A Heart to Trust by A.L. Brooks (best english novels to read .TXT) 📕

then.” Her voice was rough, her throat tight. “But I’ve got a great life now, and that’s no small thanks to you. I’m okay. Honest. You don’t have to stop caring about me, but you can loosen up a little.”

Tamara pulled her into a hug and rocked her. “I’ll try. Just tell me whenever I’m overdoing it, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I will.” Jenny gave her a crooked smile.

Wednesday evening couldn’t come around quick enough for Olivia. She’d known Jenny leaving on Saturday evening after their takeout meal was the right thing to do. She knew Jenny needed time, and to be honest, so did she. But watching her leave after they’d shared such a lovely few hours together had been hard.

After she’d closed the front door, Broderick had been there, opening his arms to give her a brief hug. “I’m so glad we did this. You already look so much lighter.”

She’d hugged him tighter, tears threatening to spill once more. Then she’d returned to her bedroom, beckoned Barnaby to follow her, and snuggled with the dog down at her feet for the night. She didn’t even care that, once again, she awoke freezing cold at four a.m. and fought him for the duvet.

She and Jenny had swapped a few messages on Sunday, which had been nice. On Monday, Olivia had worked hard to maintain a professional exterior when Jenny arrived in the office wearing a pair of cool, dark-brown cargo pants that hugged her ass and seemed to short-circuit Olivia’s brain.

Jenny had caught Olivia’s gaze wandering and smirked as she blushed. Thankfully, their new roles had finally brought them a big pile of work each, and that kept them apart for the rest of the day and through Tuesday.

But now it was Wednesday, and that meant their next date. If Saturday had even counted as their first date—did revealing your enormous secret and confessing you’d lied to pretty much everyone you care about on something as important as your sexuality count as good first date material?

Olivia wasn’t sure, but given that it hadn’t sent Jenny running for the hills, she was just happy they’d got this far. They’d agreed to meet at a vegetarian Indian place Jenny knew of near Columbia, and both had readily agreed to leave the office separately and rendezvous at the subway nearest the restaurant. While it wasn’t against company policy for peers to date, unlike the manager-subordinate position Derek and Chrissy had put themselves in, neither Olivia nor Jenny were ready to shout about whatever this was between them.

At that thought, Olivia remembered Derek’s job was soon to be advertised, and that Maxwell had recommended she go for it. But if I do that and get it, where does that leave Jenny and me?

That was a problem for another day. For now, she was going on a date with a woman with green hair. The new color had appeared on Monday morning, and Jenny had laughed at Olivia’s raised eyebrow.

Jenny left the office first, a little after six, and Olivia followed a few minutes later. Jenny waited for her at the subway station, and Olivia’s stomach performed a happy little dance routine at the sight. She very nearly snorted at herself.

They didn’t kiss in greeting; it had been Jenny who’d surprised Olivia with her consideration for Olivia’s position, her thoughtfulness in suggesting public displays of affection should be avoided for now. It might seem ridiculous to think anyone connected to Broderick’s racing world—or family—would spot them and it cause them any problems, but the world could be incredibly small sometimes, so why take the risk?

Besides, it added a certain delicious tension to the evening that made Olivia’s skin heat in ways she wasn’t sure she’d experienced before now.

“Hi.” Jenny smiled warmly. “You okay?”

“Very.” Olivia’s voice was low and a little husky, and she reveled in the effect it had on Jenny, as evidenced in the darkening of her eyes and the slight hitch in her breath.

“Ready to eat?” Jenny’s words came out in a squeak.

“Yes, please. I’m starving!”

Jenny chuckled. “Then let’s go.”

Before long, they were seated in a plain, rather shabby restaurant a couple blocks from the subway. It might have looked a little rough, but the amazing scents coming from the kitchen had Olivia ignoring their surroundings and focusing instead on the menu. “How do you know about this place?” she asked after they’d ordered plain seltzer to drink and some samosas to munch on as a starter.

“When my friends and I all arrived here in New York, we had zero money. We quickly learned where all the good—but cheap—places are for a meal out. We still couldn’t do it often but at least we could have a night out now and then and not break the bank.”

“So where are you actually from? Wait, Pittsburgh, hence the helmet?”

Jenny made a “ding” sound and grinned. “Correct, ten points.” She fiddled with her glass. “Yeah, good old Pittsburgh.”

“Good place to grow up?”

Jenny waggled her hand back and forth. “I had an okay childhood. Better than most people, I guess.” She sighed. “I guess this is all part of the getting to know you stuff so you may as well know up front.” She took a deep breath. “I haven’t been back there since I left college because the year before I graduated, I came out to my family and my parents literally threw me out of the family home the same night. We haven’t spoken since.”

“Oh, no.” Olivia’s heart lurched. “That’s awful. I’m so sorry.” She took Jenny’s hand.

Jenny gazed down at their joined hands, a small smile on her lips. “That feels good.”

Olivia nodded, then cleared her throat. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, were your folks just generally homophobic or…?”

“Very, very religious. Evangelicals. I was raised in the faith, but by the time I was thirteen, I knew it didn’t fit with who I was and who I was becoming.” Jenny shuffled her cutlery around. “I knew they wouldn’t approve, but I never