Starting at seven tonight.Liam“What in the hell possessed me to offer to make dinner?” Standing in the middle of the kitchen, shouting at Stone on speakerphone while I stared at the ceiling.
Stone’s deep voice roared with laughter. “My guess is ego, possibly arrogance. The question is what can you cook?”
“Steak and potatoes. I grill anything.” That sounded pathetic even to my own ears but I was picky and everything tasted better on the grill. “Any ideas?”
“Fish is healthy and easy to grill, plus you have plenty of time to catch a few before tonight. Start there.”
I stared at the phone in disbelief. “That’s it? I thought you’d be more helpful since you spend all your time with Sophie.”
“Hey, try Google. I hear they know just about every damn thing.”
“Very funny. Dick.”
Stone’s laughter was the only response. “Seriously? What difference does it make? You’re only trying to convince her that you want the kid, right?”
Shit. Stone’s words brought me up short. He was right, I was acting like this was some kind of date and it wasn’t. This was two people, bound together by a twist of fate and a tiny human, having dinner. Getting to know one another. “Yeah. Right.”
“Uh-oh, that sounds more uncertain than I’ve ever heard from you, man. You sweet on Olive?” He was teasing but his words hit the mark.
“No. I’m just trying to show her I’m not a total asshole.” That’s all it was, I was sure of it. “The way she laid things out, from her perspective, it fucked with my head Stone.” I sounded like the worst kind of man, the kind I’d greet at the door with a shotgun if he wanted to take my daughter out. “I have to do better.”
He sighed as understanding dawned. “Then there’s just one thing for you to do.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“Do better. Duh.” His deeply amused chuckle sounded down the line and I could just imagine him shaking his head at me. “Good luck. Let me know how it goes.”
“If Sophie doesn’t tell you first,” I shot back and ended the call quickly, knowing I’d hit my mark with expert precision.
Alone now with nothing but my thoughts and too many dinner options to make a choice without second and third-guessing myself, I realized I didn’t know much about Olive or her preferences. Maybe she didn’t eat meat since she’d only gotten vegetables and cheese on her pizza. Shit, maybe she was a vegan! In the end, I took Stone’s advice and put the fish I’d caught this morning on the grill along with two large sweet potatoes and corn on the cob fresh from my neighbor’s farm.
I was ready.
For dinner, at least.
By the time seven o’clock rolled around, I had showered and changed into a clean pair of jeans and a blue checkered short-sleeved shirt I had no memory of buying. My hair was still damp and sticking in all directions when the doorbell rang, and using my fingers only made it worse, so with a shrug I pulled open the big wooden door and smiled. At least I hoped it looked like a smile. “Olive. Right on time. Come in.” I stepped back and motioned her in, watching as she stepped inside carefully and looked around with interest.
“Hi,” she said, suddenly shy and unsure of herself. “Nice place.”
“Thanks. Want a tour?”
Olive arched a brow at me over her shoulder, lips pulled up into a playful grin. “Is that a euphemism?”
“Not at the moment, no.” Not that I would say no to another round in the sack with Olive. Our current situation not withstanding, that had been a memorable night, burned into my memory forever.
“Okay. Sure, I’ll take a tour.”
I don’t know why, but I took her hand and led her through to the far end of my ranch style log cabin. “This is the gym and the next room is my office.”
“Wow, that’s some gym. Do you work out every day?”
I nodded and rubbed a hand down the back of my head. “I try to but it’s not always possible.”
“And the office?”
“Sometimes I need to scope out terrains and local politics to see what we need when we land, wherever we land.”
Olive’s green eyes stared at me curiously and she folded her arms, still watching me when we stopped at the library that doubled as my game room. Her gaze never wavered as we made our way to the kitchen, the guest room and the master bedroom. “Interesting.”
“What?” I folded my arms over my chest and looked down at her. “Go on and say whatever it is you’re thinking.” She’d been trying hard not to say whatever was on her mind so I braced myself, prepared for anything.
“You do logistics and tactical preparations, so why do you act like you’re just some foot soldier?”
My mouth kicked into a bitter grin. “I think the actual foot soldiers might be offended by the just part of that question.”