Chapter 6 Ezra

" A unt Tessy!" Olly rushes forward and wraps Tessy into a hug.

"There you are, sweet boy."

Sweet boy? Olly is most definitely not a boy.

"I wondered where you wandered off to last night," she coos, as they sway back and forth in an over-dramatic hug. "Did you meet someone special?"

Kill. Me. Now. My face is on fire.

Did I just spend the last twenty minutes gushing to Tessy about the ‘wonderful, sexy, charming man' who, and I quote, ‘ gave me the best orgasm of my life? '

His tall frame bends slightly to accommodate their size difference. Tessy must be somewhere around my height, but I swear she looks tiny in his arms. Olly laughs as they continue to sway. "What's gotten into you, woman? You're acting strange."

Tessy glances my way and winks. "I don't know, sweetie, dear nephew of mine. I thought that maybe you just met someone last night."

Is it hot in here? I find a tissue from my pocket and pat my forehead. I think I might die of embarrassment.

This time Olly looks over at me, warm brown eyes sparkling. "Yeah, actually, I did meet someone special."

Oh. Swoon.

Okay, well, that somewhat makes up for the fact I spent the morning telling ‘Aunt Tessy' all about the sexcapades I had. With. Her. Nephew.

"Alrighty then, you'll have to tell me all about this special guy at lunch. Wanna join us, Ezra?"

"Oh, no." I hold up my hands and shake my head viciously. "I couldn't possibly interrupt."

And hear Olly talk about me all while Tessy knows it's me he's talking about? Yeah. No, thank you.

Olly's whole face lights up. "Oh my gosh, yes. Please join us, Ezzy." He grins.

My heart flips. "If you're sure?" I ask, drawing out each word. I really don't want to interrupt, but the eager look on Olly's face has me giddy inside.

"Of course," Olly and Tessy say in unison, and I smile.

"Okay. Where do you two want to go?"

"What's good in town?"

"Well, for lunch, I recommend Blue Star Diner," Tessy replies.

As soon as we walk into the diner, we're guided to a booth in the middle of the restaurant. I slide into a seat and Tessy sits in the spot across from me. Out of habit, I scoot in, and Olly slides in easily, pressing his thigh against mine.

Gabriella walks over to our table and hands us some menus. "Hey, Tessy. Hey, Ezra. Who's—" Gabriella blinks as she stares at Olly. "Okay. I'm sorry, but has anyone told you look just like Zayden or Olly Black from Arcade Lake?"

Olly's lips twitch. "Actually, I get that a lot."

Gabriella relaxes and gives him a lazy smile. "Okay, good. Guess I'm not the only one. My name's Gabriella and I'll be your server today."

"Thank you, Gabriella. It's nice to meet you. My name's Olly."

She blinks again, and Tessy laughs. "Stop teasing the poor girl, Olly."

"Wait, are you really one of the twins? You're him? Olly Black?"

"Yup. The one and only." He leans forward against the table. "But can you keep it a secret?"

She nods solemnly. "I won't tell anyone."

Olly's shoulders drop, and it's then that I realize he was tensed up. Is there a reason he doesn't want people to know where he is? Clearly, the paparazzi haven't followed him. I don't even know if he's big enough to be followed. But, with the way everyone seems to act around him, I'm guessing he is.

"I can't be sure that Zayden or Emery can keep their mouths shut, but I'm trying to fly under the radar while I'm here in town."

"Emery and Zayden are in Foggy Basin too?" Gabriella's eyes widen.

"Zayden and Olly are my nephews," Tessy says.

"Oh my gosh, Tessy! Talk about keeping secrets. Okay, let me hand you your menus and grab you some water. I'll be right back."

As soon as the menu is in my hand, my stomach starts growling. I already know what I want. "I'm dying to order a burger."

"Same. I need all the melted cheese," Olly replies, slipping a hand under the table and squeezing my thigh. I give him a quick smile before glancing away. Fuck. Why am I suddenly so shy? Tessy gives us a knowing smirk. Could this be any more awkward?

We place our orders and Tessy chats about the shop. A part of me is tense, wondering when she's going to grill me about what I did to her nephew the night before, but it never comes. When the food finally arrives, I notice part of it is packaged to go.

"Oh no, Gabriella, we're eating here today. Can you place this order on a plate, please?"

Tessy reaches for the bag and gets out of her seat. "Nope, she got it right. I realized I have a book to pick up over at Books, Beans, and Buns. It just released. I don't want it to sell out before I get off work."

Gabriella is flagged over to another table. She smiles and hustles over to the couple and refills their coffee while I'm stuck staring at Tessy, wondering what the hell she's up to.

Olly narrows his eyes. "Books usually release on Tuesdays."

She waves him off. "Oh, nonsense, Olly. Not every bookstore has the ability to stock things on the proper day. We live on Foggy Basin time, in the middle of nowhere. You'll have to get used to it."

That piques my interest. Get used to it. Does that mean Olly will be staying a little longer? Visiting more often?

"But what about our book club? You told me last night that you haven't finished our book yet."

I clap a hand over my mouth and stifle a giggle. Oh lord, Olly is not picking up the hint. I squeeze his knee under the table and he glances over at me with a scrunched brow.

And how cute is it that this tall, stoic, rock star reads book club books with his aunt?

"Aunt Tessy, are you not enjoying—"

"Olly! For fuck's sake." She throws her arms up in the air. "If you're going to do the dirty tango with my boss, the least you can do is enjoy a meal with him."

I bark out a laugh, and Olly's face turns a deep shade of red.

"Ah. I see."

At first, I'm a little worried that Olly will be upset that I told Tessy about our night, but despite his flaming red face, he reaches for my hand and tangles our fingers together.

"Right," Tessy says. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go pick up some new gardening gloves at the Plant Emporium." With that, she rushes off, her lavender skirt swishing as she walks away.

"I thought she had to get a book—ah, she wasn't just giving us alone time, she was making things up, wasn't she?"

"Yeah," I giggle. "Your aunt can't lie to save her life."

He chuckles, shaking his head. "That's true. Wow . I can't believe it took me so long to catch on. The meddling woman."

"She's probably just going to take her burger back to the boutique and watch her favorite show on Netflix ."

Olly takes a bite of his burger and hums in appreciation.

I pop a fry in my mouth and chew slowly. "Are you mad?"

Olly chews his food before he takes a sip of his chocolate malt. "Why would I be mad?"

"I don't know? I told her about us." I hold up a hand before he can say anything. "In my defense, I had no idea I was bragging about her own damn nephew."

He nudges me. "Bragging huh?"

I ignore his question by shoveling my burger into my face. I chew in an over-exaggerated way and hold up my pointer finger, indicating that I needed a minute—or maybe a year—before I explain.

He laughs. "Okay, doll. I'll let you get away with it."

My insides warm at the nickname, and I place my half-eaten burger back on my plate.

"I had no idea you designed your own clothes."

"And I had no idea you were some hotshot musician."

"I'm serious. What made you get into fashion? You clearly have an eye for it." He picks up his glass and toys with the straw, waiting for me to answer.

His compliment makes me feel really good and I love that he seems genuinely interested. It's been a long time since I've met someone I can talk about my passion to besides my mother and Tessy. "It started when I was really young. You know those crazy movie montages where the main character tries on a bunch of outfits?"

He nods as he continues to eat, his body half-turned, giving me his full attention.

"Well, some of the outfits looked absolutely ridiculous, while others made the character look amazing. But then the main character would find that one special outfit, the one that was just perfect for whatever occasion was about to happen. They'd walk out of the fitting room and everything just…clicked."

Olly nods eagerly. "I always secretly loved those scenes."

I smile, imagining Olly watching some rom-com in secret. "I wanted to do that. I wanted to find that special outfit for someone. My mom and I came home one day after going to the movies. Honestly, I don't even remember the movie—maybe something with Lindsay Lohan?"

Olly smiles at me, his eyes crinkling in the corners, and he gives me a warm look, as if he can see my memory clearly.

"As soon as we were in the house, my mom and I rushed to her room, where she pulled out dozens of outfits. She turned up the music in the house and we modeled all her clothes." I laugh. "I remember picking out some hideous outfit and saying, ‘ This is the one. You'll catch your prince with this one !'"

"Oh god," Olly chuckles. "Please tell me she took a photo wearing that outfit."

"She did. We took a selfie. I'll have to show you sometime. It's on my dresser by my closet." My words slam into me.

Did I just imply that we would see each other again? I chance a peek at Olly, but he's still grinning as if I didn't say anything farfetched.

"And can you do it now? Can you pick out the perfect outfit for someone?"

I blush. "Actually, I kind of joke that it's my hidden talent. I love finding that outfit that I know will just look amazing on someone."

"How do you know what will look good though until they try it on?"

"It's not too complicated. I take several things into consideration. Things like height, build, and skin tone. I also take in the person's personality."

"What do you mean?"

"Okay, for example, if I get someone who is shy or introverted, I won't be passing them something scandalous, like a shimmery red miniskirt. Unless, of course, their goal is to look hot and dress in something unexpected."

Olly laughs. "I don't know. That sounds impressive to me. You aren't only taking fashion into consideration, Ezra. You are looking at the person as a whole, analyzing their character and their wants. Not everyone can be that intuitive." He leans forward and wipes something from the corner of my lip. I half wonder if anything is even there.

Either way, a warm tingling travels from my lips to my toes. I want this man. I want him to touch me everywhere. More often.

We finish the rest of our food as I tell him more stories of my mom and how she got me into fashion. I tell him how she's still one of my best friends and is currently on a girl's trip visiting different spas and wineries before flying out to Hawaii in a few weeks.

I glance down at our empty plates. "Now what?"

"What time do you have to be back?"

I check my phone and laugh, flipping it so he can read my screen.

Tessy: Take your time eating. Your next appointment isn't till 3:00 pm.

Tessy: Have fun.

Olly shakes his head. "God, I love her. Why don't I get the check, then we can wander back to your shop? I'm dying to see you use your magical powers and pick out an outfit for me."

I open my mouth to protest about the check, but then it dawns on me. When was the last time someone even offered? Instead, I'm going to appreciate this special feeling Olly has lit in my heart.

"Were you serious about wanting my yellow suit? It's a little out there."

We are in the back room labeled ‘Employees Only' at Beauty and the Boutique, where Olly, bless his soul, is letting me dress him in all types of outfits. Tessy, knowing all my childhood stories with my mom, turned up the music and cleared the hallway so we could throw our very own fashion show, and walk a fake runway from the back room to the front, where we twirl in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

A few customers wandered in, and I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't excited that Olly wanted to witness my ‘ magical powers ' in action. Two college-age girls walked out with brand-new outfits they couldn't stop gushing about.

"Yes. If that suit is for sale, then I want it." Olly leans over me, caging me in with his toned arm as he props his hand against the wall. "I've never been so captivated by something before."

I shiver.

God. The way he says captivated combined with that intense stare makes me think he's trying to hint that he's never been so captivated by someone before.

I should step to the side, get out from under his hypnotizing eyes and pretty words. I shouldn't let things go further with us. But what if we were put in each other's paths for a reason? What if there's actually something here between us?

"Okay, well, the wedding party I'm doing a fitting for will be here any minute, but I'm free tomorrow. Want to come here right before closing and I can measure you? Then maybe we could go out or get something to eat?" I ask hopefully.

"Are you asking me out, Ezra?"

I blink. Wait. Am I?

Bracing my hand on the wall behind me, I let out a deep breath. Olly must see the panic in my eyes because he steps back, giving me space.

Oh god. What am I doing? The man is famous and will be leaving Foggy Basin sooner rather than later. Even if he is here visiting his aunt, how long would it be before he needs to go back home, back on tour, back to his real life?

"Ezra?" he asks, brow creased with worry.

I hold up my index finger. "Oh my god. Don't move. I'll be right back. Um. Don't go anywhere. I—uh, think I heard a customer up front."

His eyes narrow. Fuck. I'm a mess. He knows his aunt is up front and would call back here if she needed me, but I rush through the door as if my ass is on fire anyway.

"Ezra, honey?" Tessy asks. "Is everything okay?"

"It's great, Tessy. I just remembered I need to make an important phone call."

"Is Olly still back there?"

"Yes," I call out over my shoulder. "Make sure he doesn't leave. I'll be right back."

I make my way out of my shop and pull out my phone. I almost call Rebecca, but then I decide to call the one person I know will help me not panic right now. I call Mom.

"Ezra, love. How's it going? Did you get into that fashion competition?" Her voice is cheerful and soothes my racing heart.

I let out a deep sigh. "Hey, mom. No, I haven't heard from Dee Rama Magazine yet, but I need your advice."

"Of course. Is everything okay?"

I almost chuckle at her switch in tone. I can picture her sitting up straight and tossing her shoulders back. She was always a steady presence in my life.

"I think I met someone."

She laughs. "You think?"

I grin, feeling even more at ease. "Oh shush, you. I met someone."

"Okay, honey, tell me about him."

"He's very attractive. Like the hottest guy I've ever seen in person. He comes off a little grumpy at first. Kind of like he has resting grumpy face."

She snickers. "Go on."

"I noticed him at the bar, which is odd because you know me; I tend to go for the men who smile. But I was so focused on him I didn't even notice he had an identical twin till later."

"Wow. How do you know you weren't mixing the two up?"

I pace the sidewalk in front of Beauty and the Boutique while I think back at our encounter. "No, there was just something about Olly. It was him the whole time. Anyway, he helped me save face. Flora walked into the bar and you won't believe who she's dating. Forrest."

Mom gasps. "That hoe bag. She bullied you for years and now she's dating your ex. That girl is crazy. How's Forrest? Poor thing."

I bite back my smile. "He seems happy? I don't know. It was brief. But she started taunting me and Rebecca tried to make things better, but then said I had a gorgeous boyfriend. Which I don't, obviously. So I panicked."

"Oh my goodness! Did you walk up to Olly, sit in his lap, and say ' This is my boyfriend ?'"

"What? His lap?"

"Yes! I just saw a romantic comedy like this, although it got a little raunchy for a moment."

"No, mom. No lap dances or whatever the hell you're watching. He placed his arm around me and pretended he was my boyfriend. Popped out of nowhere and just saved me."

Mom sighs. "So romantic. Then what happened?"

"We talked for a bit and our chemistry was off the charts. So I took him home. We had a one-night stand, or at least I thought it was a one-night stand."

My cheeks flame. Damn them. My mom and I have always been open about sex, but I still tend to get embarrassed any time I tell her anything.

"Aw, honey. Did he walk out on you?"

"No, the opposite. I left him a note. But then he showed up at my shop this morning. We just had lunch."

She squeals. "How romanti—"

"No, he was there for Tessy. Tessy is his aunt."

"Oh! Olly, as in Olly Black?"

"Oh, crap. Not you too? Does everyone know who he is?"

"Wait, you don't? Honey, remember that Dee Rama Magazine winter special where they featured the ice queen and her harem?"

"Of course, that's one of our favorite issues. Wait." Something clicks as I mentally shuffle through some of the photos from that spread. "No way," I gasp in shock. "I knew he looked familiar. But that was years ago. I remember the twins who posed with my favorite model. But he was clean shaven and, again, that was probably eight or so years ago. I think I was still in college."

"That's him. Tessy told us those were her nephews. I'm pretty sure you squealed so loud."

I chuckle. "I vaguely remember that. I guess now that Tessy and I work together, I just kind of forgot. I didn't talk to her much until I hired her."

"So, what's the problem, love? Olly and Zayden are good boys."

"Mom, I'm pretty sure he's way older than me. You can't call him a boy."

"Fair enough. Then tell me Ezra, what advice do you need? You seem to really like him."

"That's the thing. We just met, but we click in such a way, it feels like I've known him longer. But he's some famous guy who will be going back to his glamorous life. I feel like I should stop this before my heart starts to fall. Because at the rate we are going, I'll develop feelings by the end of the week."

"Ezra, I can hear it in your voice. You don't want to stop seeing him. In fact, I think you called me to ask permission. To see if it's okay for you to keep seeing a man you're scared of falling for."

Her words hit me. I gasp. She nailed it right on the head before I even knew it. "Mom," I whisper.

"I say go for it, honey. If he is such a good guy, and you click that well with him, why not explore it? It's rare we come across people who make us feel this way. Who knows? Maybe he'll surprise you. If things get serious later on down the road, the two of you can figure things out. If things don't get serious with Olly, just have fun with him while you can. Maybe Olly is meant to show you how beautiful and talented you are as he passes through. Life isn't so cut and dry."

"He already makes me feel talented and beautiful. He makes me feel seen. Fuck, mom. It's only been twenty-four freaking hours, and he makes me feel more cherished than Forrest or anyone else has made me feel."

"I'm happy for you, Ezra. You worked so hard in school, and now you're always so busy with the shop. You deserve a little break. Have some fun. Only you can decide what to do next, but if you want to hear my opinion, I say go for it and see where it leads."

My heart beats faster as a thrill shoots through me. I nod, even though she can't see it.

"Ez, I can easily say, as your mother, who has been there through all the guys you've crushed on or dated, you've never sounded this excited before."

"I am excited." I grin. "Terrified, but excited."

"Isn't that how love and romance should feel in the beginning?"

"Thanks Mom. I gotta get back in there. I kind of ran out of the room in the middle of our conversation to call you."

She barks out a laugh. "Oh, Ez. Where on Earth are you?"

"At the Boutique. Mom, I told him about our fashion show montages we like to reenact. He threw a fake fashion show with me and Tessy. No one has ever done that for me before."

"He sounds like a keeper."

"I think he is. Okay, I really gotta go now."

When I walk into the shop, the bell overhead chimes as I enter. Olly is sitting in a chair, scrolling through his phone. He looks worried. But he stayed. He waited for me. Fuck, and he probably saw me pacing outside on the phone as I chatted with Mom.

I walk toward him, and as soon as he sees me, he shoves his phone in his pocket.

"Ezzy, is everything okay? Did I push too much? I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or assume anything," he rambles.

Without another word, I straddle his legs and sit on his lap. His addicting citrus scent surrounds me. I can't be sure what exactly the characters did in the romance flick my mom watched, but I know what I want to do. I press my lips to Olly's and kiss him passionately.

When our lips pull apart, I look into his dazed, lust-filled eyes. "Yes."

"Hmm?"

"Yes, Olly. The answer to your question earlier. I am asking you out on a date."

A beautiful smile breaks out across his handsome face.

That's when I realize that no matter what happens between us or where we go from here, I will never forget this smile or this day.