15. Leo #2
“The garlic rolls, roasted carrots, and chicken are,” Olivia said. “The potato gratin is my own invention. Usually, gratin is made with cream and cheese, but this version is made with lime and coconut milk and chilis. I hope you don’t mind a little spice.”
“Not at all,” Leo said. The mention of spice made him think of their kiss again, but he tried to banish the thought from his head. Still, he found himself even more aware of Olivia’s presence.
Suddenly, she moved towards him, close enough that he could smell a hint of floral perfume.
She was just inches away, reaching towards him, and Leo’s heart beat so fast he could nearly hear it.
He leaned closer, his hands lifting towards her hips almost of their own accord.
He could almost feel soft lips on his already.
He was so caught up in the moment that he didn’t even wonder why she’d be coming to kiss him in the middle of cooking and talking.
Then Olivia grabbed a drawer handle by his hip, opened it, and extracted a wooden spoon. All the anticipation rushed out of Leo as he realized that she was still focused on cooking. He’d completely misread the situation, thinking she’d been about to kiss him. He needed to focus.
“Everything okay?” she asked, still standing just inches from him with the wooden spoon in her hand.
“Certainly.” Leo turned back to his carrots. Olivia was here so that they could get divorced, not so that he could daydream about kissing her again. Romance probably wasn’t anywhere on her mind right now. It shouldn’t be on Leo’s, either.
They continued cooking. Leo finally finished the carrots, and Olivia passed him a cucumber to slice, their fingertips brushing.
As they cooked, they chatted a little more about their food preferences (Leo thought cilantro tasted like soap, while Olivia loved the stuff, but they both liked rosemary and garlic).
Just as Leo finished slicing the cucumber, Olivia stepped back, hands on her hips.
“Okay. We should be good. The chicken, gratin, rolls, and carrots are in the oven for twenty more minutes, and the salad is ready. Thanks for your help.”
“Thanks for cooking.” Leo put the cutting board in the sink. “I just cut a few vegetables. You did everything else.”
“Well, we can split the eating fifty-fifty,” Olivia winked, and Leo smiled.
“Should we go sit on the balcony and have a pre-dinner drink?” Leo asked. “It’s beautiful out.”
“Sounds great, but I’d better go for something non-alcoholic.” Olivia grinned, “It may be a little too soon for us to renew our vows.”
Leo chuckled. “You may have a point. How about some lemonade?”
“Perfect.”
He poured them each a glass and led the way out to the balcony.
He always loved the view, though he usually didn’t spend much time out here — most of the time he was home, he was holed up in his home office, working.
Now, the city lay before them in the warm light of dusk.
The streetlights were just starting to come on, and there were still lots of cars and pedestrians out.
The hiss of kneeling buses and the honk of horns rose up from the street far below.
In front of them, Central Park was spread like a green quilt over the landscape, dotted with trees and the reflective expanse of a lake. Overhead, the sky was still blue, but the horizon was tinged with faint streaks of yellow and pink.
“It’s beautiful.” Olivia took a deep breath and settled back in her chair. “I’ve always dreamed of seeing New York, but I never imagined I’d see it like this.”
“What do you mean, you’ve always dreamed of seeing New York? Have you never been here before?”
“Nope.” Olivia’s gaze was trained on the city skyline. “This is my first time.”
“I can’t believe it,” Leo shook his head. “And you said you didn’t go sightseeing today because of the rain, right?”
“Right.”
“So, you still haven’t seen anything! I can’t let this stand. What kind of husband would I be if I didn’t take my wife on a tour of New York City?”
“Really?” Olivia asked. “Don’t you have to work?”
“I’ll take tomorrow off,” Leo said easily. “It’s Sunday, after all. We can see the city.”
“I’d love that,” Olivia’s face lit up as she turned to him. “Can we see Times Square?”
“Of course,” Leo chuckled. “And I’ll show you some unique sights, too. Maybe we can go to my favorite restaurant.”
“Sure,” Olivia smiled, her green eyes glowing. “I can’t wait.”
“And before we get into any disagreements, tomorrow will be my treat,” Leo added. “I need to thank you for this wonderful dinner.”
“Oh, are you sure?” A shadow crossed Olivia’s face. “I’m happy to pay my share.”
Again, Leo saw how honest Olivia was. Surely she wasn’t trying to take his money.
“I appreciate that, but please, let me. You can treat me another time.”
“Okay.” They smiled at each other — and then the oven timer beeped.
“I’ll be right back.”
Olivia dashed inside to fetch their dinner, and Leo followed.
He set the table while Olivia dished up the food — it was the kind of domestic scene he’d never imagined himself being a part of.
Even as a child, the chef and the housekeeper had done tasks like this, while the Barclay family had just shown up to eat.
Olivia was right, though. It was kind of nice to set the table himself — and even better since Olivia was there, too. He kept looking back at her, wondering what she was thinking about.
Over dinner, they chatted more about nothing in particular. They didn’t speak about anything especially deep, but Leo found that he enjoyed just talking with Olivia. It felt easy. Right. Last night had been a little stilted, but they seemed to be finding their groove again.
And Leo was very much looking forward to spending the day with her tomorrow and showing her New York City.