“Kane sort of bet me that if he ‘beat me’, I’d have to go out with him,” I answered.
A slow smile spread over Olivia’s face, pulling at the scar she had on her lip. “I see.” Her gaze remained ahead, at the finish line. She just kept on smiling. “Warning.” She threw a look my way. “Brax won’t like it one little bit.” She smiled. “He likes you. And he’s very skeptical of his brother right now.”
I caught my breath. “So why are you smiling?”
She let out a light chuckle. “Because I really like Kane,” she said. “He’s a very caring guy. And I think he has even more potential than he’s aware of. Especially with the right person in his life.”
Olivia and I crossed the finish line together. Ahead, Brax and Kane were both hunched over, grasping their knees and sucking in air. Kane turned his head, eyed me, and his eyes sort of smiled. The gesture didn’t escape Olivia.
“See what I mean?” she said breathily.
And I was hesitant to acknowledge that maybe, I saw it too.
“Boy, you can tell those two are brothers,” she said in her slight drawl. When I didn’t answer, she looked at me and grinned. “Their confidence can be slightly overwhelming at times.”
I didn’t say anything, only nodded, and I thought then that Olivia Beaumont had to be one of the most sincere people I’d ever encountered. Like Murphy, she didn’t pry, didn’t poke, or dig. There wasn’t a mean bone in Olivia’s body, I suspected. Strength radiated from her, like a beacon from a lighthouse. I remembered the pain she’d suffered from the last Dare. How she’d held her head high, didn’t let any of it get her down. Even after the loss of her grandfather, she’d remained steady as a rock. I also remembered how Brax had fought for her.
Something I strongly admired in her. In him.
If only I could be like that…
“I’ll…see you around, Olivia,” I said quietly.
“Hey, if you’re not doing anything later on—”
“I—I can’t,” I stammered. Then I looked at her. “Thank you for always inviting me.” I almost felt compelled to give her a reason. I almost felt compelled to actually accept her invite, for once. But I didn’t.
A gentle smile tugged at the scar on her lip. “Anytime, Harper.”
I ran over to the tables at the finish line, where a few of my sorority sisters were busy handing out the chocolate chip cookies. I grabbed a half-full platter and started helping, and soon I had nothing but crumbs. Murphy joined me. Her lob was pulled into two tight pigtails, and she wore winter-white shorts, crazy-striped knee socks, and a long-sleeved Turkey Run T-shirt.
“Would you care to know how much we collected?” she asked in a whispery, excited voice? She wiggled her brows. “A damn pretty shilling or two, that’s what.”
I knew how much we’d collected because I’d collected all of the entry money for the race. I gave her a puzzled look. “How much?”
The Cheshire Cat was back and smiling. “Nearly three thousand quid!”
My eyes bugged out. At least, it felt like they did. “Say what?”
She leaned close, and I could smell the flowery lotion she used. “Three. Thousand. American. Dollars.”
I blinked. Quickly did the math. “But seventy-five people entered the run. Last I counted we had two thousand three hundred and fifty dollars.” And that was because Kane had donated a hundred dollars.
“Well, apparently there was a last-minute donation.” She grinned. “Fancy that.” She looked at me and sighed. “You’re all sweaty, love. Want a lift back to campus?” She threw a look over her shoulder. “We’ve got this.” Another smile. “Josh is picking up the tables and taking down the banners. We’re going for drinks tonight.” Brows wiggled. “I’m determined to get him to the salon in Covington for a mani-pedi. I’ll save details.”
“Please do,” I agreed, smiling. “And…no. I’m going to run back.” I waved. “See ya later.”
I started jogging back to campus. By taking a few shortcuts I could make it back in probably twenty minutes, if I kept up my pace. And I could. If I could do anything, it was run.
No sooner had I left the fairgrounds did Kane sidle up next to me, keeping pace with his long stride. “Trying to duck out on me?” he asked.
I slipped him a look. “Perhaps. I don’t like mingling with criminals.”
“I’m not a criminal. I’m a businessman. And the winner of our bet.”
I didn’t answer him, and we continued running in silence. The sun hadn’t really emerged; it looked more wintry than it actually was. A gray gloom hung over everything. The temperature had warmed up to the mid-sixties, and the long shirt I wore now started to suffocate me.
At least, I thought it was the shirt.
“Are you afraid to go out with me?”
At the traffic light we were forced to stop. I looked at him, a little breathless. Either from his beautiful features, or the way his eyes spoke so heavily at times.
“I’m more afraid of what that will do to my reputation,” I answered.
He stared at me, that deep, searching stare. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at six p.m. sharp.” His smile was sly, confident. And he ignored my jab. “Dress warm.”
When the light changed, Kane took off, turning down the street and heading to where I now knew was probably Brax’s apartment. I watched him for a second, his easy trot, and wondered at my reaction when he glanced over his shoulder and threw me a wave.