Page 15

Standing behind Olivia in line for lunch, I watch her hesitate as she takes her tray and looks around the cafeteria. Her usual lunch buddy, Nick Salazar, isn’t in today, so I pay for my own lunch and touch her elbow.

She jumps and turns toward me, a smile blooming on her face.

“Why don’t you come and eat in my office with me?” Not that I don’t assume she’s made other friends, but still, I feel compelled to offer.

The sparkle in her eye gives me a renewed pang of attraction. I’m playing a dangerous game, but I can’t seem to help myself.

“Sure.” Intrigue or interest keeps the small smile on her face, and heat blooms in my chest.

I nod toward the exit and enjoy how she takes the lead.

We don’t talk on the way up, and I like the way we don’t need to fill up the space with nonsense.

The problem is how hard it is to keep my gaze off her shapely ass.

How her long, red hair sways around her waist. How she peeks over her shoulder to peer back at me only once before we make it to the elevator.

Once I have her seated across from me at my desk, I ask her the easiest question to get her talking—something I actually find that I like. “How is your project going?”

Another full smile that threatens the barriers I keep in place while at work.

“Good. My group just did a new round of labs that I need to run today. I don’t expect big changes, but I have noticed some psychological changes in the group after our first week.

Plus, I just really enjoy getting to know my group better. ”

Pink paints her cheeks at the admission, but it doesn’t dim her passion at all.

“It’s good to care about them. It means you’ll work harder for them.”

“But?”

“Don’t work harder than they do. They have to put in the work too. You can’t do it all for them.”

Olivia laughs, good-natured and sweet. “I know, but thank you.”

“You enjoy training them?”

“I do. It’s what I tried to do before I started my graduate degree.” She opens her container to a grilled caprese sandwich, sliced grilled steak, and a small fresh fruit salad. It’s an excellent pairing and looks much more appetizing than the burrito bowl I grabbed.

Not that the center offers poor quality food.

“Why did you simply try? You don’t seem like the type to take no for an answer.”

“Mmm. I’m not, but there isn’t much you can do when everyone tells you no.”

Hence, her degree path. I’m glad we’ve been able to offer her the chance to throw it back in their faces. Maybe not the most professional response, but I hate the bias inherent in the fitness industry.

“Did you know that I teach Pedagogy of Physical Activity?” The admission has her gaze locking on mine and amusement lining her mouth.

“Really? I didn’t know you taught.”

“One class every other semester.” My shoulder lifts in a half shrug. “It’s the only one I take on because I enjoy it so much.”

“What’s your favorite lesson?” Her genuine curiosity warms me inside. No one’s ever asked me before.

Will she think I’m indulging her? “It’s actually the section on inclusive pedagogy.”

Her eyes narrow, but it’s more playful than suspicious. “Seriously?”

I nod. “Seriously, Olivia. I’ve seen the gap in education for a long time, and the few patients I get to work with are not athletes. They’re normal people who have mobility issues.”

The slow grin bunching her apple cheeks fills me with something I didn’t know I’d been missing.

“That doesn’t seem to be the norm here, but I have to say I’m more surprised by how many people have been supportive of where my focus lies.”

I laugh. “There’s a handful of us.”

Her eyes light up at my laughter. “So, what steered you in that direction? Why is that your favorite?”

Is it strange that I feel like the student as she asks me that instead of the other way around? “My best friend was diagnosed with MS right before his twenty-first birthday. He had problems before that with his balance, fatigue, and muscle spasms in high school.”

It made Lorenzo depressed because we’d both loved to play soccer as kids.

“He used to outrun me in the park. Then he started falling. He’d brush it off, laugh, but I could see the panic. He slowly backed out of his favorite activities, a lot of what we did together.”

“Did he pull away from you too? That’s a big thing to go through.” God, she’s so observant, so in tune with the emotional part of the onset of health issues.

“He did, but I figured out what was happening and made it a point to find things we could do together. It shaped the path of my university choices. I already knew I wanted to work in physical education, but he sent me into research rather than coaching like I had originally planned.”

“It takes a good person to adapt like that.”

I huff an almost nonexistent laugh. “I don’t know about that, but I did want to make changes on how physical disabilities and mobile limitations were treated in school. I was a secondary school PE teacher while I worked through my PhD program.”

Olivia’s green eyes are soft and round with emotion. Approval maybe?

“Anyway, since then, I’ve worked with a lot of clients who have progressive, degenerative diseases. I had to give most of it up when I moved here for this job though.” It was a hard decision to make, but the money and opportunity for Ivan outweighed the losses of the momentum I built back home.

That, and Ivan’s mother turned down my proposal. She even encouraged my move when I told her, not wanting the responsibility of being a wife and mother. I’ll never understand her decision, but I’m glad I have our son. I can’t imagine my life without him.

Olivia must see my thoughts churning, so she redirects me. “Where is home?”

“Barcelona.”

The shock on her face has me smiling. It’s amazing how easy she makes it for me. I’ve always been told I’m a grump, but I enjoy being around her.

“Really? Tell me about what life is like there. I hate to be that person, but I’ve always wanted to visit. I’ve never been anywhere but here…” Her blush is beautiful.

That pang I’ve grown used to from her presence grows into something more.

I want to take her home and show her around.

“It’s beautiful. Slower than the US. Lazy mornings, late dinners, a strong sense of community.

Most of what I can relay is about the sense of belonging when I’m home.

I grew up in a big family. A strong support system. ”

Her mouth twists into a half smile and half frown. “You don’t have that here?”

A muscle in my cheek twitches. “No. I have friends, colleagues, my son, but it’s not the same.”

Olivia pokes at a piece of watermelon on her tray. “How often do you get to go home?”

“Every Christmas. A few weeks in the summer.”

“So Ivan can visit his mother?”

I tip my head to the side in a kind of gesture. “Yes, and to see the family I left behind. They come here once a year too. But both times of the year are beautiful.”

“I bet.”

“My mom has learned to FaceTime, so the whole family gathers together on Sundays to chat with us. It’s not quite like sharing a meal, but it’s as close as we can get.

” I do miss them all terribly, but life here is full enough now that I don’t feel the urge to run home. “Are you close with your family?”

A piece of watermelon makes it between her lips before she meets my gaze.

“Yes. I still live at home. So does my brother. We all work a lot, so it’s not overwhelming.

But I get what you’re saying about family dinners.

We make a big to-do on Sundays. Usually.

It helps that my brother is a sous chef at the Brass Fox. ”

My eyes widen. Really? It’s one of the few places I splurge on when I’m in the mood for something adventurous.

Her laughter twinkles. “There’s always been a big love of food in my house.

Baking with my mom, grilling with my dad, and then Theo showed promise in the kitchen.

My parents are super supportive, so he took over our kitchen most nights until he started working full time. Now, we take what we can get.”

“He’s the one that made the cannoli left in the faculty office, isn’t he?”

Olivia’s head falls back with her laughter. “I knew Dr. Wright would put them there. Yes. He is.”

“I didn’t mean to call him out.”

“No. I already knew he wouldn’t eat them as soon as I sat down in his office.”

I raise an eyebrow at her. “He did though. I saw him eating one.”

She blinks at me in astonishment. “Really? He showed weakness in public?”

I laugh a little.

“Ha. Good to know. Next time he makes a treat, I’ll be sure to bring some in to share.”

Again, I find that I want to treat her too. She’d love the food back home. Part of me wants to invite her on my next trip in a couple of months. Too bad that would be…awkward. Well, it might not be, which is more reason not to entertain the idea.

“Tell me more about your parents.”

“Dad works a lot, like sixty hours a week. He’s a machinist at the manufacturing plant, so when he’s home, he likes to chill in his chair and watch his sports.

We can prod him to grill sometimes or come do a puzzle, but we try to let him relax.

Mom cleans houses, which has her out early in the morning.

Most of the time she’s home in the afternoons, so her and I do projects together.

Right now, we’re learning how to make charms out of polymer clay. ”

“Sounds like you have a good family.”

My comment makes her brighten. “I do.”

We lapse into silence as we finally make some progress on our food, but then she tilts her head at me. “How’s Ivan doing?”

I chew through my bite and furrow my brows. “Good. Typical preteen. Spends most of his time doing homework or playing video games.”

“I played a few rounds with him over the weekend.”

That surprises me. Ivan didn’t mention it. I would have expected him to. “Really?”

“Yeah. He’s pretty good. Helped me get a new achievement. My brother is totally jealous.” Her mischievous grin spreads warmth through my chest again.

I shouldn’t like how she connects with my son so much, but I do.

“So, why do you eat in your office most days?”

I blink at her for a second. “I usually work through lunch.”

“It’s not because most of the staff are intimidated by you?”

I straighten. “Are they?”

She smiles softly, teasingly. “I’m not, but it does seem that way. I believe you have the reputation of being tough but fair.”

“Ah, I am that.” I clear my throat. “I’ve had…a few issues with employees getting too familiar, so I shut it down before it can go anywhere.”

She raises her brow questioningly. “Yet, you invited me here to have lunch with you.”

I chew on my response for a moment. “You don’t strike me as the type to take advantage of my kindness the way others have before.”

“Mmm. You’re right. I wouldn’t. You should come sit with us at lunch more often.”

“I’ll consider it. You’re always free to come eat with me here as well.”

When she’s finished, I watch her go, settling back in my chair, and cursing myself for how familiar I want to get with Olivia. It goes against my nature, my rules, but if I keep on this way, I’m going to break them with her.