Trace + Olivia Series Boxed Set (62 page)

I slipped my feet into a pair of shoes and darted out of the bedroom, straight into the bathroom. I heard Trace chuckle from the kitchen.

I brushed my hair and teeth, then pulled my hair to the side and quickly braided it. I added some gloss to my lips and mascara to my lashes, but there wasn’t time for anything else.

“I can’t believe you didn’t wake me up,” I groaned, dashing into the kitchen and dropping a piece of toast in the toaster.

“You looked too cute to wake,” he smirked.

I groaned in exasperation. “But now I’m going to be late.” I opened the refrigerator and grabbed the tub of butter.

The toast popped up and I pulled it out, scalding my fingers in the process. I grabbed a knife from the drawer and slathered the toast with butter, before sticking it between my teeth.

“Bye,” I said around the food in my mouth.

Trace chuckled in response.

I grabbed my keys off the table by the door and was about to leave when Trace said my name.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“I won’t be home for dinner. Gramps needs to see me,” he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Oh,” I mumbled, pulling the toast from my mouth. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

“Well, I’ll see you tonight then,” I jogged across the room and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. “Maybe I’ll call Avery and we can order Chinese and just veg out.”

He chuckled. “I think you’re both overdue for some girl time.”

“I
really
have to go now,” I looked at him apologetically.

“Get gone then, woman,” he smacked my butt and shooed me away.

“
Trace!
”

He was still laughing as I closed the door.

By the time I got in my car I had five minutes to make it to the store. That so wasn’t happening.

When I made it to the store, I ran in the back door, apologies slipping from my mouth.

“Slow down,” Marcy grabbed my arm, halting my steps. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Sorry,” I apologized yet again. “I’m late.”

“Oh honey, it’s not a big deal. You look like you’re about to have a heart attack. Sit down.” She pulled a chair out and all but pushed me into it. “I’m actually surprised to see you up and walking today,” she smirked, removing her purple reading glasses, and shoving them into her blond hair. She still had the ends died in a rainbow hue of colors.

“What do you mean?”

She laughed and looked down at my finger significantly. “Who do you think made that? He told me how he planned to propose, so I figured after that romantic gesture getting out of bed would be the last thing on your mind,” she winked. “I mean, if I was engaged to that sexy man of yours I’d never let him leave the bed … or put clothes on. A body like that should
not
be covered up.”

I blushed profusely. Marcy may have been in her fifties and happily married, but she had no problem going on and on about how good-looking Trace was and what she’d like to do with him. If she was my age I’d probably be jealous.

“Mom!” Alba, Marcy’s daughter, called. “Stop embarrassing, Olivia!”

“What? I’m only speaking the truth! Even his armpit hair is hot!”

I snorted. She did
not
just say that.

“Ew! Mom! That’s gross!” Alba wrinkled her nose as she pushed the beaded curtain aside that hung on the frame of the door that separated the front and back of the store.

“Eh, you’ll get over it,” Marcy dismissed her daughter with a wave of her hand. “Now,” she turned back to me, “what did you think yesterday when he proposed?”

“I was kind of in shock,” I admitted with a small shrug. “I couldn’t believe it was actually happening.”

“Oh, I wish I could’ve seen your face,” Marcy looked away, a wistful look in her eyes. “Especially since my so-called daughter is apparently never going to get married and gift me with grandchildren.”

Over Marcy’s shoulder, my eyes met with Alba’s. She shook her head, and mouthed ‘crazy.’

“Well,” Marcy patted my shoulder, “I need to go work on some designs.”

“Of course,” I stood, heading towards the front of the store.

Alba stopped me, pulling me into a hug. “Congratulations,” she said. “Trace is a great guy. You’re really lucky.”

“Thanks,” I smiled.

“I’ll see you later,” she waved, heading for the back door.

I had a relatively busy day. Marcy’s store did a good amount of business, so I never had much down time, which I liked. People came from all over the tri-state area to buy her unique pieces. She made every piece of jewelry herself, often doing custom orders. I had never been much of a jewelry person … Aaron had forbidden my mom and I from wearing any, so even if I had wanted to I couldn’t. But I loved my gold star necklace that Trace had gotten me for our first Christmas, and I’d later found out that Marcy made it. It pleased me to know that she’d made my engagement ring as well. In the past two years, Marcy had become an extension of my family. I loved that crazy lady.

I locked the door to the store and flipped the old fashioned sign from Open to Closed. I closed the blinds on the door and windows, and then turned the lights out.

I pushed the beaded curtain aside and stepped into the back room. Marcy was working feverishly on her latest project.

“Marcy,” I approached hesitantly, not wanting to disturb her. She looked up at me, raising a brow in question. “You should really go home,” I continued. “You look tired.”

“I’m old,” she laughed, “I always look tired.”

“You’re not old, Marcy,” I shook my head. “But you do deserve a break every now and then. You’re going to drive yourself into the ground if you keep staying here so late. Go home, have a good dinner, and take a hot bath. Please?”

“Fine,” she flicked her desk light off, “but only because my eyes are tired and I’d hate to mess up this piece and have to start over.”

“Thank you,” I hugged her. “I worry about you.”

“Don’t waste your time worrying about me, child,” she patted my cheek.

“I don’t consider worrying about you as wasting my time.” I moved towards the cubbies where we kept our personal stuff and grabbed my purse, slinging it onto my shoulder.

“You’re too sweet, Olivia,” she smiled, grabbing her own bag. I swear her purse was as big as a house. I didn’t know how she lugged that thing around. I’d seen her pull an umbrella out of it before … and not one of those small ones that folded up.

We walked outside and I waited as she locked the door before we both headed towards our cars. It was seven o’ clock and the sun was still bright in the sky.

“Bye, Olivia,” she waved, climbing into her yellow Fiat. The bright colored car suited her bubbly personality.

I waved back, slipping into my own car. I immediately locked the doors. After what happened with Aaron I’d become a nervous wreck, anticipating danger everywhere. I wasn’t afraid to admit that I was now the proud owner of a can of pepper spray … three cans actually. I
might’ve
gone a bit overboard.

I pulled my phone out and sent Avery a text, asking if she was available for a girl’s night.

Her text was immediate, saying she’d meet me at the apartment.

I was actually a bit surprised. I was expecting a half-ass excuse from her. I guess she was as much in need of some girl time as I was.

I called my favorite Chinese restaurant and ordered our takeout, swinging by to pick it up.

When I pulled into the parking lot of Pete’s Garage, Avery’s red Volkswagen Beetle was already there.

“Do I smell chicken fried rice?” She asked me when I got out of the car with the large takeout bag.

I nodded.

“Gimme!” She grabbed the bag from me, not giving me a chance to relinquish it.

“Geez, manners, Avery,” I scolded lightly, grabbing my keys and trudging up the steps to our apartment over the garage.

“Bitch, I’m hungry,” she glared. “Oooh,” she exclaimed, peering into the bag, “they gave us extra egg rolls!”

“I figured if I only got two, you’d end up eating mine,” I laughed, opening the door and waving her inside first. She set the bag down in the kitchen. “Come on, Ace!” I called.

The large black lab came running out of the bedroom and to the door.

“Hey buddy, mommy missed you,” I scratched the top of his head, grabbing his leash off the coatrack, and attaching it to his collar. “Don’t eat my sweet and sour chicken,” I warned Avery.

She ceased pulling the boxes out of the bag. “Just one?” She pouted.

“The last time I told you that you could have one piece, I ended up starving because you ate it all, the answer’s no.”

“Fine,” she grumbled.

I walked Ace around the block, letting him stretch his long legs. I would’ve walked him longer, but I was starving, and afraid that despite my warning Avery would eat my food.

Ace bound into the apartment and over to his cushion, grabbing his favorite toy, a yellow duck, and proceeding to sling it around in his mouth.

Avery was sitting on the couch, the food spread out on the coffee table, and flipping through channels on the TV.

“Don’t even think about snagging one of Trace’s skittles,” I warned her, pointing to the bowl of skittles on top of the two crates that were flipped upside down and served as our coffee table. “I think he must have cameras in here somewhere. I ate … like three one time while he was working, and when he came in he
knew
I’d eaten some.”

“Maybe he counts them before he puts them in there,” she giggled before taking a huge bite out of her egg roll.

“I have no clue, but since then I haven’t touched them,” I shook my head, grabbing a water bottle, and sat down beside her on the couch. “Anything good on?” I pointed at the TV.

“Say Yes to the Dress is on,” she shrugged.

“That’s not too bad,” I grabbed my container of sweet and sour chicken.

“So, where’s Trace at?” She asked, looking around like he was about to magically appear.

“He’s having dinner with his grandpa tonight,” I shrugged.

“Aw, that’s sweet. It’s really cute how close he is with his family.”

“Yeah, it really is. It’s one of my favorite things about him,” I admitted.

“Ugh,” she groaned, “you guys are so in love it’s not fair. Wait! You didn’t tell me about the proposal!” She managed to stop shoving food in her mouth for five seconds in order to grab my hand and inspect my ring. “Oh, Tracey-poo did goooood. He wouldn’t show it to me when he told me his plan. I told him that as your best friend it needed my stamp of approval, but the little fucker just laughed at me. Doesn’t he understand the laws of the universe?”

I laughed. “You probably would’ve told him it needed to be bigger.” The diamond ring was already plenty big, but I knew Avery.

“Guilty,” she winked. “The bigger the better when it comes to
everything
.”

“How did I end up friends with you?” I groaned.

“You couldn’t resist my fabulousness. No one can,” she grabbed another egg roll. I decided to snag one before she ate them all. Avery
loved
Chinese food.

A lot of people didn’t like Avery. She was crazy smart and never afraid to speak her mind. But she had her wild side and had no problem jumping from one guy’s bed to the next. We were polar opposites, but we clicked, and she was honestly the best friend anyone could hope to have. She had my back and I had hers … even if she did drive me crazy a lot of the time, I wouldn’t have her any other way.

“So,” I ventured, hesitant of her reaction, “what’s up with you and Luca?”

She sighed, running her fingers through her red hair. “I don’t know, Livie.”

“I don’t believe that,” I pushed.

“It’s complicated,” she shrugged, frowning.

“Avery,” I reached for her hand, “I’m your best friend, you can tell me.” I’d said basically the same thing yesterday at graduation and it hadn’t done any good. But today was a new day.

She shook her head. “Livie, it’s not a big deal. Really. Sometimes people drift apart. I know you’ve only had Trace and you two are perfect for each other so you don’t understand, but this is normal, I promise.”

I knew she was evading telling me the truth by trying to make me feel like I was stupid when it came to relationships. Trace may have been my only boyfriend, but I wasn’t dumb.

“Alright,” I sighed, grabbing a packet of sauce. I was done pestering her. If she didn’t want to tell me, then I didn’t want to know. I wasn’t going to get into a fight with my best friend over nosiness. It wasn’t worth it. “Want to watch a movie On-Demand?”

She grinned. “As long as I get to see Channing Tatum’s butt.”

I cringed. “Fine,” I reluctantly agreed, because I knew she needed some cheering up.

Magic Mike began to play and it wasn’t long until I’d completely lost my appetite and was hiding my face behind a pillow with Chewbacca on it. Trace had a Star Wars obsession, it was one of his cute quirks like his love of ketchup that was too adorable to complain about. Although, he’d probably be pissed if I told him I thought it was adorable. I’d just have to keep that tidbit of information to myself.

The movie ended and I hugged Avery goodbye, watching to make sure she got in her car and left the parking lot in one piece. My paranoia extended to everyone, not just myself.