Page 91 of Peer & Coco

Chapter 38

Outside Lizzy and Roar's house, Coco sat on the step by the front door and leaned against her best friend's side. After getting her hair cut and dyed, she'd made it halfway home before she came unraveled and changed directions to come here.

"You know, Roar's a good guy." Coco sighed. "He just took the baby and let you have time with me, even though I look like a basket case."

"Hey." Lizzy nudged her with her arm. "Your hair is awesome."

She rubbed the back of her head where the stylist had used the clippers with the longest attachment. "My hair is the only thing that feels good."

"What can I do?" asked Lizzy.

She blew a raspberry. "There's nothing anyone can do. That's why it hurts so bad."

"I wish you'd tell me what was wrong. You seemed happy about moving."

"I was." She rubbed her hands over her face. "I thought going away and having that time with Peer would bring us even closer. He's talked so much about Norway and how beautiful it is there. I wanted to experience that with him. Honestly, I had to hype myself up to leave the country, but all the benefits were a huge incentive. But now...having Kelli back in our lives, in Tyr's life, I feel this space coming between us and each time she comes to the house it gets bigger and bigger. It's like we have a freaking canyon between us."

"The Kelli Canyon...bigger than the Grand," mumbled Lizzy.

She blew out her breath. "Yeah."

Lizzy rubbed Coco's back. "Are you sure Peer feels the same way?"

"I don't know what he's thinking. That space I talked about..." Coco spread her arms wide. "We haven't had a conversation that didn't include Tyr, work, or Slag in what feels like two weeks."

"Or, talked about your haircuts."

She snorted and fingered the chin-length bangs, the longest hair on her head. "Well, there was that. I really thought he hated my hair."

They sat together, both of them staring across the road at the bar and tried to ignore the streetlights coming on now that the sun had set. She had so much history at that building, first working for Mr. Reeves when it was Burger Bistro, and then working for Slag when they bought the property and opened The Fire Ring. Her whole social life after work and on her days off was spent at the clubhouse. The motorcycle club was like a community in its own right.

She'd worked with Peer for almost four years. Lived with him for over a year. She'd gone from being friends with him to lovers to becoming his woman and talking about the future.

"Do you want Roar to talk to him? I mean, I won't tell him to, but I'll gently persuade him to check on him," said Lizzy.

"Thanks, but no." She patted Lizzy's leg. "I've kept you long enough. You go back in and hug that gorgeous baby and tell Roar I'm not really going insane."

"He knows you're only half crazy." Lizzy's gaze softened. "We both love you."

She stood with Lizzy and hugged her. "I better get home."

Lizzy wrinkled her nose. "Just in case you weren't paying attention, your phone has been going off every five minutes."

"I know. "She smiled sadly. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

She walked to the driveway and got into her car. Instead of answering Peer's phone calls and texts, she backed out of the driveway.

A black car parked along the curb blocked her view of the street. She crept out until she could see, and cut in front of the traffic behind her. Glancing at the car, she spotted a man sitting in the driver's seat. Had he been there the whole time? Had Lizzy noticed him?

Going around the block, she parked outside the gate leading to the alleyway and the Slag Clubhouse. Pulling out her phone, she called Lizzy.

"What's wrong?" asked Lizzy, her voice higher than normal.

"Probably nothing, but did you notice a guy sitting in a black car outside your house?" She stared at the closed gate, wondering if she should go alert someone at the club.

"Yeah, it's okay. Roar knows him."