Something doesn’t seem right. Did I remind her of her late husband when I mentioned that my dad died? Now I feel bad. But she’s the one who asked.
I sit and pull my chair in, ignoring my personal revelation and that I may have made a spectacle of myself.
Leo leans closer and whispers, “That was impressive. It gave me a little glimpse of you as a nurse. You’ve still got it.”
I give a slight nod and grin, then I glance at Tonya and Sully to see if they heard Leo. This is not the time or place to talk about it.
Tonya gets up and refills the water carafe, then brings it back to the table. “Don’t worry, Olive. I’m sure Mom’s fine. Anybody want more water?” I push my empty glass forward for her to refill.
Leo strokes my back gently. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think Mom would grill you like that.”
“Well, it’s rare that you show interest in our hotel guests or any woman at all when you’re home,” Tonya points out, scooping up another serving of mashed potatoes. “Of course she’s going to ask questions. And I’m sure you’re curious too.”
Sully nods, agreeing with her.
Leo glances at me and squeezes my hand under the table. Without pause, he says, “I’m definitely interested.”
Me too.