visiting workers, but she’d declined, blaming her poor English¸ though it was perfectly fine.
“They think you’re so dreamy,” Olivia teased as she walked him to the school gates that opened onto the street. “They tell me all the time.”
He blushed. “Shut up.”
“They like your glasses. They think you look like Superman.”
“You’re coming tonight, right?”
“Yeah. I’m supposed to be.”
“Cool. Oh, hey, look.”
She followed his gaze over her shoulder to see Jarek and Dale headed their way carrying bottles of iced tea, likely the remnants of their lunch. They exchanged greetings and Olivia wished Jarek weren’t wearing sunglasses because his face was stony and impassive again, and she didn’t have a clue what he was thinking.
“Long time, Olivia,” Dale said.
“How are you, Dale?”
“Good. Living the life. You coming tonight?”
“I think so.”
“It’s a nice bar. You been?” He drank his iced tea and watched her.
“No. It’s across from that electronics store, right?”
“That’s the one. Jarek will show you.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Jarek interjected.
The obvious brush-off stung, but she just shrugged. “Fine.” She used the word on purpose, and was rewarded when the muscle in his jaw ticked.
“Meet her?” Dale scoffed. “Walk her over, idiot. We’re not heading out until nine.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I can find it.” She was grateful when the lunch bell rang. “Time for phonics. See you later.”
She started to duck back through the gates but Jarek snagged the sleeve of her T-shirt. “I’ll walk you,” he said, voice flat. “Nine o’clock, okay?”
She looked up into the cold, reflective stare of his glasses. “Fine.”
Olivia didn’t really know if Jarek did jealous, but she dressed up all the same, in tight dark jeans, boots with heels, and a top cut low enough to show some cleavage. It was hidden beneath her black leather jacket, and if he noticed anything different about her, he didn’t say so when she met him downstairs at nine o’clock on the dot. Since that first night when he’d been deliberately late, he’d been on time for everything. Just as well, since as far as she knew he didn’t have her phone number and couldn’t call to say he’d been delayed.
He jerked his chin in some asshole-ish way of greeting, and she said hey and looked past him, like she couldn’t care less. The bar was close to the city center, which wasn’t far since Lazhou wasn’t big. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Jarek sighed and gripped her shoulder, pushing her to the inside of the sidewalk so he was closer to the curb.
“Everyone asked what happened to my tree,” Olivia volunteered when she started feeling awkward.
There was a second where she didn’t think he’d respond, then he looked down at her. “Oh yeah? What’d you say?”
“That I sold it.”
He smiled in spite of himself. “Well done.”
More silence.
“Are these new people nice?”
“Yeah, nice enough. I only met a couple.”
“Did they approve your work?”
They waited for a light to change and a group of young men passed by, looking Olivia from head to toe appreciatively. Jarek noticed and clenched his fist, but didn’t touch her. “It’s not really mine to approve.” They started walking again. “They’re looking at structural stuff, electrical. The door frames aren’t as important.”
“But you make furniture too, right?”
“Some. I’ll make more later, when it’s ready to go in.”
“Does it take a long time?”
“Depends on what I’m making.”
“Thanks for being specific.”
He sighed and tugged open the door to the bar so she could step through. Smoking indoors was permitted, and the room was hot and dim. She shrugged out of her jacket and easily spotted the table of white men, one middle-aged woman looking out of place among them, Ritchie, Dale and Brant seated on one side.
“Hey!” the men called as she and
“They think you’re so dreamy,” Olivia teased as she walked him to the school gates that opened onto the street. “They tell me all the time.”
He blushed. “Shut up.”
“They like your glasses. They think you look like Superman.”
“You’re coming tonight, right?”
“Yeah. I’m supposed to be.”
“Cool. Oh, hey, look.”
She followed his gaze over her shoulder to see Jarek and Dale headed their way carrying bottles of iced tea, likely the remnants of their lunch. They exchanged greetings and Olivia wished Jarek weren’t wearing sunglasses because his face was stony and impassive again, and she didn’t have a clue what he was thinking.
“Long time, Olivia,” Dale said.
“How are you, Dale?”
“Good. Living the life. You coming tonight?”
“I think so.”
“It’s a nice bar. You been?” He drank his iced tea and watched her.
“No. It’s across from that electronics store, right?”
“That’s the one. Jarek will show you.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Jarek interjected.
The obvious brush-off stung, but she just shrugged. “Fine.” She used the word on purpose, and was rewarded when the muscle in his jaw ticked.
“Meet her?” Dale scoffed. “Walk her over, idiot. We’re not heading out until nine.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I can find it.” She was grateful when the lunch bell rang. “Time for phonics. See you later.”
She started to duck back through the gates but Jarek snagged the sleeve of her T-shirt. “I’ll walk you,” he said, voice flat. “Nine o’clock, okay?”
She looked up into the cold, reflective stare of his glasses. “Fine.”
Olivia didn’t really know if Jarek did jealous, but she dressed up all the same, in tight dark jeans, boots with heels, and a top cut low enough to show some cleavage. It was hidden beneath her black leather jacket, and if he noticed anything different about her, he didn’t say so when she met him downstairs at nine o’clock on the dot. Since that first night when he’d been deliberately late, he’d been on time for everything. Just as well, since as far as she knew he didn’t have her phone number and couldn’t call to say he’d been delayed.
He jerked his chin in some asshole-ish way of greeting, and she said hey and looked past him, like she couldn’t care less. The bar was close to the city center, which wasn’t far since Lazhou wasn’t big. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Jarek sighed and gripped her shoulder, pushing her to the inside of the sidewalk so he was closer to the curb.
“Everyone asked what happened to my tree,” Olivia volunteered when she started feeling awkward.
There was a second where she didn’t think he’d respond, then he looked down at her. “Oh yeah? What’d you say?”
“That I sold it.”
He smiled in spite of himself. “Well done.”
More silence.
“Are these new people nice?”
“Yeah, nice enough. I only met a couple.”
“Did they approve your work?”
They waited for a light to change and a group of young men passed by, looking Olivia from head to toe appreciatively. Jarek noticed and clenched his fist, but didn’t touch her. “It’s not really mine to approve.” They started walking again. “They’re looking at structural stuff, electrical. The door frames aren’t as important.”
“But you make furniture too, right?”
“Some. I’ll make more later, when it’s ready to go in.”
“Does it take a long time?”
“Depends on what I’m making.”
“Thanks for being specific.”
He sighed and tugged open the door to the bar so she could step through. Smoking indoors was permitted, and the room was hot and dim. She shrugged out of her jacket and easily spotted the table of white men, one middle-aged woman looking out of place among them, Ritchie, Dale and Brant seated on one side.
“Hey!” the men called as she and
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