Page 259 of The Grand Duel

“And if it doesn’t blow over? What’s the other side of this?”

“A new pair of shoes.”

I look up at Edna as realisation sinks in.

“You’re going to figure this all out. I promise,” she tells me.

It’s with that very hope clinched in my hands that I shut down my computer and go home with Charlie.

Charlie

There’s been some very specific moments over the past five or so years where I’ve watched my friends do life and have had to stop to recognise the contentment they’ve brought me. The birth of the kids, the weddings, the day Lance asked me if he thought the ring he’d bought for Scar was as over the top as he did whilst wearing the biggest fucking smile.

I chuckle at the memory, and Lissie tilts her head back. “What?”

We’re on the back porch in the hammock, the rain drizzling. I smooth my hand up her back. “I was just thinking about Lance.”

“Oh, I thought that was a little bit of happiness slipping free.”

“It was.”

Her lips twist.

“I was thinking about how content I am right now.” I narrow my eyes on her. “My friends come with baggage. Some left behind and some they still carry, but I think that’s why watching them find their happy has always been so satisfying.”

Lissie rubs at my side, over my ribs, just listening.

“I think it’s why this here with you now feels the way it does. Because even if things aren’t always perfect, this can be. You and me.”

She is my own contentment.

It’s not borrowed or observed—no matter how happy it makes me to witness it for my friends—it’s felt. It’s mine, and mine only.

I feel the need to thank her for it. To let her know how grateful I am that she wants to be a part of my life.

I kiss her hair. “Has your headache gone?”

She sits up a little, her hair a mess.

I smile, just watching her.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I tell her, leaning in and demanding her lips.

She pulls away after a moment, her face full of guilt. “I had a headache earlier—I still have a headache now. But that wasn’t the complete truth.”

I frown.

“Edna’s diary wasn’t working—nor mine.” She shakes her head as if muddling through her thoughts. “Long story short, I checked your diary in your office and saw the appointment at the hospital at two p.m. When you texted to say you were with Mason, I thought you were lying to me.”

My heart sinks.

“Which you weren’t, obviously, and I’m sorry for…well, for not trusting you in that moment, I guess.”

“I had a phone call with the hospital,” I explain. “I wanted to make sure it was suitable with everything…”

She gives me a small smile and nods. “And I love you for that. For the way you care so much.”