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Her frown deepened as the tiniest hints of jealousy stirred in her gut.
Quinn had Alex and Annie and would possibly have even more kids down the road. She knew his wife and daughter were his focus, as they should be. She didn’t begrudge Quinn’s happiness. Not at all. If anything, she was thrilled he’d found Alex.
She hadn’t been lying to him earlier. There was a sparkle in his eye that no mere friend would have been able to give him. It was all Alex and Annie. But it left her a little lonely. Which was completely selfish and petty on her part because his priority should be his family. Not his friend and neighbor.
But it still made her a little sad. For as long as she could remember, there’d been two people in her life who had always made her feel special. Joe and Quinn. Well, three. Doc Buchanan had always been there for her too. Even more than her parents. Not that her folks had been abusive or awful. They’d simply been caught up in their own thing. She’d been a needy child, and they hadn’t understood her desire for attention. They’d provided for her. She’d had every toy and gadget she’d wanted, but they just hadn’t been around much—
Oh my god. What are you doing?
Roxie slumped down in her chair. She was throwing a pity party for herself. That’s what she was doing. Rubbing her eyes, she let out a frustrated growl.
Focus, Roxie. Focus on work.
With another giant sigh, she brought up the bookkeeping software on her computer. Working herself to exhaustion may not be the wisest or healthiest of choices, but it was all she had right now. If she wasn’t going to be smart, at least she could be productive.
CHAPTERFIVE
After the trip to Doc’s to get her lip stitched up yesterday, by some stroke of luck, Roxie had managed to dodge her new housemate. It didn’t hurt that she hadn’t left Comfort Food and the evil bookkeeping until after midnight. When she’d woken up this morning, she was determined to repeat her success. Unfortunately, the sounds of Joe rummaging around in the kitchen threw a wrench in her plans. What he was doing awake at such an ungodly hour, she had no clue.
So, like the mature woman she was, she snuck out for a run.
Then again, was it really sneaking out if she ran at the same time almost every morning? Sure, she’d left before her morning coffee, which she never did, but that was a mere coincidence. Yeah. That was it.
Roxie deflated. She’d always been a crappy liar. Even when trying to lie to herself.
So yes, she’d snuck out before Joe could see her. Because she wasn’t prepared to face him yet.
Her face flamed in mortification as she remembered the way she’d cried like the little crybaby he’d accused her of being. The worst part was how he had tried to make her feel better after seeing her tears. He’d even held her hand, for god’s sake.
It had been like salt in the wound.
She hated thinking about how it used to be between them. They’d been best friends their entire freaking lives. Then, in the blink of an eye, he’d turned into Jackass Joe and cast her as public enemy number one. She still didn’t know why. It was a question that had plagued her for years.
But as much as she despised Jackass Joe, she was beginning to despise Nice Joe even more.
Jackass Joe was cruel, but she always knew what to expect from him. She could brace herself and spit fire right back. Nice Joe, however, cut straight through her defenses like a knife through warm butter. He ignited a little spark of hope in her chest, one that told her they could possibly find their way back to before. To their friendship. That hope made her vulnerable. Then, without fail, when she gave in and allowed that spark to grow, Nice Joe disappeared, taking all the light with him.
It was soul-crushing.
Every. Single. Time.
She closed her eyes and breathed in the salty sea air to clear her mind. Instead, memories from that day—when everything had gone to hell with Joe—invaded her thoughts.
Roxie turned just as the door to Monty’s Tavern opened. She barely held back a whoop of joy when Joe entered. God, she’d missed him. It had been too damn long since they’d all been together. Calling out his name, she waved him over.
Joe’s blue eyes lit up and there was a lightness to his expression that had her heart smiling. On her next heartbeat, though, it was gone. Her stomach pitched when anger, unlike any she’d seen on him before, contorted his face.
“I thought you said he wasn’t showing up until later?” Paul asked from beside her, startling her.
Roxie swung her gaze to her boyfriend. Confusion had her frowning. Why did Paul sound so put out? And what the hell was going on with Joe?
Before she could make heads or tails of anything, Joe approached. Before she could take her next breath, Joe’s fist smashed into Paul’s face.
Surprise had her jumping from her seat.
Paul tumbled from his barstool, and Joe loomed over him. Going down to one knee, his fist flew at Paul again. The thunk of flesh hitting flesh reverberated through the bar.
Then it was chairs scraping on the tiled floor, people shouting, glass breaking. It was fast and slow, all at once. Madness. Chaos. Mayhem.
