I fought a smile.
“I’d be in control of all the football. The coaching, the coaching staff, the teams, the tournaments… All of it.”
I swallowed.
“I haven’t signed it yet. It’s a lot of responsibility and I need to figure it out.”
Oh.
I glanced down at the sofa. A leaf was sitting in front of me, and I picked it up to fidget with it. I needed to do something with my hands. “So why are you telling me this?”
“I wasn’t going to,” he admitted. “But last night when I told you that I appreciated how honest you were with me, I realized that I needed to do the same with you.”
I met his eyes. “And I appreciate that.”
“I’m going to meet with Seb this week. Find out more of the ins and outs of it all, you know? It’s a big contract, and I can’t rush into it without knowing all the details.”
“That makes complete sense.” I smiled, but it felt a little hollow.
Why would he tell me this? I’d rather not know, because now if he didn’t sign it, I knew it meant he would go back to England.
“I need to run by the office for something. Sorry. I don’t want to be rude.” I got up and turned back to the house, letting the leaf flutter down to the floor.
“I want to sign it.”
I stopped. “What?”
“I want to sign it.” Ollie walked over to me. “I wasn’t going to say that either, but I can’t stand that look on your face.”
“Rude.” I pouted.
“No. Stop.” He brushed his thumb over my lip. “You looked sad when I said I hadn’t signed it. London…” He closed the remaining space between us and cupped my face. “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to think I was using it to convince you to date me. I only found out yesterday, but Seb has known for a while. The timings…”
I placed my hand over his. “Ollie, I know you wouldn’t do that. You’re too damn nice to do that.”
“Unless it worked?”
I pulled back from him and raised my eyebrows.
“Kidding, kidding.” He laughed, letting me go. “I really do want to sign it. It’s just so much work, and I need to figure it all out.”
“I know. It sounds it. But, you know, I’m pretty good with research…” I trailed off.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He laughed, walking through to the front door with me. “You don’t need to go to the office, do you?”
“I actually do. I left my USB stick with all the photos of the center on in my office and I need to start laying the article draft out tonight.” I shrugged. “Timing.”
“All right, I believe you.”
“But, um.” I paused as he put his hand on the door and turned to look back at me. “Maybe Leo needs more training tomorrow? Or just someone to play Mario with?”
He tilted his head to the side. “Are you inviting me over, London?”
I bit the inside of my lip. He was doing to me what I did to him all the time. “What if I am?”
He turned and walked toward me, stopping right in front of me. “Then I guess I’ll see you about two o’clock tomorrow.” He pressed his lips to mine in a long, firm kiss that made my toes curl inside my socks, then left, leaving me standing dumbfounded in the middle of the hall, completely alone, with my lips still tingling.
Had I just gotten myself a relationship?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN – LONDON
RULE FIFTEEN: ALWAYS BE HONEST. UNLESS IT’S ABOUT WHO ATE THE LAST CHOCOLATE. THEN IT WAS NEVER YOU.
“Piper, what do I do?” I paced the length of the kitchen. “I said I needed time, but I can’t stop spending it with him. He’s coming over in five hours to play soccer or Mario with Leo and I just know I’m going to kiss him again.”
“London, I’m gonna need you to put a hair net on.” She pointed to the hair nets hanging from a hook. “I want sugar on my cookies, not dandruff. And stop pacing. It’s nine a.m. It’s too early for pacing.”
She woke up at four a.m. Like this was early for her.
“I don’t have dandruff.” I grabbed a hair net and tucked my hair under it anyway. “What do I do? He said he wants to sign it. But we only had that conversation on our first date and that was three days ago!”
She shot me a withering look. “That wasn’t your first date.”
“It was!”
“Your first official one, sure. But really it was at the speed dating when you both took off.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came out.
“Then he came over to your place. You’ve spent more time with him in the last week than you have any of us. And I’m not being a bitch about that, I’m just saying.” She shrugged. “You might like to think you’re not seeing each other, but you are.” She put a tray of muffins in the oven. “Besides, we both know he’s signing that contract.”