Page 27 of Always Been You

“Hi Mr. Lincoln, it’s nice to see you. I’ve been around.” I smile brightly at him.

“It’s Logan dear. I’m glad you’re here tonight.”

We move into the living room and Emily and I get settled with Logan while Eleanor and Josh go into the kitchen. A few minutes later, they return and Josh hands me a glass with dark liquid in it and sits next to me. I take a sip and the rich taste of rum mixed with Coke Zero hits my tongue. My go-to drink, I turn and smile at Josh as I process the fact that Josh didn’t even ask what I wanted to drink. He just knew.

Conversation is easyas we all sit in the living room of my childhood home. After about fifteen minutes, Mom informs us that dinner is ready, and we move into the dining room. Mom and Dad each take seats at the head of the table on each side. Em takes her usual seat on Mom’s left, and I pull the chair across from Emily out and nod my head at Olivia. She looks at me for a second before taking a seat and quietly saying, “Thank you.”

I grab the seat between her and my dad. Tonight, Mom has made glazed chicken breast, oven-roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, and a garden salad. We pass the dishes around the table and make up our plates. As soon as everyone has food on their plates, Emily starts the conversation.

“So, Liv, what is it like living with Josh?”

That peaks Mom and Dad’s interest. I had mentioned reconnecting with her a few weeks ago, but hadn’t gotten the chance to tell them about her moving in.

“It’s been nice. It was so nice of him to offer his spare room to me,” Olivia says as she pushes some food around on her plate.

“I’m sorry dear, I didn’t realize you had moved in with Josh,” Mom says. “What caused that?”

“She needed a place to stay, Mom,” I say, hoping that she won’t probe too much into it. I don’t want Olivia to feel obligated to talk about what happened with Drew.

“What about your boyfriend?” Emily asks, “Josh had mentioned a while ago you were serious with someone.”

I shoot Emily a powerful stare across the table, hoping that she will drop it. Olivia swallows harshly and lifts her gaze to Emily. I reach under the table, rest my hand on her leg, squeezing it and lean back in my chair. She looks at me and I give her a nod, letting her know that I’m here for her. She gives me a slight smile and looks back at Emily.

“I did. We broke up a few weeks ago. We were going to move in together, but I caught him cheating right after I had given my landlord notice. I couldn’t find a place on such short notice, and Josh was nice enough to offer his spare room.”

I give her leg another hard squeeze to show her my support. I hate that this happened to her, but she seems to be doing okay. She resumes eating her dinner, Emily looks at me and then back to Olivia, “I’m so sorry, you are better off without him. You deserve someone who will worship you,” Em says before reaching across the table and grabbing Liv’s left hand.

“Thanks,” she says back with a smile.

I let go of Olivia’s leg, lean into her and whisper in her ear, “She’s right, you deserve to be a man’s world.” I can see goosebumps rise on her skin as I pull away.

“So do you have any plans this summer, Olivia?” Mom asks, trying to move the conversation along.

“Not much, but I’ll make plans,” she says with a smile.

I bump my shoulder into hers. “What about that list the girls were talking about?”

I watch the blush rise up her neck and into her cheeks and her eyes dart down to her plate. She seems embarrassed by this list, but I’m not sure why.

“Oohhhh, this must be good and juicy. You’re blushing, Liv. Share this list with me,” Emily says.

“It’s nothing. I got drunk with the girls one night and wrote it, some of it’s travel and there are some…” She hesitates for a second before finishing, “other things on it.”

Emily raises an eyebrow. “Other things? Okay, now I have to see it.”

“I’ve yet to see this list and I’ve agreed to help you with it,” I say with a smile on my face.

Her head shoots up to me, and she starts shaking it. “No, you don’t need to do that. I don’t need you to help, but thank you,” she rushes out quickly. Mom and Dad are deep in conversation, and I join in. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Olivia hand her phone across the table to Emily. Her eyes move as she scrolls through the list, and then her eyes get super large and her jaw drops.

I look over at her and she leans forward to get closer to Liv. “Josh is going to help you with this list?”

“Noooo, when he offered, he hadn’t seen it. He is not helping with it. Nope, someone else,” she whispers, probably thinking I’m not paying attention. Emily goes to hand Olivia her phone back, but before Olivia can grab it, I take it from my sister.

“If I’m going to help you with this list, I think it’s better if I know what’s on it so I can plan,” I say with a smile. Olivia’s face pales as she reaches to get the phone back from me andEmily tries to cover her laughter. Olivia continues to try and reach across me to grab her phone, but my arms are too long.

I turn to read the list that is in her notes app.

Olivia’s Summer List

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