Page 28 of Wife By Accident

“Thanks.” She scanned the options and added butter chicken and garlic naan to the basket. Leo took the phone back and tapped a few more times before putting the phone away.

“It’ll be here in half an hour,” he said. “I’m going to go freshen up.”

Olivia nodded, and Leo disappeared down the hallway. She found herself staring after him as though she might learn something from the now empty room.

There could be any number of reasons for Leo’s different attitude — maybe this was how he was when he was sober. Maybe he was tired from a long day. Maybe his meeting hadn’t gone well. But a part of Olivia couldn’t help wondering if Leo had looked her up, just the way she’d looked him up, and found her lacking.

She tried to distract herself with more job applications, but she was tired and her eyes were heavy. About twenty minutes later, Leo returned, now wearing a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt with a UCLA logo on the front. His hair was neater, and he looked refreshed. He’d shaved, too, and the five-o’clock shadow she’d seen that morning was gone from his strong jawline. He smelled faintly of aftershave, something masculine that Olivia couldn’t quite place.

“Did you go to UCLA?” she asked.

“Hmm?” Leo blinked at her as though his thoughts had been far away.

She gestured. “Your shirt. Did you go to UCLA?”

Leo looked down as though he hadn’t noticed what he was wearing. Then he nodded. “Yes.”

“That’s nice,” Olivia said. For a long moment, there was silence, and the feeling that she was being judged increased. She glanced at Leo, who was looking out the window as though the view of the sunset over the skyline were completely fascinating.

Which, truthfully, it was. But he must see it every day, so it felt like he was trying not to look at her. Although maybe that was just Olivia’s own tiredness and feelings of inadequacy making her read into things that weren’t there.

The tension was broken by the sound of a doorbell ringing.

“That must be our food.” Leo headed for the door. Olivia stood, too.

“Do you need help?”

“No, it’s fine. I can get it.”

“Okay.” Olivia settled back down onto the couch. A few minutes later, Leo returned with a brown paper bag that smelled of spices and garlic.

“Let’s eat in the dining room,” he suggested. Olivia followed him into another room, which had a long glass table with eight chairs and another view of the skyline. They sat across from each other as Leo unpacked containers of food. He handed a plastic container and a bag of naan to Olivia, along with a plate.

“What do you have?” she asked as he unpacked his own containers. He had what looked like a long, crispy crepe filled with potatoes and accompanied by several containers of multicolored sauces.

"It’s a dosa,” Leo told her. “It’s a typical south Indian breakfast. I started eating dosas when I visited India for a business deal, and I’ve loved them ever since.”

“You’ve been to India?” Olivia asked.

“It’s been a few years, and I didn’t get to look around much, but yes.” Leo flashed a smile at her. “Have you?”

“No.” Olivia looked down at her food. “I haven’t been many places.”

“You still have lots of time.”

“Sure,” Olivia said. She picked at her butter chicken with a fork. The fact that Leo spoke so casually of travel emphasized the differences between them yet again. Not just financially, but as far as what they each expected out of life. For Leo, things like travel and beautiful city views seemed to come easily. For Olivia, just flying back to Idaho to visit her sister was a big expense that required saving up and careful planning.

“How’s your food?” Leo asked. Maybe he sensed that this was a touchy topic, too.

“It’s great,” Olivia smiled. It wasn’t Leo’s fault that he came from a wealthier background than she did, that he’d traveled, or that he owned a beautiful penthouse. Just as she wouldn’t want him to judge her for not having as much money as he did, she shouldn’t judge him for the opposite. “Thanks.”

“No worries.” Leo took a bite of his dosa. “So, tell me more about you.”

“What do you want to know?” Olivia asked.

“Everything I should know about my wife,” Leo said, and he winked, just as he had before.

“You already know that I’m currently between jobs,” Olivia said.