Page 64 of Between Desire and Denial

“It’s not everyone. My dad, Jameson and his dad, definitely Lucille and Earl. Your dad… well, okay, it’s a lot of people you know in the neighborhood. But your mom was influential and—”

“Why didn’t she tell me?” I sighed as my fingers danced over the gold etchings of the pen.

“Oh, Olive, I’m sure she wanted to tell you in her own way. She might have. Or maybe she didn’t want you all mixed up in this mess until you were old enough. Look at Knox… he’s making all the wrong decisions.” I heard the pain in Esme’s voice then. I knew she’d been close to him, that they’d once considered each other best friends.

“What wrong decisions, Esme?”

“Not my story to tell, Olive.” Esme’s tone sounded guarded and stilted then, like she didn’t want to talk anymore. “I gotta go, okay? Just be careful with that book.” And she hung up on me.

I realized nothing would be disclosed to me if I didn’t become closer with people around here. So, I got dressed in some black yoga leggings and a sports bra tank to go on our walk, hoping to continue building those relationships.

Dimitri arrived not much later, right as I was finishing stretches. “That outfit should be illegal.”

“I wear this every time we walk.”

“And every time I wonder if Jameson is going to take his eyes off your chest,” he growled. I wasn’t going to remind him that these walks were essential to establishing us in the community, that this was how we made friends, and that Jameson had always been a sort of flirty friend of mine.

“You’re just imagining things.” I brushed off his comment and tipped my head toward our room. “Go, hurry up and change so we can get this over with. I want to stop by the spa today, too, and see if I can take on some part time hours.” He eyed me up one last time before he walked down the hall.

“What for? You need more money?”

I ignored that. He and I both knew I didn’t need the money for living expenses. I needed the town gossip to include me, that would help to establish better friendships with people, crazy as it sounded. “It’ll help me with the article and thesis.”

He came back out from the room wearing black gym shorts and a thin light-blue T-shirt. His pecs were outlined and his arms on full display. In his hand was one of my fake plumerias. He smoothed some of my curls before he placed it gently behind my ear.

“Thanks,” I whispered.

He nodded at me as if all was right in his world before holding up his pointer finger. “Let me get your water bottle. No ice, right?”

I narrowed my eyes at him going into the kitchen to fill the bottle. “Why are you helping me get ready?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” He held out my black water bottle. “I’m your boyfriend, right?” As we walked out onto the porch, he put his hand on the small of my back.

“You’re overdoing it behind closed doors,” I told him.

“Nope,” he replied and hisppopped loudly. “This is how it’s going to be, Olive. I’m your boyfriend. I take care of you. Youaccept it. Now, I’ll call Madi today at the spa and have her add hours for you. She’s the manager.”

“Who? Wait… just like that?” I threw my hands up.

“Yes.” As we started our walk, we fell into sync, and he grabbed my hand. It was normal that we held hands on our walk, yet every single time, I got butterflies. “Just like that, Olive. I hired her a few months ago, but she lives twenty minutes away because we can’t get the condos approved for renters. Yet.”

“So, she’ll just give me a job?”

“If I say so, she will.”

“Seems a bit like favoritism.”

“And don’t you all do the same? I bet if you called Esme’s dad asking for a job at the pizza parlor, he’d give you one.”

“Yes, but …”

“But what?”

I didn’t know what. It felt weird that he’d infiltrated my hometown, that he had that much pull right away. It made me wonder even more if the Diamond Syndicate was intentionally blocking him.

Right as we got to the end of our sidewalk, we saw Lucille and waved to her. “Hey, you two. Your plants are going to need some watering soon.”

We both frowned over at the bushes and flowers that had definitely seen better days. “I’ll hire someone,” Dimitri mumbled to me before he yelled back to her, “Olive keeps me busy inside, Lucille. But we’ll definitely get to it. I’ll be out of town soon, so if she needs a bit of help, feel free to remind her.”