AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My first thought iswhat things,but the second thought is louder. It roars.My brother. Why was Exton meeting with George in Florida?
The last thought, which flits through my head, is the wildest.It’s been longer than that since I’ve sent you anything.
A month ago—and two weeks before that—a box of my best friends showed up at Pop’s right on time, just as they did at my Florida condo every two weeks. I could’ve set my watch by the prompt delivery. The delivery from George that saved my ass over and over again from the time I left the hospital, amber bottle in hand, through today.
But nothing since. Nothing here. And I need what those packages contain.
“You’re fidgeting.” Livy peers over her shades, holding my eyes in a way that I swear sees through me.
“Flax McCoy is always cool under pressure,” Willa jokes as she floats.
“Flax McCoy?”
“My news anchor cohost’s name.” I shrug.
“That makes as much sense as saying. ‘The walrus bubblegums his purple seven.’”
“When I met Layton, his name was familiar, but I couldn’t place him, so I guessed he was a news anchor. He made some smart-ass comment about his co-anchor, Flax McCoy.” Willa drops her butt so she’s sitting rather than floating and turns from Livy to address me. “I don’t think I’ve thought about that since that night.”
Livy looks back and forth between us. “How long did it take you to figure it out?”
“Too long,” Willa puts in.
“I maintained my anonymity for several days.”
“How long before she knew who you were?” Willa asks me.
“Day one. And I didn’t get any reverence from her like I did from you.”
“In all fairness, I had a head injury.”
Livy practically snorts and rolls off her raft, swimming to cling to the side where I sit, but she speaks to Willa. “You and Exton are the definition of opposites attract.”
“Truth. Straightlaced, military Exton.” She waves a tattooed arm from the water. “And me.”
About that time, Livy’s phone buzzes. She doesn’t seem to notice, but I look over. UNKNOWN CALLER blinks on the screen with an area code I don’t recognize.
“Where is area code 617?”
“Again?” Livy’s face goes hard. “Ignore it.”
“Again? Or still?”
“Both.”
“Who is it?”
“If I had to guess? Tommy. He’s not doing a good job of taking no for an answer. I block them as fast as they come in.” She pushes up from the side of the pool and walks to the edge, staring at the screen. She locks it and turns to walk away.
Before she can get too far, I grab her wrist and bring her back to stand between my legs. “Who’s Tommy?”
“My ex.”
“The jackass who left you?”
She nods.
I study her eyes, waiting for her face to reveal something. She bites her lip as if she got busted before straightening her spine and lifting her chin. That’s my Livy.
