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She happily typed on her phone, and she looked so young at that moment, so excited about something as simple as passing out candy to a bunch of kids. He wanted her to experience the simple things, and he loved that he was there to see this one. But as much as he wished he could whisk her away to a normal life, he knew deep down she would never really want that. She clearly enjoyed acting and the many perks that went along with her lifestyle. And every time he entertained the possibility of them being together, it became more obvious that a life like his would never be enough for her. There was very little he could offer her. And as sad as that realization was, it simply reaffirmed that it was best if they maintained the status quo.
When Skylar and Franky arrived, Oliver sent Skylar upstairs with her bag of costumes to the guest room, where Adelia was napping. Franky came in, carrying a couple pizza boxes, and Oliver’s mouth watered at the sight.
“Come and get it,” Franky said with a laugh.
Oliver ushered him into the kitchen and grabbed some plates from the cupboard. “Thanks for the pizza, man.”
“Dig in. There’s plenty.”
They ate and made small talk. Oliver didn’t know Franky very well, but he always came across as a friendly, funny kind of guy.
The girls’ laughter carried from upstairs then, and the guys chuckled at the sound.
“Women are so loud when they get together, am I right?” Franky tilted his head toward the stairs.
“You would be correct.” He took a bite of pizza and sighed with satisfaction. “It was really nice of you to make this happen for Adelia at the last minute.”
“She’s like an honorary member of the Schultz family. They would do anything for her.” Franky pointed at him. “That’s why they hired you. Only the best for their Adelia.”
Oliver’s heart warmed. “I appreciate you saying that.”
Franky nodded as he chewed on a piece of pizza.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Oliver’s heart stuttered in his chest at the sight of Adelia’s costume.
“I thought you were dressing as a skeleton,” he said.
“They didn’t have any skeleton costumes left,” Skylar responded for Adelia, “unless we went with a slutty skeleton, and I didn’t think that was what she had in mind.” The girls giggled.
Adelia looked adorable, from her black beanie-hat-topped head to the black Converse low tops on her feet and everything in between. A thin black mask was tied around her face with her eyes peeking through the holes, and the black-and-white-striped shirt over black jeans completed the look.
She turned from side to side. “You like?”
Oliver responded with a smile and a nod, but his mind was also on their earlier conversation.
Franky stood and put his plate on the kitchen counter, then went upstairs with Skylar to change into their costumes, which left the two of them alone.
“You make a cute burglar,” he mumbled as she stepped closer.
“Are you going to arrest me?” she asked with a coy smile.
He took a deep breath in and let it out in a huff. “Not if you behave yourself.”
She stepped even closer and hooked her finger through the handcuffs on his belt. “I’ll do whatever you say, officer.”
He swallowed hard as his hand lifted of its own accord and slid the mask down to her neck to reveal her face. “Whatever I say?”
She nodded.
He took hold of her shoulders to hinder her from getting any closer and looked into her eyes. “Stop flirting with me.”
Their gazes stayed locked for several long beats.
“I can’t seem to help myself,” she said with a grin.
“We’re friends, so maybe try a little harder to resist me.” He said the last part as a joke, but she didn’t laugh.
“Okay.” He hated that he’d put a frown on her face, but it had to be this way.