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Trying to spark the transmitters that went from her brain to the rest of her body, she stood frozen for a moment, taking in the closeness and absorbing the heat that poured off of him. Finally, she remembered how to move and she stepped aside; his hand lingered on her waist for a second more.
His gaze slammed into her. The smile on his lips was so devastatingly handsome that she had to swallow down the urge to drag him out of sight so she could lick the upward curve of his mouth.
Harper cleared her throat, and Olivia jumped back from the intensity of Shane’s gaze, knocking her ass right into the table. The legs screeched, the table jerked, and glasses swayed. Harper and Isla both reached for the wobbly glasses, preventing a disaster.
Heat clawed up Olivia’s neck, and Shane just smiled before walking away.
Olivia turned to her friends. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Harper said. “I’d be a walking wet noodle if a guy looked at me like that.”
Olivia fell into her chair.
“What’s the matter?” Isla asked.
“I shouldn’t be falling for another guy when I still have an unfinished mess with Daniel.”
Harper shook her head. “You wasted three years of your life on that asshole. I think you owe it to yourself to see it through with Shane.”
“I have to agree with, Harp on this one,” Isla said.
“That’s a first,” Harper joked.
“But what if Shane is my rebound?” Olivia asked, though the thought actually hurt her heart. She really liked Shane, and she didn’t want him to be that guy, and not just for herself, but for him, too. She didn’t want to string him along.
Harper blinked up at her. “What if he’s not?”
Chapter 15
Early afternoon quickly slid into evening as Olivia hustled from one table to the next, taking orders and dropping off drinks and food. One of the waitresses called off, leaving Olivia with a full house to manage alone. She didn’t mind. She loved constantly being on the go, chatting with people she’s known her whole life, and making money while doing it.
The heated exchange between Shane had lingered with her all day. Every time she glanced in his direction, her temperature went up a few degrees, and when he was near, her body was an all-out inferno.
The door opened, and Olivia turned to greet the customer. Ice settled in her veins, jagged shards expanding and compressing her lungs.
Daniel strolled in, eyes scanning like a predator. She didn’t want to be found, not yet. She hadn’t made a decision on his proposition yet. He’d want an answer. She could run, but if she ran away from him now, he’d just keep coming back. There was a reason he was as rich and successful as he was.
She took a deep breath, forced her mouth into an emotionless line, and approached him.
“Daniel, what are you doing here?”
He looked her over from head to toe, his eyes lingering on her sneakers then up to her apron. His nose wrinkled like he smelled something bad. “I was in town and thought I’d stop by and see if you thought about what I had said.”
She should have known his impatience would bring him to her eventually. It’s not like she was in another state; she was only a car ride away. Though, even if she was in another state, she doubted that would deter him. He’d hire a helicopter like he did when they had dinner with a client in DC.
“Not yet. Honestly, I’ve been really busy with work, my parents, my fish. I got a fish.”
“You don’t even like fish.”
“That’s not true.”
He met her eyes with a charming smirk. “When we went to that sea life fundraiser at the aquarium you bitched the entire time about the smell.”
“Because it stunk in there, but my fish doesn’t smell.”
“Why don’t you bring your fish with you to the Midtown apartment? I’ll even upgrade its tank and get it something fitting to match its new zip code.”
Olivia thought about Shane’s words from the other day. “I’m not going to let you buy me back. After everything, I don’t think you could afford me.”
