Page 28 of The Recovery Coach
Valentine rested his arm across the back of the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table.
“It was never mine for you to steal,” he said.
Olivia frowned, but with the boys surrounding her, the tension leaked out of her neck and shoulders.She didn’t have the energy to dig into his nonsense.
They spent the evening eating takeout and watching another reality show Connor and Valentine were far too obsessed with.And while Olivia was upset and terrified for her future, she also hadn’t felt so safe and loved in years.
Chapter 10
Hazy
LoverwalkedintoHazy’shouse first thing in the morning, coffees in hand.He’d visited as soon as the plane landed the previous evening, but their conversation got derailed by Livy announcing she’d quit her job.Hazy was dying to hear how the games during the road trip had gone.The TV broadcast only told him so much.
In the kitchen, earbuds in, listening to a podcast, Livy prepared breakfast.Lover bypassed Hazy and set the drinks on the counter.Livy removed an earbud, a smile growing on her face when she faced him.“Hi!”
Lover rounded the kitchen island and gave Livy a hug.
“How is he?”Lover asked.
Hazy watched them, mouth gaping like a fish as his two best friends ignored him to greet each other.He turned off the TV and yelled across the room, “He’s right here, ask him yourself!”
Lover released Livy and pulled a cup free from the carrier before crossing the room to hand it to Hazy.
“I figured I’d get an honest answer from her.Can’t trust a word out of your mouth.”
Livy stacked toast onto a plate of eggs and brought them to Hazy, who accepted the food and, exasperated, asked Lover, “When have I ever lied to you?”
“Um, maybe the past three days when I’ve been texting you and you keep insisting you’re fine while you’re sitting bloody and broken at home bingeing on cheese crackers and reality TV.”
Lover stole a piece of toast from the top of Hazy’s plate and stuck the corner of a triangle in his mouth.
“Iamfine.As fine as one can be in this situation.”
Livy took Lover’s side.“You’ve been existing on Percocet and white cheddar Cheez-Its for days.That in no way constitutes fine.”
Hazy shoved a bite of scrambled egg into his mouth and followed it up with a sip of coffee.“You guys suck.And it wasn’t even that many Cheez-Its,” he mumbled.
“If I sucked,” Lover said, “I wouldn’t have shown up at the ass-crack of dawn to issue a warning.”
Livy went back to the kitchen, and Hazy raised his voice to include her in the conversation.“Okay, well nine a.m.isnotthe ass-crack of dawn.But what’s your warning?”
Lover accepted a second plate of eggs and toast from Livy as he said, “The cavalry is coming.”
Cracking two more eggs into a bowl and mixing them with a fork, Livy asked, “Who is the cavalry?”
“The team,” Hazy answered.
He did a mental assessment of his body.He could tell everyone to fuck off and leave him alone if he needed to.His energy levels were depleted, but he didn’t know if he needed more human interaction or to hide himself away for a solid week.
“Like, the whole team?”Livy asked.She pushed her eggs around in the pan.
“Not the whole team,” Lover assured her.
It would be the whole team.Maybe spread throughout the day.The Freeze comprised a codependent bunch of guys.Where one went, the rest followed.
“Maybe you could call them off,” Hazy said.
Lover ran a hand through his hair.“I told them it would be too much, but they insisted.It’s our day off, and they miss you.They’re still pissed about being barred from visiting at the hospital.”
