Page 112 of See You Maybe
“What scent is that? Sorry,” she gave a rueful smile. “I noticed it in New York. Occupational hazard. I’m always looking for new scents for my natural skin care products, and you smell delicious.” Her nose scrunched. “Is it rose?”
“Thank you. It's rose based, but it’s definitely not all natural. I have no idea what they put in the perfume.”
“What’s the name? If I had a bottle, I might be able to identify more of the notes,” Cara said, her face serious.
“I order it online,” Olivia explained. “It’s French—Wild White Rose.”
Cara gaped at Olivia making her uncomfortable.
“You still with us, Cara?” Dahlia asked.
Cara shook her head slowly, her lips slightly parted. “What? Yeah, I just… remembered something.”
Olivia grabbed her chance to leave. “It was nice to see you ladies again.”
She was almost at the door when Cara called her name. “You just met Declan, right?” Something in Cara’s tone made Olivia's steps falter.
“Uh, huh.” She gave a wave over her shoulder and escaped out into the cold. Olivia couldn’t shake the look on the young woman’s face as she drove to the office. Cara had stared at her like Olivia was the answer to a riddle she’d been struggling to solve.
Olivia glanced out her office window at the darkening sky and decided to leave work early. She’d wrangled an invitation to an event where she planned on speaking with several state senators about potential tax credits if Armstrong were to expand into manufacturing. As she crossed the lobby, Declan pushed the glass doors open letting the bitter wind blow in with him.
“You're back.” Olivia ignored how her heart leapt at the sight of him. It definitely didn’t mean she had missed him the last few days. Declan’s tan cheeks were pinked with cold. “Looks like the temperature dropped out there,” she added lamely.
With Declan out of town, they still hadn’t talked about what happened at Inferno. Had too much time passed? Had they missed their moment again?
Declan’s eyes skated over her face, his expression focused, as if soaking her in—as if he’d missed her too. “It’s freezing.”
They stood staring at each other in silence, the air pulsing with the electric current that always existed between them.
Declan cleared his throat. “Are you leaving for the day?”
“I’m going to corner some politicians at a fundraising event.” She gave him a half-smile.
He squinted at her. “Okay?”
“Tax credits.”
Understanding crossed his face, his features easing. “Ah.”
They only stood a few feet apart, but the gap between them seemed so much more impossible to cross than just a few short steps.
“I should get going before traffic becomes a nightmare,” she finally said, breaking the spell they both were under. “Do you have plans?”
Why are you asking that? He’s going to think you are fishing for information about Fiona?
It was the truth.
“I have dinner with my family.”
Relief washed over her.
“I ran into your sisters this morning.”
Declan briefly closed his eyes. “They tried to interrogate you, didn't they?”
“Only a little.” Olivia held her thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “They were very nice. Curious about what working with you is like. Cara mentioned how happy she is that you're in town.”
Declan’s whole body exhaled an irritated sigh. “She wants to house hunt.”