Suspicious Minds (Fate #3) (6 page)

Without further explanation, she turned to Rosie, who smiled and
turned back to Vince. “I’ll be in, in time for the second half, babe.”

Lorenzo nodded his goodbye to Olivia before turning and stepping
into Vince’s front room. Clearly since she and Rosie were still going to hang out
and chat until the second half but outside instead of joining him and Vince,
Olivia’s need to get home wasn’t as urgent as she’d made it out to be. Why that
bothered him he didn’t know, but after being around her again tonight, it did.

A lot.

He knew one thing with all certainty. The night he’d met her she’d
been attracted to him. Their chemistry had been off the charts, regardless of
how she was acting now. So the only thing he could make of her lack of interest
now was that his being an asshole at the repast had undoubtedly been a real
turn off. It was either that or she was in a relationship. That shouldn’t piss
him off, but it did. God, did it ever.

One good thing about tonight was that if Rosie didn’t know
whether or not he’d met Olivia then they’d obviously not spoken about him, but that
still didn’t kill the annoying curiosity that seemed to grow with every time he
ran into her.

Another thing he was certain of and he was counting on now, was
that he was definitely getting something out of Rosie tonight. But why he
wanted anything was the question. He’d already established that doing so was a
bad idea. The last thing he needed was to get caught up with another seemingly
nice girl who had it in her to cheat. Even if he were wrong about that, he’d
sworn off relationships. One meaningless night with this girl already had him
feeling all twisted. Doing anything more with her would be just stupid. So why
the hell was he here to begin with? He could’ve easily told Vince he had
unexpected company or a last-minute date. And even with everything his brain
had gone over since the night he met her and each time he’d run into her, why was
he suddenly even more anxious about finding out more about her?

He and Vince traded as soon as he was in the house. He handed him
the bag with the snacks, and Vince handed him his beautiful niece, who wore a
Raiders onesie and matching booties. Vince also took the beer from him and
headed to the kitchen. Just looking at Ruby’s pretty big eyes, which were
usually closed, made him smile and momentarily forget his angst about Olivia.

“Hey, baby girl. For once you’re awake.”

“Of course she’s awake,” Vince said from the kitchen. “She’s
ready to watch the Raiders kick some ass.”

“I’m surprised you’re not wearing a Charger outfit,” Lorenzo said,
holding her up to get a better look at her Raiders gear. “I thought your mommy
would have you all bolted out.”

“She did,” Vince said, walking out of the kitchen with two beers.
“I took that shit off her. You can put her down in her swing.” Vince motioned
to the swing placed strategically so she could watch the game with them. “She’s
a good baby, man. She’ll sit there for a long time just chilling without
fussing or anything.”

Lorenzo smiled, kissing her on her little cheeks. “I got her for
now,” he said, sitting down on the sofa.

He cradled her in one arm then took the beer from Vince. His
brother was right about Ruby. The whole time they sat there watching the better
part of the first half she’d sat peacefully in Lorenzo’s arms, just cooing.
Even when they got loud she’d been cool. He eventually had to put her down in
her swing so he could use the bathroom, and by the time he got back, she was
dozing off.

As promised, Rosie walked in just before the start of the second
half.

“Okay, no more coolers on girls’ night,” was the first thing she
said. “Olivia is worse than me, so she only drank one since she’s driving,
which meant three for me.” She giggled, walking toward the kitchen. “I need
water or I’ll probably have a headache tomorrow.” She turned to them as she
opened the refrigerator door. “Honey, did you know they’re building a Fresh
& Easy on Vine over by Joanne’s Fabrics?”

“No, I didn’t,” Vince said, changing the channel on the
television.

Rosie went on about the new store and how much she liked it. She
quickly moved on to what a great job Olivia had done on Sheba and then touched
on how exciting it would be to actually know a real big league player. When her
back was turned, Vince opened and closed his hand, shaking his head. Rosie was
on rambling roll. The moment Lorenzo had the chance he made a casual comment, knowing
she’d run with it.

“I didn’t realize you were so tight with Romero’s cousin.”

She smiled big. “It’s only been a few weeks. I just met her at
the repast for Janks, but she’s the sweetest thing.”

Rosie told him about how they were the same age, so therefore
they had a lot in common, except of course that Olivia was single, and then,
bingo, she started telling them a little too much.

“I feel so bad for her.” She stopped and brought her finger to
her lips then shook her head. “No, it’s not a secret. She said her siblings
know. Still they don’t know
everything,
so if you guys ever, you know, talk
to her brothers or anything, don’t mention it, but her best friend is engaged
to her ex-boyfriend now.” Rosie waved her hand in front of her then leaned over
and kissed Ruby. “Well, ex best friend now. She just found out about it not too
long ago, and they’re not speaking anymore. But isn’t that scandalous? I mean
can you imagine? She said they were like sisters—best friends since they were
kids—and this witch goes and starts dating Olivia’s ex, which let me tell you .
. .” She took a moment to take a long swig of her water as Lorenzo waited with
bated breath. “She says she’s over him, but, c’mon, he was her first
everything
.
They only broke up because she moved out here, so how over him can she really
be, you know?”

Rosie moved on to talk about how technically Sheba didn’t need to
be groomed this often and Olivia wasn’t charging her for the comb outs like
today’s. Rosie was only paying her for the full grooming the poodle needed only
every six weeks or so, but because Olivia no longer spoke to her best friend and
apparently didn’t have many friends out here yet, she liked stopping by when
she got the chance for girl talk like tonight. Something that Rosie seemed excited
about.

Lorenzo had heard enough. He didn’t bother probing for more. If
he’d been adamant before about not getting involved with this girl, he sure as hell
didn’t want to now. The last thing he needed was another chick who was still
pining over an ex.

No fucking thanks.

Four

Olivia

Unbelievable.

Lorenzo was Rose’s brother-in-law. Again, what were those
freaking odds? Olivia had known Rose might know him, maybe even well, but not
this
well. She was only glad now that she’d had the presence of mind to not tell
Rose who her one-night-stand had been with. But still Olivia had given her new
friend
details
of her night with him, and it turns out the guy was Rose’s
husband’s brother and she was “very close” to him?

Olivia’s had to practically pick her jaw up from the ground when
he drove up tonight and she heard Rose’s words. “Oh, look. It’s Enzo, my
brother-in-law.” And then Olivia had watched in horror as he got out of the car,
looking as hot as ever.

Having to stand there and talk to all of them in front of him
while keeping her cool had been a huge challenge. She’d been doing just fine
until Vince’s unexpected invitation to join them watching the game. Olivia
couldn’t spit out her “no” fast enough, and she was certain from Lorenzo’s
expression her fumbling words hadn’t gone unnoticed. But at least she’d managed
to come up with something, even though it didn’t make sense. Olivia hadn’t
finished telling Rose about her one-night stand, so she knew Rose would want
her to finish. This was why they’d kept talking outside even after the guys
went in. Fortunately, Rose hadn’t questioned why she stuck around if, in fact,
she had to get going as she’d claimed.

If Rose’s brother-in-law had been anyone else, Olivia just might’ve
hung out with them tonight. It wasn’t as if she had anywhere else to be, and she
was really beginning to enjoy her new friendship with Rose. But, of course, hanging
out with them with Lorenzo making her heart thump the whole time was out of the
question. She actually felt kind of sad about the whole thing.

After he’d gone into the house, Rose told her she and her husband
do a lot with
Enzo
. It was likely that, if she and Rose ever did start
doing some of the things they’d talked about like Oktoberfest at Gaslamp, he’d probably
go too.

Olivia didn’t ask Rose, but the way she spoke of him hanging out
with her and her husband a lot and the fact that he’d showed up alone tonight,
it appeared he was single. Rose never once mentioned a wife or fiancée or even
a girlfriend.

If that were the case, then one thing was even clearer. His lack
of interest in anything more than the one-time romp they shared had nothing to
do with guilt or being unavailable. It was genuine disinterest in
her
.
Olivia took a deep breath, doing her best to squelch the sting this reawakened.
It reminded her of all that time Jay could never commit to anything with
her
despite what she thought she’d felt from him, but he wasn’t just committed
to Margie now—he was
engaged
to her.

It was a dumb thought, she knew, but it made her wonder if
something about her repelled guys from wanting to commit to her. She’d sworn
she would never have such insecure thoughts again. Jay had made her that way.
Yet, she couldn’t help feel the insecurity seep in.

The only way she’d be able to be around Lorenzo was if her
feelings for him were mutual. But after tonight she had to admit if she were
around him more than the few minutes she’d had since their night together, she’d
just be torturing herself, even if he continued to be kind of a jerk as he’d
been at the repast. She’d like to say she was as uninterested in anything more
between them as he appeared to be.

The truth was every time she’d seen him so far her legs had gone
weak. Every time she took in how incredibly sexy he was, she’d remember his
kisses, and her insides would turn to liquid. And every time he looked at her
in that way that confused the hell out of her, she knew she’d get her hopes up
that maybe he was feeling a little of that same undeniable connection she’d
felt for him that first night.

She couldn’t be around the guy and not start falling for him. They’d
barely exchanged a couple of nods and words, and already she was thinking about
him way too much. Even before tonight, she’d caught herself thinking about him
and their one night together too many times. She’d spent entire grooming
sessions daydreaming about the possibility of it ever happening again: Running
her hands over those glorious muscles on his arms, shoulders, back, and chest. Having
him devour her lips and mouth as he had with such fervor that night, making her
feel something so profoundly intense as she never had before. Having him
inside
her again.

Okay, stop.

This had to stop. She shook her head as she climbed out of the
van, ashamed that the tingling between her legs had once again started up just
thinking about him. But any tingling or thoughts of Lorenzo were quickly
snuffed when she walked in the house to face her two older brothers’ lethal
glares.

“You wanna explain this to me?” Isaiah held up an envelope.

From where she stood, she couldn’t see what it was, but she had a
pretty good idea. Even so, she put on the oblivious act. She had to buy a
little more time. She knew the day was fast approaching when she’d have to tell
them, but she’d been so distracted lately with thoughts of Lorenzo she’d
stopped rehearsing how she’d explain it.

“What is it?” she asked, putting her things down on the coffee
table.

“A contract between you and Hollingsworth,” Isaiah said, his
voice even more severe. “I told you I didn’t want you involved with that
asshole in
any
way.”

“What happened to the money, Liv?” Nathan asked, crossing his
arms and leaning against the doorframe to the hallway.

At least Nathan was respecting her wishes to not be called Ollie
anymore. To her siblings, she’d always been Olivia or just Liv. Occasionally,
they called her by the nickname Jay had bestowed on her early on because they’d
gotten used to hearing it. It was also what Margie called her once she’d heard
it enough from Jay. Olivia hated hearing it now and had asked them to stop.

“I still have it,” she explained. “All of it.”

“Why didn’t you use it?”

“Because we’re gonna need it for Emi’s school and Nathan’s
attorney fees,” she said, seeing that undeniable spark in her oldest brother’s
eyes. “Two years is more than enough time for me to pay the money back. I’m
halfway through the first already.”

“Damn it, Liv.” Isaiah threw the envelope on the counter. “I told
you I’d figure out Nathan’s attorney fees, and Emi will likely get a
scholarship with her grades. I didn’t want you in any way indebted to that
prick.”

“Emi’s talking ESU, Isaiah,” she said, her eyes pleading for him
to understand. “It’ll be so much harder for her to get a scholarship to an Ivy
League school, and it’s super expensive.”

“Is it just the money the asshole’s asking for?” Nathan asked,
moving away from the doorway and walking toward her.

“Yes, of course!” she said a little too quickly—loudly—so she
toned it down, hoping they wouldn’t pick up on her panicked insincerity. “It’s
all in the contract. He hasn’t asked for anything else at all.”

Of course that was true
if
you didn’t count the numerous
times the guy had gone back to suggesting, off the record, that he’d be willing
to knock off some of the loan if she’d just do him the honor of accompanying
him for a day on his boat or at his mountain cabin. When he first made these
suggestions way back, he insisted it would be money well spent just to be able
to enjoy the time with her. He told her to look at it more like a sponsorship
and insisted he’d be a perfect gentleman. And while she, of course, had turned
him down politely but firmly, she still had to put up with him showing up
unannounced sometimes at her appointments. He always said he was just in the
area and wanted to check on her and the van.

That was usually when he’d make his subtle suggestions about his
boat or cabin or even just dinner. She also had to deal with his phone calls,
especially during months she knew she might be short with the payment and she
had to play nice. It was why every now and again she’d agree to go to lunch
with him, especially when he’d conveniently happen to show up around lunch time
and he’d wait for her to be done with her client.

It just sucked that, until she paid him in full, technically the
van and her business was his. But until she was done paying, he had full access
to her schedule. He knew when and where she’d be on any given day she was
working, but her brothers didn’t need to know all that.

“It’s not fair, you guys,” she began the speech she’d had planned
for months. Careful not to insult anyone, she was including herself in said
speech. “Our father left that money for all of us. It was clear in his will
that he wanted us to invest the money in our
future
. While I think being
a firefighter is admirable, I’m pretty sure Dad meant college. Emi is the only
one of us with aspirations of attending college. AJ’s already made his choice,
and it’s the best one for him. He was born to play ball and me . . . Well, dog
grooming isn’t exactly—”

“Don’t do that.” Isaiah’s face instantly contorted. “I hate it
when you do that, Livi. It takes skill and talent to do what you do. And this
is your business and
passion,
not just a job. You have a waiting list
for a reason because you’re damn good at it, and your clients recognize that.
Regardless of how long it took you to get formally trained, you deserve to use
this money just as much as Emi does.”

“And I did,” she reminded him. “I used part of it for the
training. But I can pay for the van on my own,” she insisted. “I have been. When
Emi goes to school, especially one as academically demanding as ESU, she won’t
be able to work full-time to pay for it. And you said yourself Nathan doesn’t stand
a chance of getting past the fire department’s background check unless he gets
those charges expunged from his record. So, technically, his attorney fees are
for his future as well. It’s a win-win, Isaiah. Please don’t be mad.”

Her brother sighed, and she knew she was home free. She rushed to
him and hugged him. “How much do you still owe him?” he asked after he pulled
away.

Okay, maybe she wasn’t entirely home free, but she wouldn’t let
him talk her into just paying off the loan. Nathan and Emi needed it so much
more than she did. No way was she telling any of them about Elton’s advances. Nathan’s
temper had gotten him in enough trouble already. She could handle Elton Hollingsworth
on her own.

~*~

Lorenzo

It had begun to feel like a conspiracy  of sorts. It
was the only thing that could explain the continual barrage of run-ins with
Olivia. At one point, Lorenzo had even begun to question whether Rosie and
Vince had anything to do with it. Was it possible they’d planned this? But how
could they have? You couldn’t plan something this perfectly.

First, the inability to stop thinking about a nameless girl, who just
like the others he’d had one-nighters with, should mean nothing. How could anyone
have anticipated his response to her? How could they’ve manipulated the irrepressible
intrigue he’d feel for her?

That Olivia happened to be related to Romero of all people spoke volumes
as to how much this
could not
have been planned by anyone. No way in
hell would Romero have volunteered his own flesh and blood, especially given
how that first night went down.

As unnerving as it’d been each time he’d run into her since, he
still couldn’t decide if he should be thankful for his luck or cursing it.
Despite the angst he’d felt with every encounter, each time he’d also felt the
incredible urge to just confront his feelings. Yet each time he’d also felt the
resistance from her. Granted he’d been rude, but he had good reason to be.

Lorenzo had seen her a few more times since the night at Vince’s.
Adding to his growing curiosity of her, his irritation also grew. Of course,
her being so friendly with Rosie was now the biggest reason why his
luck,
good
or bad, had continued.

Sprinkles of curiosity were laced with annoyance. When Rosie and
Olivia had stopped by the firing range last week so Rosie could drop off
burgers from a restaurant they’d gone to lunch at, a place Olivia had highly
recommended for their famous burgers, Lorenzo had been privy to an exchange
between Rosie and Olivia. It was just after one of the married instructors
known for being an outrageous flirt had tried to sweet talk Olivia. Lorenzo had
been pleasantly surprised, not to mention relieved, to hear she’d shot him down
cold. That is until he heard the tail end of her conversation with Rosie after
the fact.

“It’s a good thing you didn’t bother giving that jerk your name,”
Rosie had said just as Lorenzo had approached them. “I wouldn’t have either, not
my real name anyway.”

“Yep,” Olivia had agreed with a smirk. “Jerks only ever deserve
no names or fake names.”

Their eyes had once again locked when she’d said it, with a
strange smile he couldn’t quite make out. The fact that she immediately mentioned
needing to leave because it was her day off and she had plans was surprisingly
irksome.

That’s when Lorenzo had decided
enough with the ambiguity
.
Obviously neither of them wanted to share about their night of indiscretion, but
they were no longer strangers anymore. There was no need for the continued
unspoken awkwardness. He’d never been one to play games, and while it was unfair
to say she was doing so, because she’d done
nothing
to deserve that
accusation, whatever it was that was happening, she was winning hands down. Damn
it!

No more wondering. No more bullshitting himself that he wasn’t
interested in getting to know just a little more about this girl. This might be
a huge mistake, and he had no idea what he would say or do, but his mind was
made up. The first chance he got he was taking matters into his own hands.