Page 44 of Olivia’s Only Pretending (Sweet River #3)
Thirty-Two
I tiptoed down my creaky staircase in the crisp November morning air. While I fumbled with my coffee maker, my phone rang. I blinked at the caller ID to find Lucy’s name on the screen.
“It’s barely six a.m.,” I answered through a big yawn. My coffee maker bubbled to life.
“I know, but I’m about to leave for work. The kindergarten day starts early,” she said. “Now, do you really think you have enough time after work to get ready for tonight?”
Tonight was the wedding rehearsal dinner. I was going as Victor’s date. As his real girlfriend . “I’m leaving work early, actually, so you can come straight over after work.”
“Which hair supplies do you want me to bring?”
“All of them,” I said. “I want to let the ponytail down and have flowy curls or something.”
Lucy squealed on the other end. “What are you wearing?”
“That red halter dress I got for the Henderson wedding last year.”
“Victor’s going to lose it,” Lucy said. And she wasn’t wrong. I looked really good in that dress. “Okay, so text me when you’re heading home from work.”
Victor rehearsed his speech with me again last night. I was ready for him to deliver the speech and see for himself how good it was and soak in how much it meant to Gabriel.
“Thanks, Lucy. I’m really excited to be on girlfriend duty,” I said, pouring myself a mug of steamy coffee. A couple of lectures and then I’d be back home getting ready for tonight.
I was about to walk out of my office and head to the first of my morning lectures when Gabby rushed through the door.
“Olivia! Your new class is the talk of the department,” she said, with her eyes bright.
I was standing by my desk, my tote already over my shoulder.
“You’ve had the most student interest in the shortest amount of time that the department has ever seen.”
I had heard about this. Dean Oates had already sent me an email congratulating me on the student excitement late last night. “I can’t wrap my mind around it, honestly.”
“I was here for an early class, and I’ve seen myself how it’s been the talk of the department all morning. All morning , Liv.”
A warm rush of pride filled my chest. “I don’t even know what to say. I’m thrilled the students are excited about it.”
“It’s not just the students. All of us are excited. I plan on attending.” Gabby crossed her arms, with her bracelets jingling.
“Come as often as you like,” I said. “You’re invited to all of my classes.”
“Do you know who has had a lot of questions about it?”
“Who?” A tight wrinkle formed between my eyebrows.
“Ryan.” She dropped her voice low. “He was asking me all these questions about you and the class. About Victor.”
I rubbed my forehead. “I’m sorry. That’s annoying. He’s annoying .”
“I don’t care. I bragged on you. And the class.” She chuckled. “And Victor.”
“The audacity of that man—after spreading rumors about me—to now try and gather intel.” I rolled my eyes. “Can he just fly home now?”
Gabby put her hands together in prayer. “Please, Lord, send Ryan back home.”
“Amen and amen,” I added, heading toward my office door. “I have a lecture. Let’s talk after.”
I was wiping down the chalkboard after a lecture on early Greek life as the last few students trailed out of the classroom, when in rushed the seminar moderator, Alexis.
“Dr. Rhodes?” She had a short black bob that bounced when she walked and big blue eyes. Her eyes looked intent, like she was on a mission.
“Hi, how can I help you?”
“Ryan dropped out of the seminar happening this afternoon,” she said, her voice high and stressed. This seminar was the big grand finale for the Fall Seminar Series. It was going to be packed. Almost the entire department was going to be there. Except for me. I was happily missing.
“Oh my.” I leaned my hip against the podium in front of the room. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to ask you to take his place.” She raised her shoulders up toward her ears in question. “Will you take his place, please?”
My eyes went wide. “I-I have plans tonight …”
“This seminar’s big plug was a closing lecture about a closer look at daily life in Ancient Greece.
You gave a riveting and quite popular lecture on this topic a couple of years ago …
I still have notes from it. You’d be the perfect substitute.
” She took a few steps closer, her hands clasped at her chest. “Please.”
“I truly do have plans.” I twisted my fingers together. “A rehearsal dinner.”
“Are you in the wedding?”
“No, but my boyfriend is.” I shrugged
“Can you tell him your department is in a real bind and that the head of the department had been the one to specifically bring your name up to step in?”
I loved this department, this school, these students. But Victor, and his toast.
“I’ll call him and get back to you,” I said.
“ O livia, Olivia, don’t worry about it.” Victor’s voice was a balm to the anxious ball in my chest. “There’s a reason they asked for you to step up. They know they can rely on you. You’re the dang heart of that department. Show up for your team, okay?”
I groaned, sinking into my leather office chair. “I want to be your date tonight, though, not be at school. Lucy was going to curl my hair. I was going to record your toast. I had big plans.”
His laugh vibrated into the phone. I could almost feel it against my skin. “You’re still my wedding date tomorrow, right? No school parade they need you to lead or something?”
“Yes, I’m still your date tomorrow, I promise.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“I’m really, really sorry.” I spun in my office chair until I was facing the window behind my desk that looked out onto the campus. Trees in reds and oranges blew in the breeze.
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about. I’m proud of you. You’ll be a million times better than he would’ve been. You should’ve been the first pick anyway.”
“Well, I’m proud of you ,” I said. “Your toast is better than you realize. Don’t worry about anything other than saying it straight to Gabriel, okay?”
“Okay,” he said, like following orders.
“You’re so much more amazing than you realize.” I rubbed the tender place on my chest.
He cleared his throat. “Back at you.”
We hung up, and I buried my head in my hands.
My body, my brain, would be here showing up for the school, but my heart was already driving back to Sweet River to show up for the guy who always showed up for me.
I spent the next couple of hours familiarizing myself with the lecture I was supposed to give tonight. I’d given it a few times, so it came back to me pretty quickly. I sent the slides over to the team.
And before I knew it, I was backstage. The other presenters’ voices boomed through the speakers while I prepped and went over beats with the stagehand. And, admittedly, I kept checking the time and imagining what Victor would be doing right then.
While I hung backstage and sipped from my plastic water bottle at 6:44, Victor was probably practicing walking down the aisle with the maid of honor.
At 7:12, as I was about to walk on stage, Victor was probably finding his name card on the table for dinner.
“Well, here’s our savior of the night.” Dean Oates woke me from my visions of Victor’s night without me. “I wanted to thank you for stepping up. I know it’s not easy to jump into an event like this with only a few hours to prepare. It’s huge, and the whole department is grateful.”
It felt surreal. Weeks ago, I was angry that Ryan would be giving the grand finale to the Fall Seminar Series as a special lecturer, and now here I was, begged by the moderator to step in and take his place.
With only a few hours to prepare, at that.
Not enough time to really enjoy, or enough time to properly freak out.
“Of course, I’m happy to help. I want the whole night to be a success.”
I stepped on stage. The spotlight was bright on me as I pulled the microphone to my lips with shaking hands.
Once I began talking, it felt easy, natural even.
This presentation was such a passion project that it felt more like a conversation, my excitement palpable to the audience.
I recognized many of the students in the front rows, and seeing their interest as I spoke got me buzzing.
Time flew by. The only thing missing was Victor grinning proudly in the front row.
Next thing I knew, I was backstage again.
They were preparing us for the ending Q&A panel. While Alexis was briefing us, I glanced toward the clock backstage. 7:50. Victor probably hadn’t even given his toast yet.
If I left right now …
“I’ve got to go,” I interrupted Alexis. She looked immediately panicked. “I’m so sorry. I filled the important slot, I gave my time, but I know these speakers can handle the Q&A panel. You guys will barely feel the lack of my presence, but there’s somewhere my presence really matters.”
Alexis took a beat, taking in the information. “Okay then. Go where you need to be.”
I ran out the back door, slipping off my ankle boots, with my bare feet running down the cool sidewalk. The campus was quiet and dim in the fading sunlight.
I climbed into my car, turning it toward Sweet River. Toward Victor. With my gray trouser slacks and matching blazer and ponytail nearly coming undone, this was what I was wearing to the rehearsal dinner—so long red halter dress.
But I was going to show up for him, messy and late, but I would be there.