Page 30 of Wife By Accident

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Um…” Olivia imagined her cheeks must be as red as strawberries by now. “I remember us kissing in the hallway. And then we headed back towards the casino, and I don’t know what happened next.”

“I remember that we went to a little restaurant on the top floor of the building for shrimp cocktails, because you said you wanted a shrimp cocktail and I said we needed more champagne.”

“That does sound like me.” Olivia bit her lip. “I wish we remembered more. It must have been a pretty magical night if it led to marriage.” She wanted to ask if Leo remembered the kiss, too, and if he remembered it being as breathtaking as she did. Of course, she didn’t ask.

“It must have.” Leo took the last bite of his dinner. “If you remember anything else, let me know.”

“Same to you.”

“Of course. For now, I’m afraid I’m quite exhausted. I need to head to bed.”

“I understand. I’ll probably do the same. It was a very long day.” Olivia paused. “But we’ll talk more tomorrow, right?”

“We will,” Leo agreed. “Is it still okay with you to stay here for a little bit while we get everything sorted out?”

“Yes,” Olivia said. “For a few days.”

“Good. It’ll give us time to get to know each other and sort out the divorce. Hopefully, it won’t be too difficult to figure out the paperwork. After all, it’s not like we’ve been married long.”

“True.”

They both stood. Olivia still had most of her food left, but she didn’t feel hungry. Instead of eating more, she put it in the fridge for later and headed to “her” room, Leo’s guest room. She sat on the white sheets of the bed and breathed in the scent of laundry detergent. For a moment, she felt very far from home.

Her first fully sober conversation with her new husband had been a little stiff, and at times confusing, but it had been fascinating, too. Olivia couldn’t help feeling drawn to Leo, and the more she knew about him, the more drawn to him she felt. She imagined him in his room now, picking out a documentary about the history of the Peloponnesian War or something else she knew little about, and smiled to herself.

They would talk more tomorrow. And hopefully, Olivia could get to know this man she’d married a little better, before it was time for them to get divorced.

CHAPTER 14

OLIVIA

Olivia woke to the sound of music playing through her phone. She groggily shut off her alarm and rolled over, managing to open her eyes the smallest crack. It was very bright in the room — she hadn’t closed the curtains last night. The view out the window showed the New York skyline and warm skies studded with fluffy white clouds, like sheep grazing in a blue pasture. The sight was enough to push Olivia out of bed.

Today, she would talk to Leo. She was finally well-rested and clear-headed, and she was ready to ask the questions she needed to have answered — like when exactly she was returning to Seattle and what steps they needed to take to finalize the divorce. And maybe, after that conversation, there would be a little time to look around New York. After all, she’d never been here before, and she wanted to see all the sights. Times Square. The Statue of Liberty. Central Park.

She went into the ensuite bathroom, showered, brushed her teeth, and dressed. All the while, she imagined what she’d say to Leo.

I so appreciate you offering to put me up, but we need to figure out the exact boundaries of this relationship. We need a good timeline about when the divorce will be finalized, and we need to meet with lawyers, together, to talk everything through.

I feel a connection between us, too. But we don’t even remember getting married, so the sooner we can wrap this up and I can get back to Seattle, the better.

At the same time, Olivia’s traitorous imagination kept taking her down other paths, beyond the sober and thoughtful conversation she hoped to have. She kept imaging Leo holding up a finger to tell her to wait, bending down to capture her lips with his own, lifting her onto the counter so she could wrap her legs around him, kissing her until she was dizzy and breathless…

Olivia really needed to start dating when she got back to Seattle. She’d put her love life on hold for far too long, and her subconscious was clearly telling her that she needed someone special in her life. Part of her even wanted that someone to be Leo, but things were too complicated between them already — and they’d only known each other for two days. How much more complicated would they be if she let herself fall for him, even a little bit?

Once Olivia was dressed (in the same dress she’d worn to her niece’s party, since she hadn’t packed a lot of clothes for this little trip), she tiptoed out of her room. It was just past seven thirty on a Saturday morning, and there was every reason to believe that Leo might be sleeping in. She didn’t want to disturb him.

Sure enough, there was no sign of Leo in the kitchen. Olivia opened cupboards and started making coffee and toast. She grabbed an apple, too. As she crunched into it, she spotted a note on the countertop.

Olivia,

Had to run to work. Had my assistant, Julian, bring by clothes. They’re in the living room. Driver is on standby. Name is Caleb, phone number is below. If you need anything (different food, clothes, etc.), call Julian. Number is also below.

– Leo

Olivia reread the note several times with a furrowed brow. She tried to detect a hint of the funny and insightful man she’d talked to yesterday, but this note just sounded impersonal and rushed. She chewed her lip. So much for talking to Leo about everything this morning and making a plan together. She was on her own.