Collide (Collide #1)(147)

"Uuugh, I'm so jealous that you have today off," Olivia grunted as she stretched her arms out. "Maybe I'll become a teacher, so when shit like this happens, I can play hooky."

"You'd be miserable. You love working at the art gallery."

"I could become an art teacher at a school." Olivia shrugged and reached into the bag of bagels. She snatched one out and took a bite. "On second thought, you're right. I'd be miserable. I don't do kids that well."

Emily laughed.

"Hey, buddy," Olivia quickly called out to the driver. "I get off at the corner here. You might wanna slow it down, considering the streets are covered in potential death."

The gruff-looking driver rolled his eyes. "I got you to your destination on time," he clipped, pulling over in front of Olivia's workplace. "You're still alive, so no worries. That's $22.50," he said as he turned to face her. "Without tip," he added, smiling.

Olivia rolled her eyes right back at him. She started digging in her purse. "Yeah, yeah, I know how it works. Keep the change." She handed him $30.

His smile widened.

Pulling the strap of her purse over her shoulder, Olivia turned to Emily and gave her a kiss on her cheek. "Okay, so other than going to eat breakfast and then f*cking the shit out of your millionaire boyfriend before he goes to work, what are your plans for the day?"

Olivia's statement seemed to pique the interest of the driver, who was now smirking at them through the rearview mirror.

Emily's mouth dropped open, her eyes wide. "Jesus, Olivia."

"Well, it's the truth," she laughed. "And you'll get in a decent amount of time with him, considering he's right around the corner from here. So f*ck, f*ck, f*ck away, friend."

"Okay, I'm officially ending this conversation," Emily laughed. She leaned over Olivia to open the door for her. "Get out, psycho."

Laughing, Olivia hopped out of the cab, nearly slipping on the slickened sidewalk. "Get food shopping done at least."

"Yes, I'll do the food shopping. I won't see you until later tonight though. I have some errands to run, and then I'm meeting Gavin at his office at five. We're going out to dinner to try and figure out this whole Dillon mess."

Poking her head back into the taxi, Olivia cupped Emily's chin, her eyes soft. "And it's a wonderful mess to try and figure out. Don't forget that." She planted another quick kiss on Emily's forehead, ducked out of the vehicle, and closed the door.

Sighing, Emily watched as she made her way into the gallery.

Less than two minutes later, it was Emily's turn to dig into her purse and pay the driver for the short distance. Cautiously, she slipped out of the taxi and thanked him. The door attendant swiftly made his way over to her, offering her his hand to help her navigate through the now slush-riddled sidewalk. Digging in her purse once again, she went to tip him, but he waved her off, explaining that he was more than happy to help. After thanking him, she shuffled into the lobby and headed for the elevators. On her way up, she couldn't help but laugh to herself as she recalled what the last two times in this very elevator felt like. This time, even though there was a steady flutter of butterflies tickling her stomach, she was relaxed.

After making her way down the hall to Gavin's penthouse, Emily rang the doorbell. That relaxation she had just been experiencing suddenly turned into a mixture of shock and confusion when the door swung open. With her heart pounding in her chest - its speed that of a jackhammer - her eyes transiently followed suit as they swept over the woman who had opened his door, wearing nothing but a sweater and panties.