Suspicious Minds (Fate #3) (5 page)

Olivia shrugged, aware that she was staring out into space again
and feeling a little guilty. She knew better than anyone how socially awkward
Margie had always been. It was part of the reason why they’d had such a bond, not
that Olivia ever considered herself socially awkward, but falling for Jay so early
on made her feel different—pathetic—weak. Even after all this time, she hadn’t
fully shaken the shame of it.

Another thing she’d always known or rather felt was that Margie
had always had a crush on Jay. How could she not? He’d been older, experienced,
a smooth talker and sexier than any of the boys they were used to in school. Jay
had known them both just as long from the time they’d all been kids. Olivia was
certain he, too, was aware of Margie’s secret crush on him. He was also aware
of how inexperienced Margie was when it came to boys and sex. Olivia was
convinced he’d taken complete advantage of Margie when he set his sights on
persuading her to become involved with him.

Deciding to keep all that to herself, she went on. “It was what
surprised me most. We’re alike in some ways, but socially, she was withdrawn
almost to a fault. He’d even commented about it a few times and not in a
positive way. Still, I think it was our differences that made us click so well.
She was the yin to my yang. It was how she put it anyway. She was always the
deep
one. It just sucks that I don’t feel comfortable talking to her anymore. I’m
not even as mad at her as I am disappointed. I thought we were closer than
that.”

“That does suck. I’m sorry,” Rose said with a pout. “I don’t
think I could continue to be friends with someone if that happened to me either.
And you hadn’t told anyone about this?”

Olivia shook her head. “Not really. My sister and brothers know about
the engagement since they know both Jay and Margie so well. But since they don’t
know about him and me, you know . . . My brothers were never thrilled that I
was even
just
friends with Jay. I dared not tell them I was sleeping
with him, so I haven’t been able to share my true feelings about my two
friends
back home being engaged now.”

“What about your sister? I’ve always told my sister everything.”

“But she’s your
older
sister, right?” Olivia asked, and
Rose nodded in response. “You see I can talk to Emi about just about anything,
and I
hope
she tells me everything since I am her only and older sister,
but she’s my baby sister and still young. She’s not even eighteen. I’m supposed
to be setting an example, so telling her certain things like that
and
a
few other things that I’ve done since we moved out here I
do not
want
her knowing about, is out of the question.”

Olivia felt her face warm when she thought of her night with
Lorenzo. No way would she tell Rose about him. No telling if Rose knew him or
how well. Her sister
was
married to his cousin after all.

“Ooh, sounds juicy.” Rose smiled. “Lay it on me, girlfriend,” she
said, getting a little too comfortable in her seat. “I’m all ears and my lips
are sealed. I promise.”

Olivia laughed nervously. She supposed she could tell her about her
night with Lorenzo and just leave out
whom
she’d been with. She
was
dying to tell someone about it. Rose seemed sweet enough and trustworthy. So
far every one of Moe’s friends and all their wives seemed to be.

Biting her bottom lip for a moment, she decided to just go for
it. “Have you ever had a one-night stand?”

Rose’s eyes went even wider as she shook her head, and already
Olivia could tell this was going to be fun.

Three

Lorenzo

Just as Lorenzo opened the closet door to search for
his shoes, his phone binged. Tonight was the game he and Vince anticipated most
during football season: Raiders vs. Chargers, their team against their cousins’
team.

What time you getting here, man? Game’s about to start.
It’s just you, me, and Ruby tonight. Rosie has a girls’ night tonight. Let’s do
this, Raiders!

Lorenzo smiled but couldn’t help think it odd that his brother
would be so cheery when Rosie was going to be out having a girls’ night. Vince
was nowhere near as jaded as Lorenzo was about trusting women and for good reason.
Sweet Rosie was just that—a complete sweetheart who had never given his brother
any reason to
not
trust her. But Lorenzo had never even heard of her
having a girls’ night out. And the girl was such a lightweight it was
ridiculous. Even she admitted she’d be nervous drinking if Vince weren’t there
to keep an eye out. Vince jokingly said in the past that it was exactly why she
didn’t
go out without him. Though he’d said it jokingly, Lorenzo was
fairly certain his brother was more serious than he cared to admit. So he
texted Vince back just to bust his balls.

You sure it’s a good idea to let sweet sexy LIGHTWEIGHT
Rosie out on her own? What if she doesn’t make it back tonight?

He tossed the phone down on the sofa again and grinned at the
thought of his brother’s reaction to that. Vince’s face went all sour anytime
Lorenzo called her
sweet
Rosie. Lorenzo could only imagine the
expression on the guy’s face from his adding sexy to the description.

His phone rang instead of pinging, and Lorenzo was already chuckling
about it before he even answered. “What’s up?”

“You’re not allowed to call my wife sexy, you idiot.”

Lorenzo laughed even louder now. “Seriously, you’re letting her
go out while you stay home babysitting? What’s this world coming to?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Vince said. “Chatting out front in that
grooming van with Romero’s cousin
is
her girl night.” This time Vince
chuckled. “Olivia’s been coming out every couple of weeks, and she and Rose
hang out and chat while Sheba gets her fur
did
. And get this. Rosie was
so excited about it she even went out and bought a four pack of wine coolers.
Shit. You think I’d let her go out drinking without me? You’ve seen how she
gets on a couple of glasses of sangria.” He laughed again. “I still warned her,
even with the two of them splitting four wine coolers, to take it easy and
slow. I don’t want her passing out on the front lawn on her way in.”

Normally Lorenzo would’ve been laughing at that too. But at the
moment, all he could do was swallow hard as the speed of his heartbeat
irritatingly picked up again just as it had at the damn services for Janks
weeks ago. Every time he thought he’d heard or seen the last of this girl, she’d
pop up again one way or another. And each time she did, it got harder and
harder to not be tempted to drop the uninterested act and find out more about
her. Now she was getting chummy with Rosie?

“Listen,” Vince continued as Lorenzo stood there, still feeling
stunned. “I’m stuck here with baby formula and apple juice. I didn’t have time
to stop on the way home to grab some beer. So why don’t you stop on your way
and get us a twelve-pack, and I’ll pay you when you get here.”

“I uh . . .”

He’d never been good at lying and especially not when put on the
spot, but he suddenly had the urge to. He
did not
want to be around this
girl again. His reaction to her the last time he’d seen her—been up close to
those eyes and lips—had been nearly disastrous. The fact that she hadn’t
bothered to say anything and that she now knew how to reach him if she wanted to,
spoke volumes. Lorenzo had actually been pleased about it because if she had he
wasn’t sure he would’ve fought the urge to meet up with her. He should just
steer clear of her. He
had
to.

Yet a part of him was already getting a little curious. That’s
what it was. He was just curious. Still the last thing he needed was to get
caught up struggling to keep his eyes and lips off her again.

Then it hit him. Exactly what were she and Rosie chatting about?
Did she know he was Rosie’s brother-in-law? Had she told Rosie about their
night together, and if so, what had she said? Was it possible her sudden
interest in getting friendly with Rosie had anything to do with him?

He frowned, pressing his lips together. If that were the case,
she sure was playing it slow. It’d been almost three weeks since the repast.
This
had
to be just coincidental.
Olivia
was Rosie’s sister’s
groomer now. It was a simple enough explanation for why she was now grooming
Rosie’s dog too. There was nothing more to it. But he was curious now, damn it.

“What kind of beer do you want?” he asked.

Chiding himself inwardly, he finished putting his shoes on. Was
he really going to do this? Yeah, he was. The more he thought about it, the
more anxious it made him, and knowing his sweet little sister-in-law, who
talked way too much when she’d been drinking, was having a few tonight made
this even more worrisome. What if Olivia did ask her about him? What if Rosie
said too much?

Vince put in his order, and Lorenzo was on his way. His goddamned
pounding heart was already way more into this than it should be.

~~~

The plan was Lorenzo would get to his brother’s place,
and Rosie and Olivia would still be in the van. He’d sneak inside and wait for
Rosie to come in when she was done with her girls’ night, and then maybe she’d
share a little bit about her new friend. Of course, shit never goes as planned.
Rosie and Olivia were standing just outside the grooming van in front of the
house. Rosie smiled brightly, waving at Lorenzo as he drove into their driveway,
and Olivia turned curiously just in time to make eye contact.

“
Fucking great
,” he muttered through his fake smile.

Sheba barked at him as she always did when she saw him as soon as
he was out of the car. He walked to his trunk, smiling at his giggly sister-in-law,
and nodded in Olivia’s direction.

“You guys are gonna need something stronger than that.” Rosie giggled
as he pulled the beer and chips out of the trunk. She giggled again at the expression
he gave her. “Your Raiders are playing
my
Chargers. You two will be
crying in your beer before the night is over, for sure.” She brought her hand
to her mouth, confirming by her continued silly giggling that she’d, in fact,
had at least one wine cooler, and then she stopped suddenly. “Oh hey, have you
met Olivia? She’s Romero’s cousin and Sheba’s new groomer.”

Lorenzo and Olivia’s eyes met yet again, and he took a deep
breath, trying his damnedest not to get caught in them as usual.

“Yes, we’ve met,” he said, feeling his smile wane and nodding at
Olivia, but tore his eyes away quickly because even just a sweet smile from her
was too much.

He’d leave it at that and started toward the front door, cursing himself
for not getting out of coming tonight. The implied message he’d left her with
the last time he’d seen her was perfect. Albeit a little fucking rude, it
served its purpose. He needed to kill the lingering temptation of getting to
know her in any other way. That temptation had been dogging him from day one,
especially because he knew where she lived. Seeing her disinterest in him at
Sal’s—knowing that she’d lied about her name that first night because maybe she
was already attached—had snuffed that temptation. But seeing her again at the
repast again had done something to him.

Not since his much younger years had he had to deal with the
irrepressible tightening of his crotch at a most inappropriate place or time.
The sight of her all dressed up in her big heels at the repast reminding him of
their night together had his dick at attention almost instantly. The intoxicating
smell of her later when he was closer was exactly as he remembered it that
first night. Most significantly, there was something about being so up close to
her again. Just like the first time, he’d seen something in those eyes again he
still didn’t understand. It’d taken everything in him to fight the unthinkable
urge to kiss her.

Hearing how fondly her uncles spoke of her that day about what a “good
girl” she is didn’t stifle his growing fascination with her. The possibility of
her having any interest in him would only increase any temptation to further
acquaint himself with the young sweet Olivia. Reverting back to the callous
asshole she’d met that first night had been his only hope.

Lorenzo’s jaw locked as he attempted to walk towards the front
door without further incident until Rosie called out for him.

“Oh, Lorenzo!”

Reluctantly, he turned back to them. Rosie turned to Olivia,
touching her arm, and addressed her. It gave Lorenzo an opportunity to size the
sweet groomer up a bit more without her noticing since Rosie had Olivia’s full attention.

“Both Lorenzo and Vince are big sports fans in general,” she said
to Olivia. “Not just football.” She then turned back to Lorenzo. “Did you know
Romero has a cousin who plays in the minor leagues?”

Lorenzo shook his head, peering at Rosie and wondering where she
was going with this. “Olivia’s younger brother!” she said with a big smile. “He
plays for the Palm Desert Nationals. Triple A! He’s been called up to play in
the big leagues a few times, and he’s only twenty!”

Rosie’s over enthusiasm about this would’ve normally made him
smirk since he was almost certain her wine coolers had everything to do with
it. Instead, he gulped hard, desperately trying concentrate on what Rosie had
just said in an effort to stop trying to figure out what it was about Olivia he
felt so damn drawn to.

“No, I didn’t know,” he said, failing once again at keeping his
eyes off Olivia.

She smiled shyly just as he heard the screen door behind him
swing open.

“I’ve heard him mention having a cousin who plays ball,” Vince
said suddenly, forcing Lorenzo to turn around and bring his attention to his
brother. He stood at the doorway, holding Ruby in his arms. “I’ve just never
had a chance to talk to him about any specifics. He’s a catcher, right?”

Lorenzo turned back to Olivia, instantly getting caught in her
timid eyes. She nodded, looking away from Lorenzo and at Vince instead. “Yep,
he’s waiting to hear back from your hometown Padres. Jake Gillespie’s backup
didn’t look too good the last few weeks of the season. Gillespie may still be
out for a few months the beginning of next season.”

Lorenzo turned to Vince, who wore the same expression Lorenzo was
sure he was making. “He’s gonna replace Gillespie?” Vince asked, his jaw
falling open.

“It’s not a sure thing yet,” Olivia said with the most adorable
giggle.

“I told you they’d be excited,” Rosie said, smiling big and goofy,
reminding Lorenzo to get it together.

He hadn’t even noticed he, too, was smiling all big and goofy at
the sound of Olivia’s giggling.

“
If
he gets called up to replace Gillespie,” Olivia reiterated
cautiously, “it would only be temporary until Gillespie recovers from his
surgery.”

“
If
the guy recovers,” Vince countered. “There’s no
arguing Gillespie’s bad ass when he’s a hundred percent, but shoulder surgery
for a catcher, especially his throwing arm, is bad news. He may never be a
hundred percent again.”

Lorenzo stood there in what felt like the same damn trance he’d
been in at Sal’s for the next ten to fifteen minutes as they spoke more of
Olivia’s brother. He loved listening to her talk. The sound of her voice was
another thing he remembered he’d been captivated by. It had an almost lulling
effect. Something that made sense to him now. As a dog groomer, she likely had
to often calm her four-legged clients. Her voice had the perfect calming tone
for something like that.

Vince snapped his fingers in front of him, biting his lower lip
as if he were trying to remember something, then smiled big. “Rage,” he said
suddenly. “Your brother’s nickname. I remember Romero saying something about
that one time.”

For the first time in the conversation, Olivia’s smile flattened.
“He was dubbed that a few times by local papers, but I wouldn’t say it’s a
nickname.”

Lorenzo managed to take his eyes off her for a second in time to
see Rosie’s curious expression. “Why did they dub him that?” Rosie asked.

Clearly the mention of her brother’s nickname had changed Olivia’s
disposition. That cute little mouth of hers, the one he was trying so hard to
not imagine devouring, puckered a bit and she shrugged. “He’s been in a few
fights on the field over the years, and the press is quick to slap nicknames on
players, but we . . .” She cleared her throat. “Well, he doesn’t mind it so
much, but my older brothers and I don’t care for the nickname. It has a
negative connotation. It’s not what we want him to be known for.”

“He’s a hothead, huh?” Vince chuckled, kissing Ruby on the head. “No
wonder Romero talked about it in a good way.”

Despite Rosie’s somewhat silly mental state, she seemed to pick
up on the change in Olivia’s mood too. She quickly changed the subject, asking
Vince something else about the Raiders game. With the subject back to football,
Vince opened the door, telling Lorenzo the game had already started and they
needed to get the beer in the fridge.

“You gonna hang out and watch the game with us?” Vince asked
Olivia.

Lorenzo’s heart had just started thundering at the thought of
hanging out with her the whole night when she quickly—a bit too hastily—declined.

“No, no,” she said, bringing her hand to her chest and shaking
her head in a way that had them all peering at her strangely. “I uh,” she
continued a bit nervously. “I can’t. I have to be getting home soon. But thank
you.”