Page 19 of Olivia’s Only Pretending (Sweet River #3)

Fourteen

Victor

*sends close-up photo of Watson; mostly just his nose and left eye are shown*

I got up to grab something from the kitchen and left a bowl of fruity pebbles on the coffee table and this dog ate my last few bites

which isn’t the exact same as knocking it to the ground (…like you did), but I still had the last bite of my dessert ruined again

Me

Fruity pebbles are a dessert to you?

Victor

sugary nighttime cereals are one of the best desserts imo

Me

I suppose Watson agrees

Victor

proud and disappointed

I guess that’s being a parent

“ A dam visited my class yesterday,” Lucy said from her spot at my kitchen island.

She and Adam had stopped by my house after a dinner date to pick up the dress I’d borrowed and drop off a purse of mine she’d borrowed, but somehow, it turned into the three of us sitting around my kitchen island, breaking into the to-go boxes.

“It was career day.”

Adam shook his head and let out a sigh. “Kindergarteners are scarier than you realize.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Scary? What happened at career day?”

Lucy and Adam exchanged a glance.

Lucy cleared her throat. “Adam came to talk about the city management offices. He brought all these fun mementos from the summer festival, plus some of the snacks we’d had at the festival to pass around. Popcorn and funnel cakes. The kids got pretend tickets. That part went really well.”

“Okay.” I stabbed a piece of ravioli from the Styrofoam container with my fork and took a bite.

“It went awry after the presentation part was done. I went over to tell Adam goodbye. We were standing by the classroom door, and mind you, he isn’t around large groups of kids much. So he’s totally out of his element,” Lucy said.

“I’m around large groups of kids a regular amount for a non-teacher,” Adam said, picking at a roll from the other Styrofoam container.

“Fine, but the point is he was completely out of his element. I’m trying for a quick and chaste goodbye, and instead, Adam grabs me by the waist and gives me a big kiss goodbye right on the mouth,” Lucy said through a fit of laughter.

“Oh, I’ve seen those goodbye kisses.” I rolled my eyes, stabbing at another bite. “I can’t imagine how a mob of five-year-olds reacted to it.”

“Hey, I wasn’t warned to avoid kissing in front of the students!” Adam defended himself, with his thick glasses sliding down his nose.

“I didn’t think I had to!” Lucy said, catching her breath after her laughter.

“I also think you should consider your audience more. I’ve seen you smack a big kiss on her at church, too.” I tsked judgmentally.

“I’m set in my ways.” Adam shrugged.

Lucy pushed me away from the takeout box to get her own bite. “Now, when the kids saw the kiss, it was full-on chaos. They were pointing and shouting, “look at Lucy and Mr. Lucy.’”

“Mr. Lucy?” I snorted.

“That’s what they’ve taken to calling him. Then they all started singing ‘K-I-S-S-I-N-G’ at the top of their lungs. It was so much commotion. I was trying to calm them down.”

“Lucy and Mr. Lucy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” Adam sang in imitation, head hanging down.

“Adam was beet red. I was trying to usher him out the door, since he’d now become a total source of mania to the kids. I mean, they were singing so loud I had neighboring teachers coming over to check on our classroom, asking ‘Miss Rhodes, we heard a lot of commotion, is everything okay?’”

Adam’s head was in his hands. “One. Small. Kiss.”

“Small to you, but huge and full of cooties to a five-year-old,” I said.

“That’s all it takes for kindergartners.

It was a scandal. I checked my inbox a bit ago, and emails were already rolling in with questions from parents about what their kids were saying about class today.

‘ I was told Miss Lucy was kissing a boy in class today. Is it true you were teaching the kids how to sing K-I-S-S-I-N-G in class today? Did you have a date at class today?’ ” Lucy was grinning from ear to ear, though. It was never boring with Lucy and Adam.

Adam’s phone rang. “Oh,” he said, checking the caller ID. “That’s my brother. I’m going to take this really quick.”

Adam stepped out of the kitchen, and Lucy spun toward me. The light over my kitchen island made her green eyes glow. “I’ve been dying to ask how the dinner was with your pretend date ?”

Better than I’d hoped. Way too fun; way too confusing. “It went fine.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “We were convincing. Victor was actually amazing the entire time. Everyone adored him.”

“He is easy to adore,” Lucy said.

“It’s the Victor Effect,” I said with a small shrug, tearing a piece off Adam’s roll. “He came to the festival today. He’s dedicated to being a buffer at all of the events.”

“How’d today go?” Lucy asked, her eyes searching mine.

“It was fine,” I said.

“Fine?” Lucy repeated.

“It was great, actually,” I said, feeling my guard lower a little. Victor was making my work life, which I already loved, somehow even better when he was there.

“Did you see Ryan?”

“We spoke briefly at the dinner last night, and then today, I saw him in the distance at the fall festival. He’s basically just an annoying background presence at these things, now, like a fly buzzing around.

I can mostly forget about him if he keeps his distance,” I said, feeling only mildly guilty to compare him to a bug.

Lucy patted her chin thoughtfully with the plastic fork. “What happens if everyone finds out about this scheme?”

I took a beat to think. My eyes settled on Adam in the living room across the way, laughing into the phone. “We’re just taking advantage of the assumptions everyone had already jumped to,” I said, trying not to think too much about when Victor told our couple origin story last night at dinner.

“Or maybe you two will start dating and—” Lucy said.

“No, no, no. Let’s not go there!” I said, holding up a hand. I felt like I’d gotten into the habit of saying the same thing over and over to my own heart: no, no, no, let’s not go there .

Adam walked back into the kitchen, where Lucy was closing the takeout boxes. “You ready to head out, Luce?”

She nodded to Adam, but placed her hand on my arm, looking at me with serious eyes. “I’m calling you tomorrow, and I need actual details about the past couple of days, okay? Details, Olivia.”