Page 32 of Wife By Accident

CHAPTER 15

LEO

Leo glanced at the clock on the wall where Kyle’s desk used to be. It was barely three o’clock, an unheard-of time for him to leave work, but Leo felt antsy. He wanted to go back home and see Olivia. He wanted to talk about history and encourage her to show him her pictures. He wanted to make her laugh. He wanted to make sure she had everything she needed. Of course, the main reason he wanted to see her was to figure out what her intentions were — even though it was hard to remember that, at times.

A minute slowly ticked by while Leo stared at the clock, willing time to move faster. Then, with a sigh, he stood. There was no point willing away the seconds. He might as well just pack up and go home.

Few employees were here on a Saturday afternoon, so Leo slipped out without anyone seeing him. He passed Jake’s office, where the other man was working, and felt a stab of annoyance that Jake had made him so doubtful of Olivia the day before. They’d had a nice dinner and a good conversation, and Leo was more certain than ever that he had nothing to fear from his temporary bride — or he wanted to be certain. There was still a sliver of doubt in his mind.

Outside, he walked the few blocks home. That had been one of the reasons for purchasing the penthouse he now lived in: he could commute in just a few minutes, even running home to grab lunch or a change of clothes if needed. Kyle had made fun of him, saying that if he were further away he’d have more work-life balance, but Leo loved his penthouse. He still did.

Within a few minutes, he was stepping out of the elevator into his familiar apartment. He found Olivia in the living room on her laptop, her lip tucked between her teeth. She was wearing a pair of leggings and a top that he didn’t recognize. It was a soft green that brought out her eyes.

“Leo!” she closed the laptop and smiled at him as he entered.

“How was your day?” He scanned the racks of clothing he’d had Julian send over, which stood next to her. “Did you like the clothes?”

“Yes,” Olivia smiled. “Thank you so much for your generosity. I’ve never seen such beautiful clothes, and I really appreciate it.”

“I’m glad you like them.” Leo smiled back — though he felt the tiniest flicker of doubt. He’d wanted Olivia to take the clothes and enjoy them, but was the fact that she’d so readily done so a sign that she was looking for something from him? Leo shook himself mentally. There was no point overthinking things. “What did you do today?”

“Well, I wanted to explore, but I got caught in the rain. So, I ended up looking through my old portfolio and thinking about the kind of pictures I might like to take now.”

“And what did you decide?” Leo sat on the couch across from her.

“I decided that I need to get back outside with my camera and see what catches my interest.” Olivia rolled her eyes jokingly. “I know, it sounds simple, but I think I used to worry too much about taking the right kind of pictures when I should have been trying to take pictures that were meaningful for me. If that makes sense.”

“It does,” Leo said. “When I started Palasa with my brother, I was so worried about doing exactly what he would do. I wanted to be just like him. It took a while to realize that I needed to do my own thing, not just emulate him.”

“Exactly,” Olivia nodded. “Anyway, how was your day at the office? And do you always work on Saturdays?”

“It was okay.” Leo didn’t mention that he’d struggled to focus on his work, instead thinking about her at home. “And yes, I usually work on Saturdays. Like I said before, working is basically my biggest hobby.”

“How fun,” Olivia joked.

“It is.” Leo smiled at her.

“Oh!” Olivia got to her feet and set her laptop aside. “I almost forgot. I poked around your kitchen a little — I hope you don’t mind — and found some things to make dinner. I already did a little prep, but we can always put it away.”

“A home-cooked meal sounds wonderful,” Leo said. “I really appreciate you doing that.”

“Good,” Olivia smiled. “I thought I’d try to repay your hospitality a little.”

“There’s no need for that,” Leo said quickly. “It’s no trouble. You’re the one who’s doing me a favor by being here.”

“In that case, maybe you can come help me chop,” Olivia suggested.

Leo had hired a private chef the second he could afford one — before that, he’d mainly lived on frozen dinners and bags of salad. He was the opposite of a good cook. But if Olivia, at that moment, had suggested that they go dive into the icy and polluted Hudson River, he probably would have said yes.

“Sure, I’d be happy to. Just don’t expect masterful chopping from me.”

“My standards are very low. To be honest, I’m not a great chef myself.”

“Now I’m really looking forward to this dinner,” Leo joked.

“You should be.” Olivia wiggled her eyebrows. “It’s still early, but should we start? A few things have to bake.”

“Sounds great.”