Page 18 of Love in the Stacks
I growl. “No. No, not like Adam,” I say through my teeth. “Fine. I’ll go on the double date, if only so you will both stop badgering me!”
“Great.”
Molly glances between us and clears her throat. “By the way, Olivia. You’re heading into your last semester of college. Have you given any thought to your future?”
“Yes,” Olivia responds.
“You have?” Molly raises her eyebrows. “What are your plans?”
Olivia smiles sweetly. “Tonight, I plan to go on a double date.” She jumps up from the table. “And right now, I plan to take a shower.”
Molly rolls her eyes. “We’re not done talking about this!” she calls after a retreating Olivia.
Chapter ten
Nicole
Ihadn’t expected to be dating on this trip, so I did the best I could for my outfit with what I packed. I’m wearing dark wash jeans with a silver tank top under a red cardigan. Olivia scoffs when I come out to the living room in my outfit.
“You look like a librarian,” she says.
“I am a librarian,” I counter. “But what about this outfit says librarian?”
She appraises my clothes for a few minutes, then says, “The sweater.”
I sigh. “Well, it’s too cold to go without it, so you and what’s his name will have to deal.”
Of course, my outfit looks dowdy next to Olivia. Though the youngest, she’s the tallest of the three of us at five feet seven inches, most of that made up of her legs. Her body is athletic and muscular—the kind that looks amazing in any outfit. She’s wearing a black, sparkly romper with a deep V-neck, and a cropped denim jacket over top. Her long, platinum blonde hair is pulled sleekly into a high ponytail. Though she doesn’t often wear heavy makeup, I can tell she had fun with it tonight—her eyes have a shimmery red shadow around them, with lipstick to match. She’s the very definition of glam.
Olivia drives us in her jeep to meet the guys at the restaurant.
“What’s my date’s name again?” I ask.
“Dylan.”
I nod. “And your boyfriend is Brent?”
She laughs. “Brent is not my boyfriend. We’re just dating.”
Got it. “How long have you and Brent been dating?”
She shrugs. “Not very long. I don’t date during the season.” Olivia plays division one soccer at her university, and their season just ended a few weeks ago. She’s a dedicated and talented player —probably one of the only things she takes seriously in her life.
The restaurant is an upscale, trendy place in the heart of downtown Austin. They have valet parking, but between a college student and a librarian, we opt to find our own cheap street parking a block away and walk in.
“Have you been here before?” I ask as we approach the restaurant. The sign on the building reads, “Molecule & Morsel: House of Molecular Gastronomy.” My younger sister definitely tries to stay on trend, but still, this place doesn’t seem to be her style.
“No,” Olivia answers, looking warily at the sign. “Dylan picked it, I think.”
“Molecule,” I nudge. “Maybe you should have invited Molly instead.”
She cracks a smile as we pass through the front doors. I gaze around at the interior of the restaurant. Against the back wall is a sleek bar with garish gold accents. The walls are wallpapered with a green and white floral pattern, large enough to give the appearance of being inside a jungle. The tables have a simple, rectangular, single pedestal design with white marble tabletops. The chairs are bow back and made of metal painted bright turquoise. The lights are turned low with recessed can lights strategically placed as spotlights on the gold accenting.
We approach the host stand, but before the model-esque hostess can ask us pretentiously whether we have a reservation, we hear an authoritative voice call, “Delaney!”
Olivia lifts a hand in recognition, and we make our way toward our dates. When we reach the table, Brent stands, giving Olivia a kiss on each cheek before pulling out a chair for her. He is tall—well over six feet—with raven hair, beige skin, and eyes so dark, that in the dim lighting of the restaurant, they look almost black. He’s wearing a tailored suit and looks so much like one of those suave city businessmen you see in Hallmark movies that I have to wonder where my baby sister met him. At school? Seems unlikely.
The other man, who I assume is Brent’s cousin and my date, Dylan, stays leaned back in his chair at the table, making no efforts to hide his leering gaze on Olivia’s legs and chest.
