14. Drake
Drake
Everything between Olivia and I is smooth over the next month. I catch myself thinking about her every now and again, wishing I could go back to the night we shared. But I never let it go further than just thinking about it. We're cordial in the office, though, which is nice.
Surprisingly, we can even manage occasional small talk. She talks to me about her dad, filling me in on what he's up to at the gym and which celebrities he raves about working with.
From the outside, you would never guess anything happened between us. She's my employee, and we're friendly. That's it. The history between us might as well have been erased from every timeline, but I can't forget about it. It's like a stain in my mind.
As if adding another layer of complication to our relationship will do anything to help, I was serious about my offer to invest in her restaurant.
She's an incredible chef, and she has such a kind heart that I feel like she deserves it.
I find myself researching the restaurant business more often than I should to learn everything I can.
If she comes to me to say she's considered my offer, I'll gladly invest. All she has to do is ask.
Even though we are on good terms, I still have a hard time asking her to make food for me at work.
She makes some of the most delicious food I've ever had, but something about spending that much time around her in front of everyone makes me nervous. I know it isn’t obvious, but I don't want anyone to suspect that something happened between us.
So most nights, I get takeout. One of my favorite restaurants in the city is Dalessandro's in the Palisades.
It's worth the drive, and I’m there often enough that the hostess knows me by face.
She smiles and holds up her index finger, looking over her shoulder as she walks to the back to pick up my order.
“Eating alone today?” she asks in a soft, flirty voice when she hands me my order.
“Yep, just got off work,” I say, smiling as I pay for my order. It isn’t the first time she's hit on me, and I doubt it will be the last.
The door behind me opens and she looks over my shoulder, greeting the customer who walked in behind me as I wait for my receipt.
“Drake?” a familiar voice says behind me. My heart skips a beat as I turn to see Leonard. “It's been a long time, man!”
He pulls me in for a bear hug before I can back away. I set my food on a chair nearby and turn my attention toward him, knowing that I need to keep up the act for Olivia's sake. I can't do anything to give away our secret, otherwise, she might be the one to kill me instead of him.
“Man, it's been a few months, hasn't it? How have you been?”
Leonard looks out at the dining room of the restaurant. “Are you just leaving? I'm here by myself; we can grab a bite together if you're free.”
I hesitate for a moment, looking down at my takeout box and wondering if I can get out of here without it being obvious.
Even though I don't want to slip up and say anything about me and Olivia, Leonard is my friend.
I care about him more than I care about most people.
I've known him for twenty years, and I don't have the heart to turn him down.
“I guess I'm not eating alone after all,” I say to the hostess, and she leads us to a table. Leonard places his order shortly after we're seated, and I wait to eat my food until his arrives.
“Thanks again for interviewing Olivia. She's so happy to be working for you,” Leonard says proudly.
“I should be the one thanking you. She's incredible.” I clench my jaw as I speak, making sure I show some restraint when talking about her.
“She told me she catered an event at your house.” Leonard leans forward on the table. “How did that go?”
I feel like I'm walking into a trap. Did Olivia tell him what happened, and this is how I find out? I need to be very careful about what I say.
“It went well. She made some delicious meals, and I was so thankful to have leftovers for a few days,” I laugh and take a deep breath, looking around the room.
“She got that from her mom. Those two were always in the kitchen throwing together some kind of concoction,” Leonard says fondly. Happiness brightens his face as he thinks about Maria.
“What have you been up to lately? You been seeing anyone?” I ask, hoping to turn the attention away from that night. Leonard hesitates, and I realize the answer must be yes.
“There's a new trainer at the gym that I've gone out with a few times.
She's great and all, but I don't know how serious it is,” he says with a shrug.
His food arrives and he shifts his attention to it happily while I open my takeout box.
“Can you do me a favor and not mention anything about that to Olivia?
I don't talk to her about my dating life unless I have to.”
“Of course,” I say, biting into my cheesesteak, thankful for the new distraction.
“I know that it's been a long time since Maria passed, but Olivia has always looked up to our relationship. I don't want to upset her by making her think someone else could take her place,” Leonard continues between bites. “She's such a good kid, the last thing I want is to disappoint her.”
I wipe my mouth and nod my agreement. “You did a great job, Leonard. She's got a very good head on her shoulders, and the restaurant idea she has is incredible.”
“She told you about that?” Leonard raises his eyebrows and shakes his head. “I've asked her to tell me about it a million times, and she refuses. Maybe she knows you're the one with the money who can fund it.”
Leonard laughs loudly before taking a bite of his lasagna. I didn't know Olivia wasn't open about the restaurant with everyone, I definitely wouldn’t have brought it up with Leonard if I had known.
“I'm just so proud of everything that she's done, you know? When I was her age, I didn't know how to tell up from down, and she's working toward all these plans.” My throat turns dry and the cheesesteak feels like sand in my mouth as I chew.
Olivia told me how guilty she felt hiding this from Leonard, and a part of me didn't believe she felt that bad.
Sitting here in front of her father and knowing what we did is torture.
He's talking about Olivia with so much pride — as he should because she is amazing — and my heart is going to beat out of my chest.
The reason Olivia and I can't continue our relationship is chewing with his mouth open right across from me, but I can't deny that I want more.
Would pissing Leonard off really be the end of the world?
Sure, his arms are almost as big as my head, but if his daughter is happy, would he be that upset?
We finish our dinner, catching up on each other's businesses, talking about people we went to college with, and reminiscing about old times. When we're all done, we part ways, and I head home for the night, replaying the conversation in my mind.
Maybe there’s a world where she and I can entertain the idea of a relationship. But maybe I’m just getting my hopes up for nothing.