Chapter 16 - Olivia
O livia checked her phone while Aiden grabbed beers. In the brief time she’d been on the dance floor, trying not to swoon while tucked up against Aiden’s solid chest, she’d gotten three texts.
Grace: Have fun! (winky kissy face emoji)
Realizing they'd abandoned her, Olivia replied with a poop emoji.
Mom: Did you make it to the dance? Carolyn told me Aiden will be there (winky face emoji).
Wow . I’m apparently very bad at hiding anything from my family. Also, that would have been helpful to know like, four hours ago, Mom !
Olivia: See you tomorrow at Sunday Dinner.
Lastly, and least expected, she had a text from Sam.
Sam : hey, I found some of your pictures and books when I was going through some of my boxes. Do you want me to mail them to you? Not sure if you’re planning to come back to Seattle for a visit anytime soon
She set down her phone and took a deep breath before shaking out her hands, pushing away his unwanted presence. Feeling calmer, she picked up her phone and texted him her new address.
When Aiden returned with beers, Olivia asked, “So what’s your story, Dr. Wescott?”
His eyes widened a fraction, and she could tell her use of his professional title had thrown him. It seemed rare for him to be caught off-guard. She smiled, pleased.
“Me?”
“Yeah, what are you up to in Saint Paul? Who do you like to spend time with?” she asked awkwardly.
Gees Olivia, just ask him if he’s got a girlfriend, you dork, she silently scolded herself .
He glanced at the teenagers who had taken over the dance floor and were filming themselves before answering.
“Are you trying to ask me if I’m single?” One corner of his mouth turned up slightly.
“Perhaps.” She glanced down sheepishly before meeting his eyes. “I’m not all that interested in becoming friends with a man who is in a relationship.”
“Would I be asking you to dance and have drinks if I were?”
“You tell me.”
“Single.” After a pause, he added, “Divorced.”
Olivia nodded but didn’t say anything, wondering if Aiden would share more of his story.
“No kids, no pets,” he added. “If I’m honest, I finally feel like I’m coming up for air after moving back. What about you? ”
“Single, no lawyers involved, though. Just old-fashioned heartbreak.”
Aiden saluted his beer. “Cheers to that.”
They tapped the rim of their cups and drank.
“You know,” he said, “people are talking about you.”
“ What? Why?”
“You’re new and interesting, and you’ve got Seattle liberal written all over you.”
That made Olivia laugh out loud. “Who are you talking to exactly?”
Aiden paused, making Olivia wait while he took another drink. “John Anderson said something about you ‘being alright despite probably voting to legalize pot.’”
“Oh! John!” Olivia said excitedly, pleased to hear she was on John’s good side. “He plowed my garden!”
“Excuse me?” Aiden raised his eyebrows, grinning.
Olivia burst out laughing, “No, no, for the…because…” she gave up. “Look, all I’m trying to say is that he plowed my garden. Let’s leave it at that.”
“That’s where we’re going to leave it?”
“Yup,” Olivia said with a wink in her voice.
“You might be a bit too forward for this town, Olivia. No wonder folks are talking.”
The street band started playing an old Garth Brooks cover Olivia and her dad had sung whenever it came on the radio when she was a kid.
“Well, for the record, I proudly voted to legalize weed because the tax revenue is fantastic for schools. But I can also sing every word to this song. There are some things you will always know, no matter how much you pay your therapist.” Olivia paused before adding, “Was that TMI? I realize people here probably prefer to drown their sorrows.”
“Cheers to that.” Aiden raised his beer once again.
“At the very least, beer goggles feel like the only viable option for procreation, given the lack of a vibrant online dating scene,” she added, hoping for a laugh. She was happy to see her efforts pay off.
They looked around at the crowd. A few solo men in their late forties lingered near the sides of the dance floor. Most people were paired off and many had several towheaded kids running around.
“It looks like I’m currently your only viable option for procreation in this town, beer goggles or not,” Aiden said.
They laughed, and he bopped his foot against hers.
“Excuse me, are you playing footsie with me? That is very forward of you, even if I’m now just finding out how desperate I am.”
“Maybe.” He grinned. “I’m just glad I get to see you. I wanted to text you, but I knew you were excited about your sister visiting, and I didn’t want to intrude.”
The weight of her earlier worries washed away.
“I’m glad, too, but next time, feel free to text.”
“Noted. In that case, is there any chance I could steal you away for an hour or two tomorrow morning to have brunch with me? I’ll make you Eggs Benedict. I bet you haven’t had proper Eggs Benedict in a very long time.”
Was that an innuendo? Because he wasn’t wrong on both fronts. A flutter of excitement tickled her stomach.
“Okay, sure, that sounds fun. But speaking of tomorrow morning, I should take off soon. I have to be up early to get Ms. Darcy some exercise and finish a few chores. ”
“Oh sure, no worries. Actually, is there any chance I could catch a ride?” Aiden asked hopefully.
Olivia looked at him dubiously. “Did you walk here?” It would have taken him two hours.
“No, my Mom gave me a ride. I knew I’d be drinking, and I figured I’d find a ride home eventually. Worst case, it’d be a long walk home.”
“Okay, sure, but I should warn you, I’m driving the truck tonight, and I may kill the engine. I’m still mastering the manual transmission.”
“Ah, let me know if you ever need any lessons.”
“Ugh, no. That’s too cliché.” Olivia stood. God forbid she had to rely on a man to teach her how to drive a car.
He laughed and stood to follow her.
“Who taught you how to drive?”
“My dad,” she admitted begrudgingly. “Who is a man.”
His eyebrows raised briefly.
“Yeah, yeah.” Olivia feigned annoyance.
They reached her truck, which was parked in front of the post office, two blocks from the dance. She opened her door, climbed in, and leaned over to lift the lock on his side.
Aiden climbed in beside her and ran his hands along the red and tan leather seats and dashboard.
“It came with the house,” Olivia admitted.
“It’s well-cared for. What are you working on tomorrow?”
“You know, just general farm maintenance. I have to fix my irrigation hose again and deadhead some flowers since I didn’t go to market today. It turns out my sad excuse of a farm is a lot to manage,” she added humbly .
“The one John Anderson plowed?”
She burst out laughing. “That’s the one.”
A comfortable silence settled in for a few miles as they drove through swarms of bugs. She wasn’t looking forward to cleaning the windshield, but she made herself focus on the road. She carefully watched for the glowing eyes of deer, which were prone to running in front of, and getting hit by, complacent drivers.
A few minutes later, Olivia pulled up to Aiden's family’s cabin, feeling proud for getting there without stalling the engine once.
Aiden turned to look at her. “Should I be expecting you at the end of my dock tonight? I can set out a beer if you give me some notice.”
“As a matter of fact, I’m glad you brought that up. You know, you’ve ruined my swim schedule. I used to have this pond all to myself, but instead, I’ve been having to take cold showers.”
“Me too.” Aiden winked and stepped out of the truck.
She shook her head, feeling both idiotic and pleased for having so easily walked into that trap. “See you tomorrow, Aiden.”
“See you soon, Olivia.”
She pushed in the clutch and put the gear in reverse, but she let the clutch out too quickly, and the engine died. The truck lurched to a halt.
Well, at least we got that out of the way.
She restarted the ignition and managed to successfully turn the truck around and head home. In the rearview mirror, Aiden was standing at his door, smiling into her taillights. He waved and turned into the cabin.