“Hey.”
We turned to my dad’s shuffle behind us. He reached into the bag of bread and pulled out a slice, stuffing two pieces of roast beef inside before folding it and taking a bite.
“My God, can you at least get a plate?” Mom groaned as she placed a sandwich in front of me. “I didn’t know when my husband retired he’d revert to a frat boy.”
I chuckled around my first bite.
“I was watching the game when you told me to come up and say hi to Tyler.” He turned to me as he chewed. “You’re a busy guy now, huh?” He slapped me on the back.
That was the most recognition I’d received from my father about anything since my baseball days.
“I am. I told Mom I can’t stay long.”
“Of course you can’t. When I drove by yesterday, the line was out the door. Nice of you to stop by now that you’re a big shot. Now if you’ll excuse me,” he said as he grabbed a napkin, holding it up to Mom before heading back downstairs.
Mom glared at his departure but sucked in her cheeks as if she was holding a laugh. Whatever they had between them all these years, it seemed to work.
“Anyway,” she started, turning back to me, “there are a lot of teenagers looking for a job around here if you need help with customers. I can ask around.”
“Thanks. I have a couple of interviews this week for assistant bakers. There may be more night shifts in my future, but it’s all good.”
“Just promise me you’ll find time to sleep.”
“I do,” I lied and headed for the refrigerator to pull out a bottle of water. I tried, but true sleep was hard to come by these days. The anxiety over how I’d handle the new crowds combined with constant thoughts of Olivia flashing through my brain made it difficult to unwind.
Why was it so hard to talk about what happened between us? Or what was happening now? If Eli hadn’t come in when he did on that first night, I would have kissed her. Hell, I would have done anything she let me. That night fucked with my head more than the wedding. There she was again, doing another favor for me after this huge break she’d given me, showing me all the ways I might have misjudged her our entire lives. We were so busy being at each other’s throats we never took the time to really get to know each other. The friendship we’d found these past few months, after all these years of exhausting strife, seemed a little too natural. The conversation was easy with no stupid pretense about why we were together or attempting to get along—we just did.
When she devoured the bowl of chocolate I’d given her, I was thankful for the apron hiding the bulge in my jeans. Olivia was full of passion, and I wanted more than just the taste of it we had that night.
But I had no idea how to tell her.
I stiffened in the seat when the doorbell rang. The rush of anticipation at seeing Olivia almost made me forget the dread I’d feel whenever she’d come here with her family. The more time we spent together, the harder it became to remember a time when I hated seeing her.
But if I was honest with myself, it was because there wasn’t one. Even when she was at her worst, Olivia made me feel alive. Maybe I’d written her off as an enemy for so long to prevent the fixation that she was becoming now.
“Tyler! I didn’t expect to see you here.” Carla greeted me with a hug when I stood. “What a nice surprise.”
I smiled at Olivia over her shoulder, but her lips pulled into a deep frown as she stood behind her mother with her arms crossed.
“Good to see you too, Carla. Mom asked for a few things, and I thought I’d take a break while I could.”
“I’m glad.” She squeezed my shoulder and jerked her chin behind her. “My daughter thinks I need an escort to my friend’s house, so she drove me here in the middle of a workday.”
“You were dizzy this morning,” Olivia said, her shoulders rigid. “You can’t drive like that.”
Carla turned to her with an eye roll. “That happens sometimes when I change the insulin dose. I had a glass of juice to level off, and I was fine. You didn’t have to stop what you were doing and drive me.”
“Yes, I did. I wish you’d take your health a little more seriously.”
“You don’t think I do?”
I’d never heard Carla almost yell. I shouldn’t have been staring, but something in Olivia’s stance unnerved me. She worried about her mother and was still grieving for her dad, but I hated seeing her upset like this.
Carla shook her head and breathed out an exasperated sigh. “My daughter decided to take her father’s place and micromanage how I take care of myself. She’s finding it hard to relax since she’s been back.”
“Fine. I’ll pick you up later if Helen can’t drive you home.” She sucked in a breath and forced a weak smile. “I need to get back to work before Imicromanagemy mother any more. Good to see you guys,” she said as her gaze slid to mine for a second. My stomach sank when I glimpsed the lost look in her eyes.
“Do you want something to eat, Olivia?” my mother asked.
