by Laura Burton
“I’ll wait out here,” he mocked in a murmur. This was entirely her fault. Okay, not entirely. But every time they interacted, he was doomed to get covered in something messy.
Chapter 6
Poor Kayson. Olive couldn’t help snickering as he passed her. She hadn’t meant to startle him, but the whole situation was humorous. He was too serious. People like Kayson drove themselves crazy if they couldn’t lighten up.
She rubbed her hands together. Maybe she would stick around long enough to help him see how important it was to enjoy life. She could change her mind and stay in California. Then again, teaching someone the value of laughter was less important than getting her own life on track. That meant making the move.
Kayson returned quicker than she expected. His hair was wet and freshly combed.
“Did you shower?” she asked, incredulous.
He ran a hand though his damp hair. “Yeah, why?”
“Are you Superman or something?”
He scrunched his face and narrowed his eyes at her. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve never seen anyone shower that fast. You must be some kind of superhuman.” She waved her hand across the space between them. “Faster than a speeding bullet.” Her voice held mild awe. Then she broke into a smile.
Kayson rolled his eyes. “I don’t have the luxury of long showers.”
Olive put her hands on her hips. “Everyone has time for luxury. We just need to take it.”
Kayson snorted. “We can’t all flit around like a little humming bird doing whatever we want.”
Her eyes widened, and she threw her hand over her heart. “Ouch, that one stung a little.”
He grimaced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound that way. I’m sure—”
“I’ll have you know I work at the top PR firm in the valley. My clients may or may not work at a certain studio a few hours away.”
Kayson’s eyes practically bulged from the sockets. “You… wow. That’s… impressive.”
He didn’t believe her. She folded her arms. “You want proof?”
He raised his brows. “I didn’t say I didn’t believe you—”
Olive fluttered her hand and smiled. “It doesn’t matter. I get that a lot, actually.”
He wandered to the couch and sat beside her. She crooked a brow but didn’t say anything. The textbook on the coffee table lay open, and he motioned to it. “So how are you going to help me that I haven’t already done?”
“Simple. Accountability.”
Kayson picked up the book. “I fail to see how that will do any good. I already feel the urgency to pass this test. Being accountable to someone I don’t know isn’t going to change things. I don’t even know your name.”
“Sure you do.” Olive chuckled. “I told you.”
Kayson shook his head. “No, you haven’t.”
“I’m sure I have.”
“Nope. I only know your last name from the apartment directory.”
Olive grinned. He’d tried to figure it out.
“Are you going to tell me or not?”
“You’ll have to earn it.” Olive snatched the book from his lap and flipped it open to a random page. “From what I remember, this test has four categories. We’ll start with the first one and go from there. The test is multiple choice, so if you get an answer right, you won’t have an issue with that topic. If you get it wrong, I will give you a couple options, and you can make an educated guess.”
She found a comfortable topic and started spouting off questions. Over the next three hours, she drilled him on proper practices. He was quick to answer every question. He only got a handful of the questions wrong and swiftly corrected his answers.
Olive slapped the book closed and placed it on the table. “I don’t know what you’re worried about. It looks like you have everything figured out. What’s the issue?”
Kayson folded his legs beneath him on the couch. “Just because I know the questions you asked tonight doesn’t mean I’ll know the ones on the test.”
She chuckled. “I pretty much asked every type of question there was. If you think you’re going to fail this test, you might have something else wrong with you.”
“Like what? A healthy need to be prepared?”
Olive twisted around and laid her head in his lap. His arms shot up so they hovered at his sides.
“More like you need to learn how to chill out.” She held up her hand and studied her fingernails. “This test of yours is in a few days, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I suggest you spend them taking a break. Give your brain some rest.”
“That would be a very bad idea.” He stared down at her, his features pinched.
Olive dropped her hand and met his eyes. “On the contrary, it would be a fantastic idea. You have so much going through that head of yours you aren’t leaving room for calm.” She poked his forehead with her finger. “Do your brain a favor, Kayson. Let it go on vacation.”
“I’d rather not.” Kayson remained stiff as he leaned over her. “Are you going to get off me?”
“Oh, yeah, of course.” She shot up too fast, and their heads collided. “Oof.” She pressed her hand to her forehead and squinted at him. “Sorry about that.”
He touched his lip and sucked in a breath. Olive scooted away from him and sat up. She took a closer look and winced. “You’re bleeding.”
“I’m what?” Kayson brushed his lip again and pulled his hand away. A smear of red stained his fingertips.
“I’ll get some ice.” Olive hopped off the couch and ran from the room. One more tally on the incident sheet. She skidded to a stop in front of the freezer, shoved her hands into the ice maker, and grabbed a handful of ice. She dropped it on the counter and yanked open the drawer with the hand towels. Make-shift ice pack in hand, she hurried back to the living room. Without asking, she sat beside him and pressed the compress to his swollen lip.
He winced.
“I’m so sorry.”
Kayson muttered something from under the ice pack she held to his face.
Olive pulled it away, her eyes wide and a blush warming her cheeks. “What?”
“You say that a lot.”
The rush of heat increased. She put the cool cloth to his lip again. “I don’t know why I’ve been so unlucky lately. Normally things like this don’t happen.” She met his eyes. They were a lot closer than they had been all night. He hadn’t taken the rag from her hand yet, and if she removed the compress, they’d be close enough she could lean in for a kiss.
Kayson’s brown locks fell onto his forehead, his chestnut eyes bright as he focused on her. What was he thinking? Could it be the same thing? What would it feel like to press her lips to his?
Olive dropped the ice pack and scooted away. The rag opened, spilling ice all over the floor. She dropped to her knees, gathered the ice, and put it back on the rag. She folded it up and handed it to him this time.
“I’ve done enough damage tonight. Think about what I said.” She hopped over the coffee table and scrambled toward the door. She opened it, paused, and tossed him a look. “I mean it. You are more than ready for that test. Take it easy.”
In the hall, she willed her heart to stop fluttering. That had taken an unexpected turn. Falling for a guy right now was the last thing she wanted to do. She finally had a plan, and she wanted to stick to it. Developing feelings for a guy like Kayson would only complicate things.
Besides, she’d never been the type to go from zero to a hundred miles an hour. Not once in her life had the instinct to kiss a guy she barely knew accosted her. This whole thing was absolutely crazy. She needed to get out of here, and soon.
Chapter 7
Speechless, Kayson watched Greene disappear. She’d left his apartment as though her clothes were on fire. Was it something he had done? Had the smolder he was feeling been so obvious on his face?
He scrubbed his hand down his face, wincing as his hand dragged across
his fat lip. He stuck out his tongue, tasting the metallic wound. All this and he still didn’t know her name. Irritation at not knowing what to call her ate at him, especially after they’d spent the evening together.
To her credit, Greene was right. She was a great study partner. He couldn’t recall one moment when she got off task. He even felt more prepared for his exam. Whether it was her attitude or the common-sense way she conducted their little study group, he didn’t care. Feeling a little more at ease was worth the fat lip.
He had two more days to prepare, and he didn’t need to cram anymore. Maybe Greene’s idea wasn’t so bad after all. He could take the next couple days off and go to the testing center with fresh eyes.
The problem with that idea was he’d taken the rest of the week off from work. What would he do with himself? It wasn’t in him to spend entire days doing nothing. Staying busy kept him sane.
Thumping sounds came from the apartment upstairs, but instead of making him twitchy, they provoked a smile. Pain ripped through his lip, and he jammed the ice pack against his face.
What were the odds that Greene might play hooky with him tomorrow? Based on her job, not likely. He was still floored she had such a prestigious career. First impressions meant nothing when it came to Greene.
Kayson’s alarm buzzed, pulling him from a dreamless sleep. He sat up in bed and blinked sleep from his eyes. Cocking his head to the side, he glanced at the ceiling. No sounds reached him from above. Good, she wasn’t up yet.
He tossed the blanket from his legs and hopped out of bed. Careful to avoid stubbing his toe on the stacks of books that edged his room, he grabbed a pair of ratty jeans and tugged on a t-shirt.
It was a long shot, but maybe he could visit Greene before she left for work and brainstorm some ideas on how to spend his day. It had been years since he’d had some real fun, and he was ashamed to admit he didn’t know how to spend his time. Greene would know. Something deep inside told him so.
A slight thrill ran up his spine as he grabbed his keys and left the apartment. He couldn’t wait to see her.
Wait, what? He stopped in the middle of the hall. That crazy girl from upstairs had weaseled herself into his good graces. How she had done it in such a short amount of time baffled him.
He checked his emotions. He wasn’t in love. No, that would be crazy. But he wanted to see her again. He wanted to get to know her a little better.
Gingerly, he permitted himself a small smile. What a weird turn of events. Kayson pushed the button on the elevator. What was taking it so long? Greene could be heading out the door. He needed to get to her apartment before she left. Even if he only talked to her for a few minutes, it would start the day on a bright note.
When he reached her door, he hesitated. If she wasn’t up yet, he didn’t want to wake her. He could sit outside her apartment until she left. And if she didn’t head out in the next thirty minutes, he could assume she was already gone.
Kayson leaned against the brick wall opposite her door and slid down to sit on the floor. He bent one knee up and let the other leg lay straight. The hall was quiet. Either everyone was still asleep, or they’d left for the day. He tapped his fingers on his leg. Sitting in the hall like this made him look like some insane stalker.
Getting to his feet, he shook his head. What was he doing? This was nuts. He didn’t know her, and she didn’t know him. She’d run away last night. She probably didn’t want to see him again.
The knob on the door in front of him squeaked. The door swung open, and there she stood. Her long golden hair hung over her shoulder, and her bright eyes registered shock.
“Kayson? What are you doing here?” She stepped into the hall and turned to shut her door.
Kayson leaned against the wall. “I had a thought after you left last night.”
Greene glanced over her shoulder. “Oh?” She faced him, curling her fingers around the strap of the purse that hung from her shoulder.
“You said I needed to give my brain a break.”
“Yeah?”
“I had already taken the rest of the week off work so I could study.”
Greene made a face. “Not what I meant.”
He held up his hands. “I know. The thing is…” He rubbed the back of his neck and bit back a sheepish grin. “I need some ideas for what I can do today.”
Her brows lifted, and she beamed. “Now that’s more like it. Okay, first you have to go to Danny’s on Fifth street. Their cronuts are to die for. Then you have to go to the park on Jefferson. It has a little canal where the ducks go, and you can feed them—but don’t feed them bread, it’s not good for them. Then—”
Kayson held up his hand to stop her. “What in the world is a cronut?”
Greene gasped. “You’ve never had a cronut? I don’t believe it. Where have you been living? Under a rock?” Her right cheek dimpled.
How had he not noticed that dimple the other day? It was adorable.
“…it’s basically what would happen if a donut married a croissant. You seriously haven’t heard of them before?”
His gaze drifted back to meet her eyes. Shaking his head, he smiled back. “You know, you could take the day off and come with me…”
Her mouth dropped open. “Why, Kayson, are you asking me to play hooky?” If possible, her smile grew larger. “Straight-laced, nerdy Kayson wants little ol’ me to come out and play.”
Kayson scoffed. “I’m not a nerd.”
She shrugged. “I beg to differ. The stacks of books around your place prove my point.”
Okay, yeah, she was right. Kayson had always preferred studying to goofing off. But he enjoyed it. If that made him a nerd, so be it. “So, what do you say? Are you gonna call in sick?”
Greene smirked at him. “Of course I’m coming. I could use a day off too.” She pulled out her phone and held up a finger. When she was done with her phone call, she met his gaze. “Where’s your phone?”
“Why?” Kayson reached into his back pocket, retrieved his device, and handed it over to her. She turned it off. Next, she turned off her own. Dropping both phones into her purse, she grinned at him.
“The only rule today is no distractions.” She motioned down the hall. “Shall we?”
“Not yet.” Kayson stepped in front of her before she could move.
Her eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
“Between the leaky ceiling, bubble fiasco, spilled soda, and fat lip, I think I more than deserve to know your first name.”
She threw back her head and laughed. “You’re probably right.” She held out her hand. “I’m Olive.”
Olive Greene. He smirked. “How bad were you teased about that as a kid?”
“You don’t know the half of it. My brothers had it worse.”
“Really? Do I even want to know?”
“Their names are Hunter and Forest.”
Kayson joined in with her laughter. “You’re right. I’m sure they had it a lot worse than you did.”
Chapter 8
Olive nibbled her cronut as she sat on the park bench with Kayson. He was loosening up. Leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees, he observed people come and go. He was a people watcher too.
She studied him closer than she’d been able to before. His angular jaw gave him an appearance of strength. Though he lacked the bulky muscles of a body builder, his arms and torso were firm, and she imagined what it would be like to be wrapped within them. Her eyes trailed down to his hands. They were lean and slender, the hands of a surgeon.
Kayson moved. Olive shifted her gaze to his face and jumped when she found him staring at her. His lips twitched at the corners. He straightened and leaned back against the bench, folding his arms, his eyes never leaving her.
Olive cleared her throat. “So what do you think?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Kayson grinned at her.
Heat seared her face, and she took another bite of her treat. “About the cronut.”
His chin li
fted. “Ah. That. It was very good. You made a great recommendation.”
Olive shoved the rest of her cronut into her mouth and brushed her hands together to rid them of crumbs. “You ready for the next thing?”
Kayson made a show of settling on the bench. “Not quite. I’d like to sit here for a little longer.”
Olive fiddled with her hands. The longer they stayed, the more likely she’d be caught staring again. Well, that was the price for tagging along on his adventure. She leaned back and brought her legs up, sitting cross-legged. “Okay.”
Kayson continued to observe the passing people. A soft smile touched his lips, but he said nothing. What was he thinking? She liked to people watch as much as the next person, but it was killing her not knowing what was going through his head. It didn’t make sense. Normally, she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. With Kayson, she wished he’d share more.
“I have a question.”
Kayson glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Yeah?”
“Why did you go into healthcare?”
He shrugged. “I guess because my mom was a nurse. I always thought she was a superhero. Every day, she came home tired but happy. Sometimes she’d tell me who she helped. Other times, she’d be really quiet. I knew those times were hard for her, but she kept going despite the hard stuff.”
A tingle of awe shot through Olive. It was admirable that he worked in the medical field, but to do it because he considered his mom a hero? That was amazing. It made him even more attractive.
“I assume that’s why you decided to become a nurse instead of a surgeon?”
Kayson stilled. “I’m a people person. I didn’t want to spend my time cutting into my patients. I wanted to get to know them and be there for them when they needed me. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital?”
She shook her head.
“The nurse is the one who checks on you, gets you things you need, and takes your vitals. But they do so much more than that. I’ve seen nurses sit with a child because the parents had to leave to take a break. I’ve seen nurses run through an entire hospital on their break to find a bag of chips a breastfeeding mother was craving. Between all the paperwork and keeping everything organized and moving, hospital departments would be lost without them. They are the front line.”
