All About You (All Series Book 6) (6 page)

Show Me

One week later, Olivia let herself into the store, then set the alarm behind her. This was what her life turned out to be, playground visits or working on a Saturday. Pretty pathetic for a single twenty-seven-year-old.

She stopped her progress to the back and looked around at how the store was coming together. The walls were up, along with a little bit of the ceiling. Finn had managed to make all the bases and set them up in their proper locations with the help of the crew. He’d only had two days at the store this week, Tuesday and Wednesday.

He’d told her he was at the firehouse on Thursday, then she knew he’d sleep on Friday. She figured out his rotating shift now.

The last week they didn’t talk all that much. He’d been busy at work and she was thrilled so far with what he’d completed.

But she wasn’t so thrilled he’d yet to bring up anything about their future date and she was starting to realize he probably wasn’t interested.

She wouldn’t beg or ask again. That wasn’t her way. She offered and the ball was in his court. If he decided to pass, then she’d move on. That is, if she ever went anywhere other than the playground.

Locked away in the back room she carefully packaged up the finished amethyst necklace and bracelet, then put it in the shipping box. She’d drop it off for overnight delivery on Monday, and get it all insured.

She was just walking out of the vault when she heard the alarm go off up front and froze. Crap, someone was breaking in. What should she do?

She ran to the door and locked herself in, grabbed her phone and started to back into the vault, thinking to shut herself in there too. She could release the door from the inside if need be.

Call 911, that’s what she should do. She pressed the numbers and was just ready to hit dial when the alarms shut off, so she waited and moved back to the door, putting her ear to the wood, and listened.

Footsteps. Damn, someone was there. But the alarm was off, and that couldn’t have happened if they didn’t know the code. Deep breath, think. She’d wait a second more and decide.

The knock sounded on the door her ear was pressed to, and she jumped back with a squeal. “Olivia, are you in there?”

Finn.
Quickly she unlocked the door, trying to pretend her hand wasn’t shaking, and yanked it open.

“Thanks for giving me a heart attack.”

“Sorry. I saw your car out back and didn’t expect the alarm to have been set. I unlocked the front door and just walked in.” It made sense, but she was still annoyed and her hand wouldn’t stop shaking, nor the thumping of her heart. He reached out and grasped her hand, holding it. “Hey, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. You’re shaking like a leaf.”

“Yeah, well, I thought someone was breaking in and I was trapped back here.”

“What was your plan?”

“What do you mean?”

“If that happened, what was your plan? Other than locking yourself back here. What if he set a fire out front?”

“Thanks, Finn. Can you try not to make it worse for me?” Why would he go and say that?

“I’m serious. You should always be prepared. Tell me what you would have done.”

He looked and sounded so serious, and she was touched that he cared. She held her phone up showing him that 911 was already punched in.

“I locked myself in and was placing a call. I didn’t hit send after the alarm shut off. If the alarm hadn’t shut off I would have locked myself in the vault if need be. No one can get in without the code and it’s fireproof.”

He nodded. “That’s good. Not any ventilation in there though.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Rain on my parade, why don’t you.”

He laughed slightly. “You should learn to protect yourself.”

“Who says I can’t?”

“Can you?”

“Maybe. Against what?” she wanted qualified.

“If someone attacked you. A buddy of mine on the force teaches a self-defense course. You should take it.”

His concern was warming. “I can handle myself.”

“Really?” he asked, dropping her hands and crossing his arms, leaning against the wall.

“Yep,” she said, full of confidence.

“Okay, tell me.”

“Back to that again?” she asked, mimicking him and crossing her arms.

“I want to make sure you can handle yourself.”

“Why do you care? Or is it the human being thing again?”

“There’s that. And maybe I care a bit more than I should.”

Her heart was starting to race for another reason, and she knew he could tell. He was staring at her hard now, and she saw the heat in his eyes. Maybe it was time to push it a bit. Push her boundaries and see what happened.

“Want me to tell you what I would do, or give you an example?”

He smirked. “You think you can throw me to the ground, do you?”

“I could bring you to your knees if I wanted to.”

“I’m sure you could,” he murmured so quietly she almost didn’t hear him. If she hadn’t been watching his lips move, she wouldn’t have. “Come here.” He pulled her forward and turned her around, his chest against her back and his arms around her. “Show me.”

“Huh, what?”

He leaned in low, whispered in her ear, “Show me how you would get away.”

“Maybe I don’t want to.”

“Show me or get away?” he asked, his breath warm and faint against her.

Oh man, he felt way too good, but she ignored him. She could do this. She could get control of the situation.

“I don’t want to hurt you. But these heels I always wear, they’re pretty deadly on the top of someone’s foot.”

His cheek grazed hers. “That’s true. Then what would you do?”

“A perfectly placed knee to the groin should do it.”

“Ouch.” He released her and stepped back. “Sorry about that. I probably shouldn’t have grabbed you that way.”

“Are you really sorry?” she asked, challenging him.

“No, not really.”

“Have you tried to find a babysitter yet?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Good to know.”

She at least felt better than she had before. He obviously was interested, but it didn’t seem that easy to get some time alone. She wanted to make a suggestion to him, or ask about his sister, or another family member, maybe a friend, but didn’t. She didn’t know his personal situation and she didn’t want to presume.

From the two times she’d seen Finn with Trey, she realized he was a hands-on father, and a pretty darn good one. It was nice to see. And nice to know, especially from someone whose own father could never be bothered to make a phone call, let alone visit.

She took a step back, figuring she needed some space right now. “What are you doing here?”

“I came in to work. It was a short week for me and I wanted to make up the time I missed.”

“Do you normally work on Saturdays?” Maybe she was wrong about him as a father.

“No. If I’m not at the firehouse, I’m with Trey. I try to make the time for us, as much as I can. But I know you’re on a time crunch and I didn’t want to get too far behind.” He stopped talking and looked at his watch. “My sister has him for a few hours today so I could come in. But I need to pick him up by two.”

“What’s your sister’s name?”

“Sherri. She has two kids of her own and Trey enjoys playing with them.”

She nodded. Part of her wanted to keep talking to him, but he was obviously pressed for time. “I’ll let you get to work then.”

She watched as he smiled at her, hesitated a second, then turned on his heel and walked back to the front of the store.

***

What the hell was he thinking, grabbing her like that?

But he
had
been concerned that she might not be able to protect herself. Too many memories of walking in to check on Becca while she worked, seeing her with guys all over her and wondering if she knew what to do if she ever got cornered. If she was ever completely alone at night.

Then he remembered Becca never needed his protection. She enjoyed all the attention she got. The more dangerous the man, the more she was turned on. Looking back now, it disgusted him more than anything.

Of course, years ago he loved it. Loved that she liked it wild and crazy, that she was willing to do or try anything at least once. She had no fear and he’d always worried she’d get herself in a bad situation one day.

Then he realized that was part of who she was. She was in control more than he ever realized and it was all a game of chance to her. He knew that better than anyone. Lesson learned, and it was a hard lesson for him.

And by grabbing Olivia right now, well, all that proved was that her body fit so well with his. The scent of her filled his nostrils and he couldn’t help but lean in and whisper in her ear. He hadn’t missed the way her body swayed closer or the shivers that appeared on her arms.

He would have to work harder to get some time with her. He’d wanted to this past Friday, but he couldn’t, not after spending Thursday night at the firehouse.

He couldn’t do that to Trey, leave him two nights in a row. So that was making it difficult for him.

He didn’t want to ask his mother or sister to watch Trey during the week either. Not on a school night, not if he wasn’t at the firehouse. They both helped out so much and both had to work too.

Besides, then they would know he was going on a date. He didn’t need them questioning him, or asking for details.

He’d heard enough over the years about needing to find Trey a mother. He was damned if he was going to find someone for just that reason.

He believed what he always told Trey. They made a great team, the two of them. He didn’t need a woman in his life to complete his family.

But he wanted a woman in his life to feel like a man again. He missed the feel of a woman’s body next to his. The softness under his hand, the sweet smell of her hair and skin.

And thinking those thoughts wasn’t going to get the work done. They weren’t going to help him find a babysitter either.

Pushing it from his head, he spread the plans out on the floor and grabbed some wood to start measuring.

Lead the Way

He heard the click of heels, but didn’t look up from what he was doing, just turned the saw on and ran the wood through it. When he was done, he lifted his safety goggles, rested them on top of his head and looked up at her standing in front of him.

“How about lunch?” she said.

He glanced at his watch. “It’s a bit early.”

“I didn’t mean today. I mean, yes, I’ll run out and grab us something today. But I meant a lunch date. No alcohol. No babysitter to worry about either. One day next week, can you take an hour and we can do lunch? Puts us on a time limit too, no watching the clock and trying to figure out ways to slip out the bathroom window.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve had to slip out of a bathroom window.” She snorted at him and he grinned. “How about you?”

“Nope. Never done it before.”

“Never had a bad date?” He should have figured that much.

“Of course I have. Plenty of them. But I never go on a first date alone.”

Interesting. “Bet the guy loves that.”

“Really, Finn. I told you I could handle myself. In this day and age, if it’s the first time I’ve met the man, one of my friends was normally in the restaurant too.”

He liked the way his name sounded on her lips. “Did the guy know?”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “What do you think?”

“So what was the plan, then?” Guess he was behind the times when it came to first dates. Or dating in general.

“There was a group of us girls. We had a signal. Dropping our silverware on the floor, stretching in the seat, calling a waitress over to order another drink. It was different all the time.”

Nothing that would stand out too much to the unsuspecting male. “So then what would happen?”

“One of us would come over and make a scene. Usually something along the lines of leaving the restaurant in a hurry, tears in our eyes, visibly upset and shocked to see the other person there. The person on the date would rush up and find out what was going on, console us, and if they were lucky, their date would say she should be with her friend. If they weren’t lucky, they would just say they needed to leave.”

“The guy fell for that?” Guess they were pretty stupid, the men she and her friends dated before.

“We could be pretty convincing. We’d been doing it for years.”

He wasn’t sure he liked her doing that. The games that she and her friends played. He wasn’t looking for games, or the immature ideals of dating. He appreciated she was protecting herself, but just not in the way she was going about it.

“How often did you do it? Use that as an excuse to leave a date early?”

“I only did it once. I never felt right doing it, to be honest. I’d much rather suck up the bad date. It wasn’t like it was the end of the world. When the night was over, I’d just tell them thank you, but I wasn’t interested.”

That made him feel at least a little bit better. “What caused you to do it that day?”

“I don’t remember everything, just that I didn’t like the way he was leering at me, trying to see down my shirt. He gave me the creeps. I figured that gave me a free pass to do it that night.”

Damn straight it did, and he didn’t like the way he felt thinking of that happening to her. “I suppose it did.”

“Anyway, I’ll let you get back to work. What do you think about lunch? Willing to risk it? I promise I won’t make you want to climb out of the bathroom window.”

Her green eyes twinkling sent a punch right to his gut. He should say no, he should pass, but instead he found himself saying, “I don’t think it’s possible you’d make me climb out of a window.”

“It’s a date then. Well, it will be when you let me know the day.” She turned and went back to her workspace after he nodded.

“Now I’m really going out for lunch.” She walked out talking almost two hours later. “And since I’ve picked up pizza the last two times and know you had it last Saturday for men’s night.” She stopped, her eyes wide, a massive smile on her face. “Oops, sorry, I’m not supposed to mention men’s night.”

He laughed, he had to, she was just too funny. Funnier than he ever expected her to be. “Don’t you know the man code?”

“Since I’m not a man, I don’t know them all. But I’m sure I know a few. Still, what would you like to eat? My treat, you keep working.”

He reached into his wallet. “You’ve bought me lunch twice already. I think that makes me look like a deadbeat.” He pushed the cash at her again after she brushed his hand away. “Take it, or you eat alone.” Her shoulders dropped and he was glad she wasn’t arguing. “Get whatever you want.”

“Don’t you know you should never give cash to a woman and say those words?”

She was teasing. He knew and smiled, but it was forced, reminding him of his personal experience with Trey’s mother. He pushed that aside. He didn’t want to believe Olivia was like that. She hadn’t shown too many signs of it.

“I guess it depends on the woman. Not all will take the money and run.” Even though he hadn’t known anything different. Trey’s mother would have snatched the cash fast, then whined for more, saying it wasn’t enough for what
she
wanted.

She tilted her head, her expression serious now. “No, they don’t. And just so you know, I don’t. Not anymore.”

“But you have?” He should have gone with his gut.

“Not like you think. And that’s a conversation for another time. Trust me when I say, my past is exactly that. What you see of me now, that’s who I am. Fully, completely, and no one else.”

He believed her. If not by the look in her eyes, then by the conviction in her voice.

***

Olivia didn’t know what possessed her to say what she did. To admit that she was someone different. Maybe she wanted him to understand her. To know she was who she said she was. Not someone that people guessed at or made judgments on.

In the past, that was exactly what happened. They knew her background. They knew what her life was like—she only ever really dated people within her circle or social standing. Or the circles she cultivated for her work. Wealthy circles, shallow people, and partiers. People who were never who you thought they were.

But she wanted Finn to know. She wanted him to know she was honest.
She
wanted to know he wasn’t judging her based on her background. The background that allowed people to have little to no expectations of her, too.

And she’d liked it that way. It was easy, not much work at all. Only she was sick of people not expecting much from her. She was sick of not having expectations of herself.

Because she mattered. Who she was and what she did, how she impacted other people mattered. It mattered a great deal to her.

If Finn didn’t like who she was, it would hurt. She’d have no excuses, nothing to fall back on. She couldn’t convince herself, “Well, I was pretending, so it doesn’t matter he didn’t like me, it wasn’t the real me anyway.”

She was going to be her, the real Olivia. Either he would like her for that person, or he wouldn’t, but she’d survive. And she’d move on either way. The more she told herself that, the easier it would be. She hoped.

“Where did you go off to?”

“What?” she said, looking around, finding him against another wall, watching her. “What did you say?”

“I asked where you went to. You looked like you were in a daze right now.”

She put a smile on her face and walked forward with their lunch. “Sorry, my mind was wandering. Nothing important. I’ve got our sandwiches.”

He set the nail gun he’d been holding down, took his safety goggles off his head and walked closer. “Where do you want to sit?”

“We can go in the back room and eat on my work counter. I cleared some space off before I left.”

He reached back and tugged on her ponytail. It felt funny, odd almost, the teasing nature of it. No one had ever done that to her before. Nothing spontaneous and frivolous. “Thinking ahead, huh?”

She smiled, examining his face. The rough whiskers she was growing to like, the dark brown eyes oftentimes more serious than they should be, but looking at her softly in the moment. His lips, curved up in a smile, thin, not full, showing nice teeth. Not perfectly straight teeth that his parents spent boatloads of money on, but nice normal teeth. Straight, but not overly.

Nothing about him was perfect. He didn’t spend a lot of time in front of the mirror getting ready, she could tell. She’d seen him clean-shaven before, but not often. She was learning that it depended on his shift at the firehouse. But she liked both looks on him.

“I tend to think a lot. More than might be healthy, some would say.”

“Well then, lead the way.”

She would, she’d lead the way to her future, with or without him. And she’d be just fine.