at
all.
Lainie looked at her with wide eyes. "How
long have you known Michael?"
"Too long."
"How about you, Lainie?" Eve asked quickly.
"Do you have anyone special waiting for you at home?"
Lainie blushed. "No. There's no one."
Happy Eve maneuvered the
conversation away from Michael, Olivia leaned closer, studying her.
"You look guilty. There is someone, isn't there?"
Gwen smiled. "You might as well confess.
She'll pry it out of you eventually."
"Olivia is nothing if not relentless," Eve
added.
Lainie's gaze darted to each of them and
back. "Okay, there is a man I'm interested in."
Gwen scooted closer. "Details! We want
details."
"There really isn't much to say. He doesn't
know I'm alive."
"He must be an idiot then," Olivia said.
Lainie's head snapped up and her eyes
flashed. "He is not. He's quite intelligent. And very kind, despite
what people think of him."
She rolled her eyes. "Then what's holding
him up?"
"I'm not his type."
"You're every man's type, Lainie," Eve said.
"Don't believe anyone if they say otherwise."
Lainie shook her head. "I'm drab."
"You don't have to be," Olivia said. "I
think you wield your wool suits like camouflage. Underneath all
that gray, there's a red lace kind of person."
"You have a fairy princess kind of beauty,"
Gwen said. "I'd kill for ivory skin like yours. And to have shiny,
frizzless hair." She held up one of her curls.
Eve nodded. "It wouldn't take much to bring
it all to the surface."
Lainie looked like she was afraid to hope.
"You think so?"
Olivia patted her arm. "Give us an afternoon
and your man will be panting after you."
"Olivia hasn't told us about her guy,"
Lainie said suddenly.
That was news to her. She didn't realize she
had one. "What guy?"
"The one you had dinner with last week."
"Are you holding back on us?" Eve
teased.
"The only guy I had dinner with was Rick."
She laughed as she realized that was whom Lainie meant. "I'm not
dating him. He's just a friend."
The way Lainie's face fell was comical. She
almost felt sorry for shattering her illusion.
Eve grinned. "Rick's hot. Not as hot as
Treat though," she amended loyally.
Gwen pretended to gag.
"Tell us how you really feel," Olivia said,
reaching for a piece of cheese.
"What's the man you're interested in like?"
Eve asked Lainie.
"He's handsome, not in a weak way like a lot
of Hollywood stars but masterful. He has thick dark hair that's
silver at the temples. His eyes are pale but hot at the same time.
And when he looks at you, it makes you shiver."
Olivia heard Eve and Gwen sigh along with
Lainie, but she couldn't make a peep. Shock froze her in place.
Lainie was talking about her father.
That was Lainie's secret.
Olivia blinked a couple times and drank some
of her water to steady herself. She didn't know how to feel about
this sudden revelation.
Feeling eyes on her, she looked up. Lainie
stared at her with a stricken expression that said she knew Olivia
had figured out who the object of her desire was.
Gwen sighed. "That's so romantic. I'm
jealous. I've never felt that way about anyone."
Eve rolled her eyes. "You still have time.
What, you're all of thirty years old?"
"I'm thirty-four."
"You're hardly an old maid," Lainie said.
"I'm forty-seven."
Olivia did the math in her head. Twelve
years younger than Parker. Would her father care? Did she care?
The rest of the evening was clouded by her
thoughts. Good thing Eve had to work in the morning—they ended the
night early.
Lainie must have sensed her mood because she
stayed quiet on the drive home. Until they were minutes from the
farm. Then Lainie turned to her and abruptly said, "You know, don't
you?"
Olivia glanced at her. She didn't have the
energy to pretend she didn't know what Lainie was talking about. "I
think so."
"You don't like it, do you?"
"I don't know what to think." She pulled
into her usual parking spot and turned off the ignition. Opening
her door, she swung her legs out before she felt Lainie's hand
clutch her
all.
Lainie looked at her with wide eyes. "How
long have you known Michael?"
"Too long."
"How about you, Lainie?" Eve asked quickly.
"Do you have anyone special waiting for you at home?"
Lainie blushed. "No. There's no one."
Happy Eve maneuvered the
conversation away from Michael, Olivia leaned closer, studying her.
"You look guilty. There is someone, isn't there?"
Gwen smiled. "You might as well confess.
She'll pry it out of you eventually."
"Olivia is nothing if not relentless," Eve
added.
Lainie's gaze darted to each of them and
back. "Okay, there is a man I'm interested in."
Gwen scooted closer. "Details! We want
details."
"There really isn't much to say. He doesn't
know I'm alive."
"He must be an idiot then," Olivia said.
Lainie's head snapped up and her eyes
flashed. "He is not. He's quite intelligent. And very kind, despite
what people think of him."
She rolled her eyes. "Then what's holding
him up?"
"I'm not his type."
"You're every man's type, Lainie," Eve said.
"Don't believe anyone if they say otherwise."
Lainie shook her head. "I'm drab."
"You don't have to be," Olivia said. "I
think you wield your wool suits like camouflage. Underneath all
that gray, there's a red lace kind of person."
"You have a fairy princess kind of beauty,"
Gwen said. "I'd kill for ivory skin like yours. And to have shiny,
frizzless hair." She held up one of her curls.
Eve nodded. "It wouldn't take much to bring
it all to the surface."
Lainie looked like she was afraid to hope.
"You think so?"
Olivia patted her arm. "Give us an afternoon
and your man will be panting after you."
"Olivia hasn't told us about her guy,"
Lainie said suddenly.
That was news to her. She didn't realize she
had one. "What guy?"
"The one you had dinner with last week."
"Are you holding back on us?" Eve
teased.
"The only guy I had dinner with was Rick."
She laughed as she realized that was whom Lainie meant. "I'm not
dating him. He's just a friend."
The way Lainie's face fell was comical. She
almost felt sorry for shattering her illusion.
Eve grinned. "Rick's hot. Not as hot as
Treat though," she amended loyally.
Gwen pretended to gag.
"Tell us how you really feel," Olivia said,
reaching for a piece of cheese.
"What's the man you're interested in like?"
Eve asked Lainie.
"He's handsome, not in a weak way like a lot
of Hollywood stars but masterful. He has thick dark hair that's
silver at the temples. His eyes are pale but hot at the same time.
And when he looks at you, it makes you shiver."
Olivia heard Eve and Gwen sigh along with
Lainie, but she couldn't make a peep. Shock froze her in place.
Lainie was talking about her father.
That was Lainie's secret.
Olivia blinked a couple times and drank some
of her water to steady herself. She didn't know how to feel about
this sudden revelation.
Feeling eyes on her, she looked up. Lainie
stared at her with a stricken expression that said she knew Olivia
had figured out who the object of her desire was.
Gwen sighed. "That's so romantic. I'm
jealous. I've never felt that way about anyone."
Eve rolled her eyes. "You still have time.
What, you're all of thirty years old?"
"I'm thirty-four."
"You're hardly an old maid," Lainie said.
"I'm forty-seven."
Olivia did the math in her head. Twelve
years younger than Parker. Would her father care? Did she care?
The rest of the evening was clouded by her
thoughts. Good thing Eve had to work in the morning—they ended the
night early.
Lainie must have sensed her mood because she
stayed quiet on the drive home. Until they were minutes from the
farm. Then Lainie turned to her and abruptly said, "You know, don't
you?"
Olivia glanced at her. She didn't have the
energy to pretend she didn't know what Lainie was talking about. "I
think so."
"You don't like it, do you?"
"I don't know what to think." She pulled
into her usual parking spot and turned off the ignition. Opening
her door, she swung her legs out before she felt Lainie's hand
clutch her
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