Page 15 of Falling for the Bad Boy
“But not a gallery?” he asked.
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. A place where artists can rent out studio space, so they have a place to work, and I’ll manage a little retail shop, so they have a place to sell their creations.”
“That sounds really cool.” His smile seemed genuine.
I let out a little bit of the breath I’d been holding. Oliver’s acceptance put me at ease. Why had I been so nervous about his reaction? It’s not like what he thought would matter one way or another. I barely knew the man.
“Where did you get that idea?” He drained his coffee while he waited for me to answer.
“My grandmother and I used to talk about it.” Admitting it to him felt like pulling a bandage off of an old wound… a little bit freeing and a little bit painful at the same time.
“She must be really proud of you for making it happen.”
I nodded. “She is.” Or at least she would have been if she were still alive. That tidbit of info wasn’t ready to be shared. It was still too raw, too painful. I stood, pushing back from the table. “You ready to go? I have to get Macy’s car back to her.”
“Yeah.” He grabbed our empty cups and moved toward the exit. “How are you going to get back and forth to the warehouse without a car?”
“I’ll take the bus. It’s not bad.” I beeped the key fob. “I’ve got a lot of cleaning to do over the next few days. I might just set up an air mattress and sleep on the floor over there.”
“You’re welcome to crash at my place.”
My gaze shot to his face. He looked just as surprised as I was that those words had come out of his mouth. At the mere mention of sharing space with Oliver, my insides turned into a mix of ooey gooey mush.
“I just meant, you can use the bathroom or pass out on the couch if you get tired of the back and forth.” He shrugged as he reached to open my door for me. “Seeing as how we’re both black sheep and all.”
I brushed by him as I climbed into the driver’s seat. “Yeah, we’ll see.” Thankfully my voice came out steady and strong, not an accurate reflection of the mishmash of emotions ricocheting around inside.
Oliver walked around the back of the vehicle. I kept track of him in the rear-view mirror as he muttered to himself, probably already regretting the offer.
As he climbed in, I cranked the tunes. No need to talk about the sudden awkwardness between us. He didn’t say a word, just pulled his seatbelt across his middle and clicked it into place.
I turned the key and waited for the engine to catch. Nothing happened.
I glanced over at Oliver who had his eyes trained ahead and tried again.
Still nothing.
“Everything okay?” He turned to me, his gorgeous brown eyes full of question.
One more time ,I turned the key. A clicking noise started but the engine stayed silent. I reached out to dial down the volume on the radio. “I think we have a problem.”
CHAPTER 7
Oliver
By the time I got to class, the sweat had dried. I chose a seat in the back of the dark lecture hall, not wanting to expose anyone to the particular blend of grease and perspiration that coated my skin. That’s what diving under the hood of an SUV and hoofing it three miles back to campus could do to a guy. I hadn’t even had time to go back to my apartment and grab my laptop. Taking notes on my phone would have to do for today.
As my professor droned on about the law of supply and demand, I found myself tuning him out and tuning back in to my coffee date with Trinity. If it could be called a date. I had to give her credit for being brave enough to follow her dreams. Part of me wished I had the balls to turn my back on convention and cut my own path. But my future had been set in stone long before I was even born. The stones my family set literally lined the driveway of my home in Towley.
My thoughts drifted to my family. Dad would be checking on the flock right about now. Mom might have lamb stew bubbling on the stove and Isla would probably just be getting home from classes. For a moment my heart ached for the familiar.
But then my phone pinged. A text from Trinity popped onto my screen.
Trinity: Thanks for saving me twice today. Can I treat you to dinner Saturday night?
I wouldn’t mind spending a little more time with her. But Saturday night was a work night for me. What the hell. Wyatt had me on the late shift, so I was free until nine.
Me: As long as it’s an early night. I have to work at nine.
