Page 72 of The Recovery Coach
“Exactly.He adores me.”
“That doesn’t prove anything.”
“No, but it’s not only that.He also warned every single teammate away from you.”Valentine leaned back in his chair, looking pleased with himself.
“He warned me away from them, too.”
“Because he doesn’t want to share your attention.”
He might have a point there.“That’s one thing.”
“He has a multi-point game almost every time you come to cheer him on.”
“He’s always played well when I watch.I don’t think that’s related to feelings.More likely his superstition.”
“When he bought his house he got so excited about the tree in the backyard that he wanted to FaceTime you to show you the treehouse potential.He put together a whole binder of ideas and everything.”
Her mouth popped open.The one time she and Lance had visited Connor when they moved to Seattle, they sat out on his patio and ate Mexican food.Olivia had been in awe of the massive oak tree.“He’s literally never mentioned that to me.”
“That’s because when he called, you immediately started talking about the new guy you were dating.”
“Lance?”she asked.
Valentine shrugged.“When he hired the landscapers to design his backyard I asked him if he was going to get someone to build a treehouse.He said no because ‘it wouldn’t be the same without Livy.’”
Of all the data points Valentine mentioned, that one held the most merit.Their treehouse was sacred.As kids Jayden wanted Connor to make the treehouse in his backyard boys only.But the day Olivia’s mom left (and took Popcorn with her), Jayden hadn’t been home.
Connor found Olivia alone, crying on the curb halfway down the block because she’d tried to chase after her mom’s car.She had been six.He was barely eight.He called his mom and asked what to do, and while the adults worked to contact her MIA father, Connor poured her a bowl of name-brand Cocoa Puffs and led her up to the treehouse.He pulled the No Girls Allowed sign off the door and said, “I think girls can like treehouses too.”
“I like treehouses,” she had said.Then they watchedPhineas and Ferbuntil bedtime.From that day forward, regardless of Jayden’s protests, the treehouse was Connor and Olivia’s safe place.They did everything there.They’d created their vision boards there.Planned their lives.Comforted each other.Celebrated every win.When Olivia was fourteen, Connor had come out to her in the treehouse.And when she was sixteen, he broke her heart there.
Emotion welled up in Olivia as she thought about the treehouse.That damn treehouse was everything to her.And Connor was right.His tree had major treehouse potential.
She stayed quiet, and Lover gave her another valid point for consideration.“I don’t think he’s hooked up with anyone since you moved in.”
She cleared her throat.“That’s probably just a logistics thing.”
Valentine raised his eyebrows and said, “Do you really think that?”
Connor was the biggest horndog Olivia knew, and he didn’t do serious.If he wanted to get laid, he could have someone in his bed within twenty minutes any day of the week.Valentine’s theory might be worth exploring.She shoved her empty plate to the side and propped her elbow on the table.Resting her chin in her hand, she sighed and asked, “What’s the plan then?”
“We’re going to date.He needs to see the possibility of you being happy with someone else firsthand.He’ll get jealous.”
“He’s seen me date other people before and not gotten jealous.”
Valentine seemed unconvinced.“First of all, I don’t think that’s true.He was probably always jealous.And second of all, he hasn’t seen you date me.Let him see that you’re serious.”
“I don’t know.I don’t want to get my hopes up.I’m supposed to be moving on.”
“Worst-case scenario, you fall in love with me instead and we live happily ever after,” Valentine said, waggling his eyebrows.
Olivia laughed, his silliness lifting the weight of the conversation from her shoulders.“A lot worse things than that could happen,” she said.
He shrugged.“With my plan, you have nothing to lose.Give me a month.If it doesn’t work, we return to business as usual.He’ll never know the difference.”
The butterflies in her stomach perked their heads up at the idea.“Fine.But if nothing happens, I never want to hear about it again.We find an amicable reason to break up, go back to being friends, and there will be no complaining when I date someone new.”
Valentine held out his pinky, and Olivia hooked hers around it.
