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“My sister used to say foot rubs distracted her from the cramps. Does it feel good for you, too?” I ask calmly, continuing to knead the soles of her feet.

“Yeah. I…your sister? You massaged your sister's feet. When she had her period.” She sounds so incredulous, I almost laugh.

“You haven’t met Janey, but yes. She’s a force to be reckoned with. Our parents weren’t exactly the most involved, so it was just me and her most of the time.”

As I talk, Olivia shifts again, but this time, it’s clear she’s getting comfortable. Relaxing under my touch. So I keep talking.

“She’s the one thing I miss about Alberta. But we talk pretty regularly.”

“She was lucky to have a brother like you. I can’t imagine Kyle or Marcus ever rubbing my feet. I think they were horrified the one time they saw a tampon wrapper in the garbage can.”

I scoff. “That just says they’re idiots. I love Kyle, don’t get me wrong, but he’s got a lot to learn about respecting the female body if a tampon wrapper grosses him out.”

A small smile creases her beautiful face.

From where I put it down on the table, my phone buzzes. I glance down.

“Foxxy’s here, can we buzz him up?”

“What? Why is he here?” Olivia fights to sit up, but I pin her feet in place.

“Because I asked him to grab some things and come over. Can you buzz him in?”

She stares at me, then taps on her phone. “You’re not mad that our plans fell through? I mean, we were meant to go on a hike, and now you’re here, hanging out, while I just lie here, feeling sorry for myself.”

I give her feet one more squeeze, then stand to go and unlock the door. “Our plans didn’t fall through, they just changed. You need to be taken care of right now, and we’re the lucky fuckers who get to do that.”

I open the door just as Foxxy exits the elevator. Trip barks and comes over to greet him.

“Hey meathead, where’s your mom?” Foxxy says cheerfully, petting the dog, then giving me a fist bump.

I step back and gesture to the couch. “Did you get everything?”

“Yep, and then some.” He lifts the bags in his hands. I take them from him, and he goes to Olivia’s side.

I hear them speaking softly as I unpack everything.

Chocolate, Doritos, fruit, tampons, and a heating pad. There’s also a plastic bag with a loaf of the banana bread Foxxy baked up yesterday. I take the heating pad out of the box and slice up the banana bread before I join the two of them on the couch. Olivia’s smiling at whatever Foxxy just said. Which means she looks a lot happier than when I first arrived.

He’s so good at making her smile. It’s almost like when we’re out on a rescue together. I can think through the plan logically, keep things calm and organized, and Foxxy’s got the right energy to get the job done and make everyone feel better in the end.

I push that thought away and focus on finding an outlet for the heating pad. Luckily, there’s one next to the couch, and soon enough, I have it plugged in and warming up. “Here,” I say gruffly, handing it to her. “Put that on your stomach.”

She takes it and slides it beneath the blanket with a bemused expression. “Thank you.”

“Does the doggo need a walk?” Foxxy asks. As if he heard that magic word, Trip comes trotting over and woofs at us, his tail whipping back and forth so fast, his whole hind end is moving.

“He’d like that, thank you,” Liv says.

Foxxy leans forward to kiss the tip of her nose. “Awesome. We’ll head out for an hour or so.”

I wait until they’re gone before taking my place on the couch again. When Liv automatically places her feet in my lap, I turn my head slightly to help hide my grin.

“So, I brought you something.” I reach down, lift up the puzzle, and hand it to her. “I, ah, thought you might like this one.”

She takes it, her mouth falling open as she stares at the image on the front. “Griffin, this is beautiful. And it’s a Collinsburg original puzzle? How did you find this?” She turns it over, then opens the lid, sifting through the pieces.

“You like it?”