Luke looked uncomfortable at being put on the spot. He held onto his pop can with both hands, elbows resting on his knees.
"Nope, sorry, I don't," he answered.
"What are you guys yattering about?" Olivia chimed in, "I have nothing to hide, you know that!"
The good-natured banter continued for a while until the group became distracted by another person's arrival. Olivia was glad that Luke had managed to hold up under the well-intentioned onslaught. He was quiet but didn't look too uncomfortable with her workmates.
That evening, Luke pulled up in front of her house. Turning off the ignition, he turned to her.
"Did you have a nice time?" he asked.
"Yes, I did. It was nice to have you in my world for a bit," she answered. "My work is important to me, and I'm glad you had an opportunity to meet my work friends."
"I'm glad you had a nice time," he said.
"Did you?" she asked.
"I always enjoy myself when I'm with you, you know that," he answered as he pulled her toward him.
"Do you now?" she asked playfully.
"I could give you some proof," he said, as he grabbed her hand and moved it toward his crotch. Laughing, she pulled her hand back, reminding him that her children were asleep in the house mere feet away from them.
"I'm not sure I want them looking out and seeing their mother in a car playing catch and grab with a man." she joked.
"Oh come, on," he moaned. "There's always some reason why it's not a good time."
"Not the right time, not the right place…." she droned as she reached over and opened the car door.
"Aaaargh!" he joked, as he leaned his head back on the headrest of his car.
Coming around to his side of the car, she stuck her head in the open window.
"You'll be just fine," she said. "You're a big boy - you can take it."
"Says who?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"Says me, that's who" she answered as she planted a kiss on his lips.
She was smiling as she put her key in the front door lock. It had been a lovely evening, and although Luke had not seemed overly comfortable at the barbeque, he had held up well, and there were no awkward moments. She ignored the unease she felt, the little voice inside her asking her if maybe it was a bit unusual to be worried that her date might make people uncomfortable because of his awkwardness. Was it normal to worry that your date might become defensive and uncomfortable in a typical social situation?
Chapter Twenty-Four
She
S he was looking forward to lunch with her friend today. It had been so long since she had spent any time with her and she was at a loss as to exactly how long it had been. She did know it had been way too long and, in some ways, she felt awkward and uncomfortable. She knew she had dropped the ball in their relationship, but she didn't want to let that stop her from seeing her and extending a hand of friendship.
She pulled up to the sushi restaurant on Hudson's at noon on the dot. She was lucky to find a parking spot, as the lunchtime rush was in full swing. She punched her license plate number into the parking machine, grabbed the receipt and headed toward the restaurant.
Despite the time that had gone by since they had last seen each other, it was like it had been only days. They were soon chattering away, laughing over sushi and a bottle of Malbec. During a lull in the conversation, her friend asked her the question she had been waiting for since lunch started.
"So, how is the hubby doing?" It was apparent that she was asking to be polite.
"He's just fine," she answered with the same small, tight smile in return. "He's keeping busy with work."
"Great," her friend responded. Taking a deep breath while patting her lips with her napkin, she went on, "Listen, I feel bad that we've just lost touch."
"I know, don't worry about it," she responded. "I know it was on me just as much as you, and I've missed you."
"I've missed you too," her friend responded. "That's why I called - I couldn't let any more time go by."
"I know I haven't made things easy," She continued. "I felt like I had to choose between my husband and my friends."
"Don't worry about it," she was reassured.
"No, I need to say this," she insisted. "I should never have treated you like that, and the fact that I felt the need to choose, should have warned me that something was definitely not kosher."
"Oh?" her friend responded quizzically.
"Yes. I should have protected all my relationships better," she said. "But I was so wrapped up in having found someone that I lost sight of how important all my relationships were."
She reached across and placed her hand over her friends. Her friend responded by placing her hand on top of hers.
"Thank you for saying that," her friend said. "Now, let's put that all behind us."
"Sounds like a great idea to me," she responded with a smile. "Let's see if this place has any decadent desserts!"
Chapter Twenty-Five
Olivia
O livia was tired after a long day of running against the clock, trying to meet the usual deadlines. She just wanted to soak in her hot bath, sip on a glass of wine, and let the tension leave her body. So many hours of being hunched over her keyboard had left a tight knot in her shoulders.
Luke had to work a bit later tonight than usual, so she was able to stay at her office and get some of the odds and ends tied up so she would be good to go tomorrow. Or at least until the next deadline, she chuckled to herself.
She had a quick sandwich, as she couldn't be bothered with making a proper meal, and anyway, the boys were at their Dad's house tonight. Something about an important baseball game on TV. Pouring her tub, she added some foaming bath oil to the water and swirled it with her hand. She took a sip from her wine and sighed deeply. Life was good. So good that some days she wanted to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming. Luke coming into her life had awakened a whole new side of herself that she had never experienced before. She felt beautiful and sexy for the first time in, well, forever. She looked forward to seeing him and realized she was looking hopefully into the future for the first time in years. Although she had always enjoyed her work, there was just no replacement for feeling loved.
Sliding her robe off her shoulders, letting it pool on the floor at her feet, she stepped into the hot bath. She sank deep into the water and let out a contented sigh. The warmth sunk into her body and seemed to go right to her bones. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the tub. The phone rang.
"Aaargh!" she exclaimed, as she reached for her cell phone that was sitting on the stand beside the tub. She never felt comfortable ignoring the phone when her kids weren't at home. You never knew when they will decide they need you and she wanted to be there for them.
"Yes?" she answered, not looking at the caller ID.
"Well, that didn't sound like a woman who appreciates a phone call," Luke responded with a chuckle.
"Oh, sorry hon," she said. "I thought maybe it was the boys, and I just settled into a hot bath."