Page 24 of Brick
“Two weeks,” Izzy piped up. “We’ll do lunch at my place.”
He lifted his hand in a careless wave as he walked through the small living room and out the front door.
“Okay. Spill.” Izzy rubbed her hands together. “Tell me about this guy.”
She leaned back in her chair and sighed. “Nothing to tell. He’s—” She searched for the right word. “Unavailable.”
Izzy smirked. “And apparently, a drug dealer. You know how to pick ’em, Liv. First the cliff diving, then skydiving, now this.”
Hmm. Either Iz believed he wasn’t interested or she didn’t take Will’s warning at face value, because no way she’d be making cracks if she really thought Liv might hook up with some guy selling smack. This was the same sister who lost her shit when she found out Liv’s friends smoked in high school.
“Shut up.” Liv said it without heat. “I don’t know his story. I just kinda wanted to find it out. There’s something about him, Iz.” She shook her head. “But it doesn’t matter. He really did turn me down.”
Grabbing her nearly empty plate, Izzy stood. “Fuck him, then. Come on. This mess isn’t going to clean itself. Help me clear the table and tell me how your training is going.”
Resisting the urge to sulk, she complied, picking up the remaining dishes and scraping the last of the food into the garbage can. “It’s okay. The workouts still kick my ass, but at least I’m regaining the ability to move my arms and legs without agonizing pain.” She’d been working with one of the other trainers, Eduardo, the past week.
“I’ll take what I can get. Have you done any sparring yet?”
She piled the dishes into the sink. “No. At what point in the training does it usually start?”
Izzy flipped on the water, rinsing the dishes, while Liv loaded them in the dishwasher. They’d always done it the same way when they’d lived together years ago. “It depends. If you want, you can spar with me when you’re ready.”
She laughed. “I’m not sure if fighting with you is better or worse than fighting with a stranger.”
“Better. I promise you.” They worked together for a few minutes, finishing up the kitchen. Despite the small space, they had enough room to tag-team the job. Liv had been cleaning up behind herself as she cooked, so they didn’t have much to do.
As they wrapped up, Carol let herself in the door. She ambled into the kitchen, swiped a glass, and picked up the wine bottle. Wrinkling her nose, she shook it deliberately. “Tell me this is not your only bottle.”
Liv covered her eyes with her hands and peeked through her fingers. “Guilty. I forgot how much we could put away.” The last time she and her sister drank together had been before her diagnosis.
“Isn’t there a bar around here? It shouldn’t be too crowded on a Sunday night, right?”
She cringed inwardly, thinking of the last time she’d been at Moe’s, but she pushed the memory away. “Yeah. A few blocks from the McDonald’s. I don’t have any money, though.” The party for Will had wiped her out for the week.
Carol smiled brightly. “Perfect. Let’s go. Drinks are on me.”
“Sorry, Nugget.” Iz swiped her keys from the counter. “I’m headed home. I’ve reached my limit.”
Grabbing her purse, Liv followed Carol to the car. She was being silly. What were the chances? It’s not like Brick would be there again.
***
Brick was there again.
Liv wanted to kick herself when she spotted him approaching the bar in the exact same place where they’d spoken twice before. She and Carol polished off their first round of drinks and the bartender brought their second less than a minute before he showed up. She groaned into her glass of Cabernet at the sight of him.
“What?” Carol swiveled her head, following her gaze. “Holy shit. Is he the guy? It’s the big dude, isn’t it? Girl, he’s not pasty at all.”
She nodded miserably and forced her eyes to meet her friend’s. “Can we please go? I embarrassed myself last time I talked to him.”
“Hell no. We were here first. Besides, he’s seen you now.” Carol glanced quickly to the side and back again. “And…he’s headed this way.”
Blanking her face, she held her breath until she felt the tingle of his presence beside her.
“Olivia.”
She sucked in air and turned her head when he rasped her name. She loved the sound of his voice, deep with a touch of Georgia flavor. “Brick.”