Falling for You: Clean Contemporary Romance (A Pine Ridge Romance Book 3)

by Holly Stevenson

  I don’t normally sneak behind my friends’ backs, but this is a cause I fully support. Your feelings for her are obvious, and I’m fairly certain of hers. I think you’ve got a chance.

  He gaped at her, completely dumfounded. She knew? And just how obvious was it? Did anyone else suspect his feelings for Olivia?

  She grinned at his expression and typed another text. Don’t look so surprised. Matchmaking is what I do. I want to see my friend happy, and blondie here isn’t the guy to accomplish that.

  The sound of pins knocking over caught his attention and he looked up to see Trent get another strike.

  “Whew! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” he yelled, pointing at Olivia. “That was for you, babe.”

  Savannah turned and rolled her eyes at Nolan. “Case in point.”

  He fought a smile, his chest lifting with a ray of hope he scarcely dared feel as he typed a reply.

  Do you really think I have a chance with her?

  Savannah waited until Olivia stood to bowl before reading the text. Nolan wanted to see her reaction, but he was too absorbed in watching Olivia as she bent to pick up her ball, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she straightened. Her eyes caught hold of his before she quickly looked away. Nolan’s pulse pounded in his ears. Was it possible she might really be interested in him? Because if it was, he was willing to play dirty to win her over.

  His phone dinged and he bent to read Savannah’s message.

  Oh yeah . . . I’d say you definitely have a chance.

  Chapter 11

  “Order number nineteen,” the cashier called.

  “That’s us. I’ve got it.”

  Olivia watched Nolan hop up from his chair to go get the milkshakes he and Savannah had ordered. His athletic frame moved so effortlessly and there was something about him that mesmerized her. Okay—everything about him mesmerized her. The way he moved, the way he smelled, the slight curve of his mouth when he smiled. She was completely obsessing, and it needed to stop.

  He and Savannah were hitting it off and had been exchanging friendly banter all evening. She’d even caught them texting each other and sharing secretive smiles, and it gutted her. But Savannah deserved to be happy, and there was no way Olivia would deprive her friend of that.

  As soon as Nolan was out of earshot, Leah leaned forward from her place at the large table they all shared. “Okay, Savannah—what in the world? How have I not heard about Nolan yet?” she asked, barely containing a squeal.

  Everyone else at the table leaned into the conversation, except Trent, who was busy checking his phone again. Olivia strained to hear Savannah’s response.

  Savannah rolled her eyes. “You haven’t heard about it, because there isn’t anything to tell.”

  “Uh huh,” Piper leaned her chin on her fist, “but feelings can change. He’s a great guy—not to mention an impressive bowler.” She waggled her eyebrows.

  Everyone laughed and Olivia forced herself to join in. Nolan had come away with the highest score of the night, with Trent in second place. The competition between them had grown intense, and Trent had brooded ever since he lost. Olivia had come in dead last, but she’d only gotten three gutter balls, so at least she’d improved.

  “He is pretty great,” Savannah admitted, her eyes flicking to Olivia before she turned to the others, shaking her head. “But if you guys are going to act like this every time I bring a date, I’m going to stop coming to these group things,” she teased, glancing to the order counter. “He’ll be back any second.”

  Olivia’s stomach dropped as she followed Savannah’s gaze to where Nolan stood. This was too painful. She looked away, thinking of a reason to leave early.

  “Fine, but if there ends up being something to tell, I want the details as soon as possible,” Leah said, pointing a finger at her.

  “Yeah, me too,” Connor added. “It’s good to see my brother so happy.”

  Jade nodded in agreement.

  “Yes, just promise you’ll give it a chance,” Piper joined in.

  Olivia felt like she should say something, but she couldn’t think of anything, so she simply nodded along with Jade.

  Drew caught her eye, frowning in concern. “Are you feeling alright, Liv?”

  “Me?” She shifted. Leave it to her protective older brother to sense something was off.

  “Yeah. You look a little pale.”

  Trent glanced up from his phone. “Want me to get you some water?”

  She cleared her throat. This was exactly the excuse she needed. “I’ll be fine. But I do have a bit of a headache. Maybe we can get our orders to go?” she asked Trent.

  “Don’t leave,” Savannah insisted, reaching into her purse. “I’ve got some medicine that will have you feeling better in no time.”

  Olivia gave her a flat look. “Thanks, but I really—”

  “Here it is!” Savannah interrupted, holding up a bottle of ibuprofen. “Take two of these and you’ll be fine in no time.”

  Olivia accepted the bottle with a tight smile. “Thanks.” Since she really didn’t have a headache, she would have to pretend to take the medicine. So much for her escape plan.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Nolan appeared with one milkshake in each hand, eyeing the bottle of medicine in concern as he searched Olivia’s face.

  She swallowed. Why did he have to be so darn perfect? “Yes. It’s just a headache. Thankfully Savannah had some medicine handy.”

  “Wedding planners are always prepared,” Jade teased.

  Savannah lifted a shoulder. “You never know what might happen at a wedding. I have to be prepared for anything.”

  “It sounds like you’re good at what you do,” Nolan said, handing her the strawberry milkshake before taking a seat beside her.

  Olivia looked away and opened the bottle of ibuprofen, pretending to shake two into her palm. The moment of connection with Nolan was gone and his attention was back on Savannah—as it should be.

  “She’s the best,” Leah confirmed. “Which is why she’ll be running the business as soon as the owner retires next year.”

  “That’s right.” Nolan turned to Savannah. “You mentioned that at dinner the other night, and I’ve been meaning to ask for more details.”

  “Order twenty,” the cashier called.

  “That’s us,” Olivia said, grateful for the distraction. Trent was back to scrolling on his phone and didn’t hear her. She sighed. She could repeat herself, but at the moment all she wanted was to get away from this table and a first-row seat of the “Nolan and Savannah show.” She stood from the table and Trent blinked, looking up at her with a blank stare.

  “Our orders are ready,” she supplied, trying to hold back the annoyance in her tone.

  “Oh.” He moved to get up but she shook her head.

  “It’s okay. I’ll get it.”

  He didn’t argue. “Be sure to get some extra napkins too. I tend to get a little messy when it comes to ice cream.”

  She nodded and made her way to the counter. What had she ever seen in Trent? Sure, he was handsome, and in the beginning he’d been charming. But in her excitement over having someone who liked her for her and not her wealth, she’d been blind to a lot of things. Particularly his addiction to his phone, and his lack of manners in general. Even when he kissed her now, she felt nothing. Their relationship was going as stale as the waffle cones in the display case at the order counter. It was time for a change.

  “Number twenty?” Olivia said as she approached the counter. The teenage boy slid the tray with their cups of ice cream forward. “Do you have any napkins?” she asked.

  “Over there, by the soda machine,” he said, pointing.

  “Thanks.” She took the tray and headed toward the napkins, faltering in her step as she saw Nolan approaching at the same time.

  “Need some of these?” he asked, grabbing some napkins before she could respond.

  “Y-yes. Thanks.”

  He stepped closer, lowerin
g his voice. “I hear your date can be a little messy.” He met her eyes and gave her an impish half-smile.

  Olivia’s heart pounded in her chest. “I guess so.” She thanked him for the napkins and paused, not wanting this private moment to end while reminding herself why it should. “It seems like you and Savannah are hitting it off well.”

  He held her gaze a moment longer, studying her. “She’s really great. It’s been fun getting to know her better.”

  Olivia looked down at her tray. “She really is.” She glanced up at him through her lashes, her throat tightening and making it difficult to get the words out. “I’m happy for you.” She didn’t want to hear his response, so she looked away and rushed on, “I’d better get this ice cream to Trent.”

  “He should have gotten it for you.”

  She blinked in surprise at the disapproval in Nolan’s voice.

  His mouth formed a line and he squinted. “Here, let me carry that tray for you.”

  She shook her head, backing away a step. She needed to create distance between herself and this achingly attractive man. “It’s okay. I’ve got it.”

  “All right.” He hesitated, as if reluctant to end the conversation. “Is your headache feeling better?”

  Her face warmed. “Yes. I’ll be fine.”

  He shifted, ruffling the napkins in his hand. “Good, because I need you.”

  Her breath caught. “Pardon me?” Her heart beat erratically as he flushed and rubbed a hand along the back of his neck.

  “I mean I need you to be feeling well so we can implement these ideas you have for the resort.”

  “Oh . . . of course.” She mentally shook herself and forced a faint smile. “Don’t worry about that. You won’t regret hiring me, I’ll keep those guests so entertained they won’t ever want to leave.”

  His eyes warmed. “I don’t doubt it.”

  She nodded, turning to make her way back to the table to give Trent his ice cream.

  “And I’ll never regret hiring you.”

  He spoke the words so softly, Olivia almost wondered if she’d imagined them. She turned to look over her shoulder at Nolan and he glanced away, moving to join Savannah. Olivia sat down and gave Trent his banana split and napkins before swirling the spoon into her own hot fudge sundae. The ice cream melted into the warm, gooey fudge sauce—which was exactly how she felt on the inside whenever she talked to Nolan.

  Chapter 12

  “Okay, that was certainly telling,” Savannah said, turning to look at Nolan from the passenger seat. They’d left the ice cream parlor and each couple had gone their separate ways. Now he and Savannah were parked outside the townhome she shared with Piper. “I wasn’t trying to make Olivia jealous,” she continued, “but she definitely was, which means she can’t be that into Trent.”

  Nolan’s heart skittered in his chest but he frowned and shook his head. “I don’t know. Our talk went well when I ‘happened’ to need napkins at the same time.” He made air quotes.

  Savannah grinned. “That was brilliant, by the way.”

  “Thanks. I couldn’t resist.” He shrugged before letting out a frustrated breath. “But then she never gave me another glance after that. If she’s jealous, she hides it well.”

  “Not everyone wears their emotions on their sleeve like I do,” Savannah countered. “Trust me. She likes you, Nolan.” She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. “The question is, what are you going to do about it?”

  “Do?” He cocked an eyebrow. “What can I do? She has a boyfriend.”

  “A boyfriend who’s completely wrong for her,” Savannah argued.

  “Yeah, but if she felt that way, she wouldn’t be with him anymore.” He winced at the truthfulness of the statement and looked out the window. “I think the best thing for me to do is to try to forget about her.” He closed his eyes as if that would help to erase Olivia from his heart. “I need to stop pining for someone I can’t have and find a way to move on.” But even as he said the words, he knew he wouldn’t. Olivia wasn’t a woman he could forget, even if he wanted to.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Savannah said, forcing his attention back to her. She pursed her lips, scrutinizing him. “If you’re going to give up that easily, maybe you don’t deserve her.”

  He jerked his head back like he’d been slapped. “Ouch. You really aren’t one to mince words, are you?”

  She waved the comment off. “I don’t have time to dance around an issue. And the fact of the matter is—you’re scared, Nolan. You’re scared if you confess your feelings to Liv, she won’t feel the same way. If that’s the worst that can happen, so what?”

  He straightened, ready to argue, but stopped himself. She had a point. He nodded slowly. “You know what? You’re right. I am scared. I like her. A lot. And I hardly even know her. She just—argh—I don’t know, she does something to me.” He raked a hand through his hair as he failed to find the right words to describe the way Olivia made him feel. He could present ideas and proposals to a board of directors without breaking a sweat, but expressing his emotions was new territory for him.

  Savannah’s lip tugged up in one corner and she patted his shoulder as if soothing a frustrated child. “It’s okay. I’ll help you.”

  He blew out a breath. “You really think I should just come out and tell her how I feel?”

  “Yes.” She gave a decided nod and lifted a finger. “But the timing needs to be right.”

  “How will I know when it’s right?” He thought of Trent dropping Olivia off at her apartment—probably kissing her—and was filled with a desperate urgency to call her that second.

  “You’ll know.” Savannah gave him a reassuring smile. “Just be patient and it will all work out.” She winked and opened her door.

  Nolan blinked. “Sorry, let me get that for you.” He reached for his door handle but she shook her head.

  “No need. I’ve got it.” She stepped out and then bent down to face him. “Think about what I said. I’ll be in touch soon.”

  “Sounds good. Thanks, Savannah.”

  She waved and closed the door. He waited to make sure she made it safely into her townhome before driving away. Think about what she said? That was all he could do. His mind reeled with their conversation. If Savannah was right, and there was even a sliver of a chance that Olivia had feelings for him, he would fight for her—even if that meant being patient.

  His phone buzzed with a text and he waited until stopping at a red light to read it. His heart leapt when he read the words.

  Hey, Nolan, it’s Olivia. I’m sorry to text you so late, but I had to share the good news. I heard back from Hope Sullivan and she’s willing to come be a guest instructor for a week in December! I’m over the moon! Just had to share. See you at work on Monday.

  Nolan stared at the screen, reading the message over again until the car behind him honked. He looked up to see that the light had turned green. He set the phone down and drove through the intersection, pulling into the first open parking spot along the street so he could reply to the text. His heart hammered as he typed the words.

  That’s great news! Does that mean she was fine with the compensation we offered? Obviously she was or she wouldn’t have accepted, but he wanted to ask questions as an excuse to keep Olivia’s texts coming.

  Yes, she said it was a very generous offer and she’s looking forward to it. She’ll be bringing her sister along since she does videography for Hope’s yoga channel. I still can’t believe she’s coming!

  He smiled at her enthusiasm, wishing he was there with her to see the sparkle in her warm brown eyes. We’ll be sure to treat them well, he replied. I’ll see that they’re put up in a nice suite and given meal and spa vouchers for the week that they’re here.

  Awesome, I’ll let her know.

  He waited as the dots bounced on his screen, indicating she was typing more. After a few seconds, her message appeared. Sorry to keep you from your date with Savannah. I’ll leave you alone now. Hav
e a good night!

  His chest constricted, not wanting to end the thread. I dropped Savannah off and am headed home, so you’re good. But I’m probably interrupting your time with Trent, so I should let you go. He frowned at the last sentence. He should let her go. But something inside wouldn’t let him. He bit the inside of his cheek as he waited for her reply.

  Trent has to leave town for a race in the morning, so he dropped me off a little while ago. Tonight was fun, I’m glad you could make it—even though you made the rest of us look bad with your crazy bowling skills.

  Nolan’s stomach flipped. Was she flirting with him? He grinned, typing a reply. I just got lucky, that’s all. And tonight was fun. I hope you didn’t mind having your boss along on your night off.

  The dots bounced and then stopped twice. He wondered what she wasn’t saying. A longing to drive to her apartment and ask her filled him—especially now that he knew Trent wasn’t there. He swatted the irrational idea from his mind. That would definitely be coming on too strong. Savannah said he would know when the time was right to confess his feelings, and showing up unannounced at Olivia’s doorstep at midnight somehow didn’t seem right.

  But that didn’t stop the longing.

  The text finally came through and his eyes couldn’t move fast enough as he read.

  I didn’t mind at all. Savannah is an amazing girl, so hopefully we’ll be seeing much more of you in the future.

  His chest fell and he let out a frustrated breath. This wasn’t the direction he wanted the conversation to go. He quickly typed a response. Savannah is amazing, but she’s just a friend. You’re the one I’m hoping to see more of in the future, Liv.

  He deleted the message before sending it, scrubbing a hand down his face. A text message wasn’t the way to tell her. He had a bad habit of running headfirst after something when he wanted it. Sometimes it worked out, but other times his impatience came back to burn him, and that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take with Olivia. He needed to slow down and let things play out before confessing his feelings. As hard as it was, he had to be patient.