Bad Boys Do (Donovan Brothers Brewery 2)

“Absolutely.”

Their food finally arrived, and Gwen ordered another round. Her eyes stayed on Olivia as she took her first bite of salmon.

“What?” Olivia asked.

“I kind of thought you’d leave after the divorce. Go work for a school in Denver.”

Olivia found it hard to swallow. “Mmm.”

“Did you think about it?”

“Sure,” she lied, trying to hide the fact that the idea terrified her.

“I mean, you could go anywhere, not just Denver. Anywhere. There’s nothing keeping you here. In fact, you should find out if they have any openings at Hawaii State.”

She could go anywhere. She knew that. And she didn’t understand why the thought made her want to cry. She was free now. There had to be a school somewhere that was looking for knowledge like hers. All this tension and awkwardness with her ex would be gone in an instant.

But the very idea hurt her deep inside, like acid gnawing through the core of her. “Hawaii,” she murmured. “I’ll have to check that out.”

“Do it. Then find out if they’re hiring any administrative assistants.”

Olivia raised her new drink and even managed a smile, but she knew she’d never look into it.

Was she that afraid of change? Was she so weak that she couldn’t imagine going somewhere new, trying something different? She was trying to stretch her wings and take more chances. But the idea of searching out a position at a new school made her feel sick.

Baby steps, she told herself, hoping that was all it would take. But maybe she wasn’t brave. Maybe Jamie Donovan made everything so easy that it didn’t take any courage at all.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“OH, GOD,” OLIVIA SCREAMED. “Oh, no.”

“Hold on,” Jamie urged.

She wrapped her hands tighter around the bar and squeezed her eyes shut as the coaster crested the hill. “Why am I doing this?”

“You know why!” He laughed.

“This isn’t fun!” she cried just as the world dropped from beneath them and gravity disappeared. Olivia didn’t scream. She pressed her teeth tight together and held her breath as if she were plunging into water.

When they swung into the bottom curve, she finally gasped for air.

“Are you okay?” Jamie asked, his big hand closing over her knee.

She nodded, still trying to catch her breath. But by the time they hit the next hill, Olivia was laughing. Hard. She couldn’t manage to stop, even when the coaster flew into its last long stretch and Jamie pulled her in for a kiss.

“You look exactly the same way you do after sex,” he said.

“Because I’m laughing?” She collapsed into giggles again at his look of outrage.

“I was thinking more of the breathless screams.”

“I bet you were.”

He kissed her one more time before helping her out of the car. “Where to now?”

“I can’t take any more. My voice is almost gone.”

“Come on. One more ride.”