Chapter 5
FIVE
OLIVIA
Was it strange that I felt more nerves over what I was about to do instead of what I’d done yesterday?
Compared to walking out on the life I’d built for years, spending a few hours with Taj should have been a walk in the park. Technically, I guess it was.
But it wasn’t that I was worried about spending time with Taj. I expected that would be lovely. Fun, even.
It was what I had to do before I could get to the fun that was causing me so much distress.
I had to be honest with him about who I really was, and I was terrified that one of two things would happen. Either Taj would be pissed at me for lying to him and walk away, or he’d learn the truth about who I was and start treating me like everyone else did.
If either of those happened, it was a safe bet that I’d probably check out of the hotel this afternoon and be on my way again.
Regardless of the potential disaster of an outcome, I couldn’t keep the secret of my identity from him. I wanted to start fresh, and there was no way I could do that while lying to everyone I met.
I was having these thoughts as I paced in the hotel lobby when I looked toward the entrance and saw him striding to me with a smile on his face.
In the daylight, it was like seeing him for the first time.
He was taller than me by several inches, which was great, considering I was just two inches shy of six feet tall.
From what I could make out with all the layers he was sporting, his body was in shape.
Not like he’d spent hours upon hours in the gym bulking, but that he took care of himself and stayed active.
Taj had a handsome face, dark hair, and a breathtaking smile.
And when he came to a stop just a few feet in front of me, it was those bright blue eyes that held me captive.
I didn’t know if the fluttering I felt in my stomach was the result of knowing what I had to do or the excitement and anticipation I felt at what the day would hold. In the end, I figured it was a bit of both.
Taj allowed his eyes to rake down over me. “You look adorable and especially warm this morning.”
I smiled, a flush creeping over my cheeks. “Thank you for the goodie box. I appreciate it more than I can tell you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad it all fit. Are you ready to go grab some breakfast?”
I nodded.
Taj turned but didn’t get a chance to take even one step in the opposite direction before I reached out and grabbed hold of his wrist. His head snapped back in my direction, and I immediately released him.
“Sorry.”
He shook his head. “There’s no need to apologize. What’s wrong?”
I licked my lips and fidgeted with my hands. “Nothing. It’s just that… Well, before we go, I need to tell you something.”
A curious look washed over him. “Okay. Sure. What’s going on?”
“I lied.”
Nothing like ripping off the bandage.
Taj blinked, his head jerking back. “You’re not ready to go?”
“I am. I… This isn’t about that. I lied to you last night.”
“About what?”
“My name isn’t Oaklee Turner. It’s… It’s—"
“Olivia Thomas,” he declared.
Suddenly, I was the one jerking back. “You knew?”
Taj merely smiled at me as his chin tipped down slightly. “How else would I have been able to tell the hotel staff that I wanted something sent to your room?”
My lips parted. It never even dawned on me that he would’ve needed to know my name for that to happen. “When did you know?”
“When I saw you standing at the tree from a distance and decided to approach you, I had no idea. But the minute I spoke to you, and you looked in my direction, I knew. I was wondering when you were going to tell me the truth.”
“Why didn’t you say anything last night?”
Taj shrugged. “You’d already had a difficult day. If you needed to pretend to be someone else for just a little while, I didn’t see any harm in it. Not in that situation, anyway.”
My hand flew to the center of my chest, the air rushing from my lungs in both relief and a hint of surprise.
Not only had Taj known and not been mad or called me out on my lie, but he’d been aware of who I was and never treated me as anything other than just an ordinary person, too. It was beyond refreshing.
“Thank you,” I rasped.
“For what?”
“For treating me like you did.”
Questions lingered in his stare, but I couldn’t bring myself to respond to what he chose not to ask. Not yet. “I can’t think of any reason I should’ve treated you any differently than I did.”
I smiled. “You’re a really nice guy, Taj.”
The corners of his mouth tipped up as he took a step closer to me. “And you are quite an interesting woman, Olivia.”
His scent, the same one I’d been lost in all morning, enveloped me. “Do you still want to have breakfast with me today?”
He nodded. “I do.”
I bit my lip. “Okay. Then, I’m ready now.”
Taj swept his hand out toward the exit. “After you.”
Tucking my chin toward my chest, keeping my eyes on him, I hesitated for just a beat before I took a step in that direction. Taj fell into step beside me and led me out of the hotel, down the block, and into a café.
For the first few minutes, we simply got ourselves settled, perused the menu, and ordered our food. I hadn’t exactly taken the best care of myself yesterday and eaten any proper meals, so the pleasing aroma the moment we walked inside the café made my mouth water.
Taj and I both ordered glasses of orange juice and sipped on those while we waited for our food. We exchanged a few bashful smiles—mostly me—and a handful of knowing looks—all him.
Then Taj broke the silence and asked, “So, how would you like to spend your day today? There’re plenty of things to do and see, but I’d rather you decide where you’d like to go.”
It was so simple, easy, for him.
If I didn’t know any better, I might have thought someone informed Taj that it had been entirely too long since I’d been given the opportunity to make a decision about anything.
After glancing down at my body, I said, “Well, as I said, I truly appreciate the clothing you sent over to me this morning.”
“Delivered.”
“What?”
“I brought the gift, Olivia. I didn’t just have it messengered over or anything.”
“Right. Well, I’m so grateful for it. And I will absolutely pay you back for it, but I was kind of hoping I’d be able to find a place to pick up some additional things to wear.”
Soft laughter spilled out of him. “I can make that happen, but you aren’t paying me back for the clothes.”
“But it’s a lot,” I argued. “And you don’t know me.”
He shrugged. “It was a few things. Not really a big deal. And I can get to know you now.”
I found it surprising that he didn’t seem to believe he already knew everything he needed to know about me. That he knew I was Olivia Thomas gave him enough to work with.
“Well, then you have to at least let me buy you breakfast this morning as a token of my appreciation,” I said.
He laughed harder. “That’s not going to happen, either.”
“You know I can afford it, right?”
“It doesn’t matter to me either way. Because I can afford it, too.”
I winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn’t. I just wanted to do something nice to show you how much all that you’ve done means to me.”
Taj leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “You’ve already told me. That’s more than enough for me, and it’s going to have to be enough for you, too. Because I’m sorry, but I’m not going to suddenly become a man who’s okay with enjoying a meal with a woman and not paying for her.”
I swallowed roughly. “But… But we’re not—”
“I know we’re not. I don’t have any expectations of you. Just because we aren’t a couple doesn’t mean I can’t have any rules or standards by which I live, right?”
Wow.
So, he was far more confident and self-assured than I had already believed. So far, he seemed to be using those traits for good.
“Fair enough,” I said, understanding I wouldn’t win this argument. Plus, considering he hadn’t lashed out or walked away when I’d lied to him, I figured he deserved to get what he wanted in this case.
A proud smile washed over him, and he sat back just as our breakfast was delivered. For a few minutes, the two of us simply enjoyed our food. Once it was in front of me, I barely stopped to breathe, so having a conversation was out of the question.
“So, you want to go get some clothes this morning,” Taj eventually said. “Any other specific requests?”
I shook my head. “I’ll go wherever you want to take me.”
His lips twitched. “That’s a lot of faith you’re putting in me.”
“Are you suggesting I shouldn’t?” I countered, a hint of a smile playing at my lips. “Don’t tell me you went through all the trouble of being this nice to me for no reason.”
Laughter spilled out of him. “Well, I wouldn’t say I was being nice to you for no reason, but it certainly wasn’t because I intended to do anything nefarious.”
I took another sip of my orange juice, the hunger pangs having finally faded now that I’d gotten a little more than half of my breakfast in me. “So, what was your reason?”
“I’m a nice guy. Isn’t that enough of one?” He chuckled. “In all seriousness, you were having a rough time, and I had the means to help.”
“For that reason alone, I’ll leave it up to you to decide where this tour leads us.”
“Clothes first, though. Right?”
I smiled. “Yes, please.”
Taj and I finished breakfast, which he ultimately paid for, and left.
Much to my surprise, he happily spent the next couple of hours taking me around the town to different shops.
He’d offered a trip to the mall, but I didn’t mind shopping at a local spot to find a few things.
Of course, it wasn’t until, hours later, when Taj insisted on grabbing lunch with me, that I realized it might have been far more efficient—and a lot less painful for Taj—if I’d taken him up on the offer to simply go to the mall.
He hadn’t complained, but I’d gotten so lost in what I was doing that I hadn’t realized how much time had passed.