I experienced a moment of panic when I looked at my decidedly casual reflection in the full-length mirror before remembering that I’d already told Ollie I’m a pretty low-key girl. His response was that he adored low maintenance. I could have been offended by that, but it had been paired with an assurance that low maintenance was almost always coupled with inner beauty, so I’d let it go. After all, if he didn’t like what he saw, I could always have Jared kick his ass.
I smoothed on the pale lip gloss and examined my brown eyes in the mirror before trying to decide what I was going to do with my hair. People always think curly hair is great. Having it is like being in a love/hate relationship. I have to keep it long because cutting it results in a horrible Little Orphan Annie imitation, but long hair is a pain in the ass. It takes forever to blow dry and even longer if I try to straighten it. So I usually opt for the strangling-it-with-a-towel-until-it-dries-and-then-trapping-it-in-a-ponytail method, but I didn’t want to meet Ollie for the first time sporting a straggly ponytail.
Experimenting with a few options, I finally swirled it around a bit and pinned it up by stretching a clip to the max and anchoring it at the back of my head. If that clip gave up at any point during our date and flew off, I was likely to kill somebody. Nobody said looking good didn’t come at a price.
* * *
I drove to the cafe, parking down the street near Jared’s gym. I entered the café door about forty-five minutes too early and got in line to order. It isn’t really a café; it’s actually a chain of restaurants that masquerade as a café. They serve everything from pastries guaranteed to add thirty pounds per bite to your butt, to sandwiches promising no trans fat and very few calories but containing five different types of cheese. Go figure.
My favorite morning drink is Chai tea. I don’t do coffee. The caffeine does funny things to me, like switching my sleep cycles and turning me into a raving lunatic. So I stuck with tea that morning. There was no sense showing Ollie my psycho side until we were better acquainted.
The café is situated into a couple of different sections, some filled with tables and booths like a regular restaurant and some dotted with cozy conversation areas like a Midwestern version of Starbucks. The vaulted ceilings keep things from feeling claustrophobic and there are plenty of windows. It’s a comfortable atmosphere, and as I scouted for the perfect place to meet Ollie for the very first time I decided I was glad I’d suggested it.
One table appealed to me almost immediately. It was sandwiched between the restaurant section and a clump of overstuffed chairs in the conversation area. There was a small partial wall to one side and a good view of the entire café. Tea in hand, I staked my claim on the table and put my back to the wall.
I’d taken my very first soothing sip of Black Chai tea when I saw Jared.
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed him right away to begin with. If I hadn’t been obsessed with finding the perfect table I probably would have. He had stationed himself in an armchair near the windows with a view of the room and the parking lot. Morning paper in one hand, he had a thick mug of black coffee in the other. I knew it was black coffee because he can’t stand any of what he calls emasculating coffee substitutes.
It was hard to say what made me more agitated, being nervous about meeting Ollie or being disgusted that Jared’s presence gave me a decided boost in the confidence department. I decided that it was both. Hating how nervous and fidgety I felt, I pressed the cool palms of both hands against the flaming warmth of my cheeks and tried to breathe deeply.
My phone trilled.
Digging frantically through my favorite Lucky brand chocolate chip hobo bag, I finally found my trusty iPhone only to realize that it was a text from Jared.
There was one word on the screen. Relax.
I glanced up from the phone, our eyes meeting across the room. I wished I could be relaxed or at least look relaxed. Jared looked perfect, but he always did.
He’d come directly from work and still wore his slick black athletic pants and simple Addidas running shoes. A black and white Tapout T-shirt completed what Anna and I always referred to as his official uniform. If only the rest of the normal populace could look so perfect in their uniforms. My description didn’t do justice to the way Jared’s chest and arms filled out the cotton of his T-shirt, or the way his casually crossed legs drew the fabric of his pants just tight enough to show that a master sculptor couldn’t have done a better job on the musculature of his legs.
He’d showered before heading down to the café. His wavy blonde hair was still damp and just a tinge darker than usual, curling a bit around his forehead and ears. I’d have bet he smelled like a breath of fresh air. A smile kicked up the corner of his mouth, as if we were sharing a joke.
I idly touched my phone, pulling up a text box without putting much thought into it. Keying in the first thing that came to mind, I ended up with, “Don’t you have anywhere better to be in the morning?”
I adore texting for the same reasons I liked getting to know Ollie via chatting first. You take all of the complicated stuff out of the conversation equation. No body language, no trying to decipher tone, it’s just words and innuendo.
I could tell the exact moment Jared got my text. He set the paper aside and carefully placed his coffee atop the pile of newsprint before pulling his own iPhone from his pocket.
The slight tilt at the corners of his mouth developed into a full-fledged smile when he read my message. About a minute later I got a response. “No better place for a knight in shining armor to be when he’s on call.”
I chuckled. “Knight is too refined, how about caveman?”
“Still in the right place,” he replied. “Can’t let some other guy whack you over the head with his club and steal you.” He raised his eyes to mine and lifted his eyebrows up and down, a goofy gesture he knew was guaranteed to make me laugh.
A muffled gasp somewhere to my left drew my attention. Two women in their mid to late thirties sat with their heads together in deep conversation. I could just glimpse a baby napping in the stroller between us and a toddler scribbling happily on a coloring book beside them. Every few seconds one of them would shoot a secretive glance in Jared’s direction. I didn’t have to be a psychologist to see what was going on.
“You’ve got admirers,” I texted Jared.
His head came up, doing a quick scan of the room. His posture drew his T-shirt even tighter across his chest and the body piercing on the left side of his chest was clearly defined. There’s something about that tiny detail that makes a girl swoon. We all like a guy whose casual exterior hides a wild alpha male. I hid a smile as the whispering beside me grew less discreet.
“Did you see that?” the one closest to me demanded. “He’s totally checking you out. You should walk by or something.”
“I told you I’m sort of seeing someone,” the other woman said, distracted.
“A guy that gorgeous is worth a second look no matter what else you have going on.”
The single one seemed to consider her friend’s words. “You’re probably right. Maybe I should drop something right beside him.”
“How about falling in his lap? Look at those arms!”
“Mom and kids with single friend preparing to assault you,” I warned Jared.
His head swiveled around just in time to catch them staring at him. His features clouded briefly before his eyes dropped back to his phone.
“Did I just make contact?” he wanted to know.
I didn’t answer him. I didn’t have to. At that moment the single portion of the Mom squad jumped up from her seat and walked toward the napkin dispenser half a dozen steps from Jared’s right side as if she had a major napkin emergency.
Grabbing a wad of the brown napkins made from recycled paper, she turned and promptly dumped them in Jared’s lap. Ever the gentleman, he refrained from leaping to his feet in mingled shock and horror. I didn’t even bother to suppress my reaction. I laughed out loud.
“Wow, that laugh is even more amazing in person than on the phone.”
I whipped around, dropping my phone and nearly falling out of my chair. Standing before me at every inch of six feet and a bit more was Ollie. I recognized him instantly from his pictures on Facebook.
A big, bear of a man dressed in khakis and a green-and-white striped polo shirt, his broad shoulders gave way to a bit of a belly which I found charming. His features were simple. A set of dancing green eyes beneath dark brows, a slight crook in a nose that had probably been broken once or twice making some kind of mischief, a full mouth and a dusting of dark facial hair on his stubborn chin. His hair was brown, though bleached lighter from the sun and thinning on top. Ollie wasn’t drop dead gorgeous, but he looked just about perfect to me.
I got to my feet slowly, very aware that I was about to be struck by one of my shy fits that oftentimes leave me awkward and tongue-tied. “Hi,” I managed to say.
A knowing smile lit his face and he put out a hand. I took it willingly, liking the way his big, warm hand wrapped all around my much smaller one. “It’s really great to meet you, Megan Myers. My name is Elliot Oliver, but you can call me Ollie.”
Still unbearably nervous, I gestured to the table. “Want to sit down?”
Nodding, he stooped to retrieve the phone I’d dropped. I froze, realizing that the first thing he was going to see was my conversation with Jared right there on the little touchscreen.
Time slowed as Ollie glanced at the phone. I saw the surprise register on his face before he relaxed and cast a probing look around the room. My teeth settled on my lower lip as his gaze connected with a now disentangled Jared across the room. A millisecond passed before I watched Jared give a barely perceptible nod and return to his perusal of the morning paper.
Ollie sat and handed me the phone. I managed to meet his eyes, figuring the next thing out of his mouth would be something along the lines of goodbye. But he surprised me with a warm smile.
“Smart people always insist on the buddy system. Your brother?”
“No, just a good friend.”
Something strange and fleeting touched his eyes so quickly I couldn’t be sure I’d seen it. Then his expression softened. “Even better.”
“Then you aren’t mad?”
He chuckled. “Of course not. I don’t know you half as well as he probably does, and I know you’re pretty special. I’m glad there are other people out there trying to keep you safe too.”
Right there and then my heart melted into a puddle. Anna had been right to be worried about me. I was so far gone I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to crawl back out again.
“You’re too perfect,” I said, blurting out the first thing that came to mind again. “There has to be something wrong with you.”
His eyes crinkled when he smiled. “Let’s see, I do have a tendency to forget to pick up my shoes. I’m in the habit of leaving a pair at every exit. I’ve been told that drives women crazy.”
I laughed, feeling more at ease with each passing second.
“Oh, and sometimes I ask too many questions.”
“And?”
“I snore?”
“Anything else I should know?”
His face sobered just a bit. “I’m a little too attached to someone I’ve only just met.”
And so was I.
Chapter Three
“So.” Ollie stirred the whipped cream on his third Mocha Latte. “Do you usually meet your dates on Facebook?”
My cheeks flamed red hot. I had sort of avoided this topic during our chats. That’s one of the reasons I like chatting so much. Avoiding any topic is simple. You just change the subject.
“C’mon Megan.” His warm baritone sent a ripple of chills down my spine. “I’m just trying to convince myself you’re not too good to be true.”
“Like I haven’t worried about that a million times since we first chatted.”
“So is this your first time?”
I wondered at his choice of words. My first time. It was my first time for so many things I was losing track. “Have I ever had coffee with a guy I met on the Internet? Is that your question?”
He chuckled and nodded before taking a swig of his latte.
“Yes. I’m an Internet dating virgin.”
Ollie laughed. “Good, because so am I.”
“Would you tell me if you weren’t?”
His expression shifted subtly. I wondered if I’d stepped too far. But it was a valid question. Someone who was trying to lie about what they were wouldn’t come right out and say it.
“I’m not sure if I would or not.” Ollie’s green eyes met and held mine. “But when I signed up for the Facebook account it was to keep in touch with my family. I never expected to meet someone like you. So even if I was a serial Internet dater, I’m not sure it would matter.”
“So you want to meet me again,” I teased, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.
Ollie reached across the table and took my right hand. Turning it over, he traced a tiny circle with one fingertip on my palm. The gentle touch made my heart race. How was it possible to be so thoroughly infatuated with someone you barely knew? My brain kept telling me it was ridiculous, and my heart kept insisting it was fate.
He glanced down at his watch. “It’s nearly noon.”
“I was avoiding the time.”
“I’m going to have to get back to work.”
“Why do you always have to be the responsible one?”
He cupped both large, warm hands around my much smaller one and brought them to his lips. “I’m not that noble, trust me. I’d rather spend the rest of the day sitting here with you. This has been more fun than I ever thought it would be.”
“I know what you mean.” I fought back a huge, goofy grin. “I’m not sure chatting is quite going to cut it anymore.”
“True enough.”
Ollie stood up, tugging me up with him. Across the room I could feel Jared’s eyes come up from his newspaper. My heart thumped erratically as I wondered if Ollie was going to try to kiss me. The idea was both thrilling and terrifying. I wanted him to. I wanted to find out if it felt as good as I imagined it would. But Jared was there, watching. And though I didn’t understand why, deep down inside something about that felt very wrong.
“Did you park outside?” Ollie asked, turning toward the door.
“A few blocks away.”
“I’m right outside. Will you walk with me to my car?”
It was unseasonably warm and sunny outside. I was glad. There’s nothing like Missouri’s nasty weather to make an outdoor moment memorable for all the wrong reasons.
“So what kind of car do you drive?” I asked, glad that he’d chosen to keep hold of my hand.
“Guess.”
I glanced around the parking lot. My eyes briefly touched over Jared’s sporty blue two door Mazda RX-8 and looked deliberately away. Ollie didn’t strike me as that type of guy at all. That was one of the best things about him. He was unassuming. I figured his car to be that way too.
“How about that one?” I pointed to a nondescript four door sedan.
“Wow, am I that boring?”
Feeling silly, I chuckled. “No, not boring. Just not obsessed with what people think about your ride.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I get one more try.”
“Anything for you, baby.”
My cheeks warmed and I looked at the ground to hide my embarrassment. How ridiculous was it to long for some strange sort of affirmation from this man I barely knew?
“We’re getting warmer.”
I spotted a blue Dodge SUV parked between two minivans. “I’m going to guess the SUV because I’m hoping you’re not a minivan guy.”
“Why’s that?”
“C’mon, a single guy driving a minivan?” I lifted an eyebrow. “That reeks of serial killer.”
“You got me.”
“The SUV or the serial killer?”
“Defin
itely the SUV.”
“You have a boat, right?”
He used the remote to unlock the vehicle and nodded. “That’s right. It’s nothing fancy, just a fishing boat. I spend more time lounging around than fishing.”
“So that’s why you’re still single,” I teased.
Ollie tossed his keys into the car and turned, bracketing my waist with his big hands. He leaned back against the vehicle’s seat and I found myself standing between his legs. The position made me feel tiny and protected but it was oddly erotic as well.
My pulse quickened. Was he going to kiss me? Should I let him? Why did all of this have to be so complicated? I was no good at this sort of thing.
“I had a wonderful time, baby,” Ollie murmured.
“So did I.”
Something colorful on his back seat caught my eye. My heart skipped two beats before resuming its erratic beating. Barbies. There were four Barbie dolls on his backseat in various stages of undress.
I pulled away from Ollie, trying to get a better look. I’d never thought to ask him about kids. What if he had them? Was I ready for that kind of thing?
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
I tried to modulate my voice. I didn’t want him to think I was accusing him of anything. “Ollie there are half-naked Barbies in your back seat.”
His green eyes shifted, dropping down and to the left. “I sometimes pick up my nieces from dance lessons to help out my sister-in-law. They leave all kinds of crap in my truck.”
My tension deflated like a balloon. “Oh.”
Mr. Wonderful Lies Page 3
