Page 74 of Offside Angel

“Naked or not, I’d like to see your girlfriend,” Owen says, tossing an annoyed scowl at Daniel. “Since the lass showed up, you’ve disappeared. It makes me wonder…”

“I disappeared because she disappeared. Because I was so busy trying to get her home, I didn’t have time to think about a drink or fall off any fucking trolleys.”

Owen knows Mira was gone. He knows I was torn up about it. I expect this to be the end of his interrogation.

I should know better.

“And now, she’s back and you have nothing but fookin’ time,” he says. “So, have you?”

Daniel is reading the menu under his breath, his finger sliding across each menu item like he’s a first grader learning to read. I’m not sure why I thought he would be a good buffer for this conversation.

“Have I what?” I grit out.

Owen extends his thumb and pinky and tosses back a signed drink. “Have you found yourself some time to get sauced?”

“Fuck you.”

“You sound mighty defensive for someone on the trolley.”

First, my teammates don’t trust me. Now, Owen.

I slide out of the booth and stand up. “It’s been nice to catch up with you, too, O. I’ve been through a lot lately, but it’s good to know you have unwavering faith in me.”

Owen shakes his head, unfazed. “I stopped putting my faith in addicts a long time ago. I dinnae even have faith in myself. It’s why I’m still in the program.”

“So am I.”

“Oh? When was your last meeting?” he fires back.

“Did you know they have steak and eggs?” Daniel asks no one in particular. “And dumplings! Man, this place has everything.”

I roll my eyes and focus back on Owen. “It’s been a while. Like I said, I’ve been busy.”

“Okay, then you’ll go this week.”

“I’m fucking sober, goddammit!” The couple in the booth next to us glance over, and I give them a scowl. If they want to run off and tell some tabloid that Zane Whitaker is talking about sobriety in a shitty cafe downtown, they can go for it. I don’t fucking care because—“I’m clean. I’m good. I’m… I’m better than ever, actually.”

Owen’s face softens. He’s an asshole, but he just has a tougher brand of love than most people are used to. I think the weeks apart lowered my immunity.

“That’ll be great for people in the program to hear. That there’s life on the other side.” He grabs his jacket and slides out of the booth. “Call me when you’re taking your sobriety seriously again. In the meantime, I’d love to have the bairn over to my place again soon. It’s been a wee bit since I’ve seen him, seeing as you’ve been so busy.”

Daniel doesn’t say anything until Owen is out of the restaurant and halfway down the block. He leans across the table. “I hate you for bringing me here.”

“You could’ve vouched for me. Told him I’m not drinking.”

“I also could have put my balls on the table and handed him a mallet!” He shivers. “That man is scary. But… he’s not wrong.”

“Not wrong about what? I am sober. I wasn’t?—”

Daniel waves me off. “I know that. I’m talking about a meeting. You used to go all the time.”

Yeah, back when I spent countless hours alone with nothing but the devil on my shoulder for company. Some nights, the thought of going to a meeting first thing the next morning was the only thing that kept me from slipping down to the liquor store on the corner or hunting down the number of my old dealer.

“It’s been a long time since I needed that.”

“So go to a meeting before you need it.” He shrugs. “You’ve finally got your wily ducks in a row. Now, you need to keep them that way.”

“What are you talking about?”

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