Page 37 of Bad Luck Club

He laughed again. “Well, lately my life choices seem to be chock-full of things he’d never approve of, so why not add one more?”

“You have to do it for you, Lee, not to defy him.”

“I know,” he said with a sigh and sank back into the chair cushions. “Trust me, I know.”

“I’ve been seeing a therapist off and on for several years.” When his brow shot up, she said, “Dad did a number on all of us, but I suspect he hurt you the most.”

He closed his eyes. “I’m beginning to think the same thing.”

“Do you want me to help you find a therapist?” She hastened to add, “Don’t worry, we won’t ask Dottie for recommendations.”

Lee snorted, but a grin spread across his face. “Thanks. Otherwise the next time you see me, I might be in a leather collar and chains.”

She sat up straighter. “What?”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “Dottie took me to see Stella. The goat lady.”

“Oh…” Relief filled her eyes. “For the life of me, I don’t know what she sees in that woman.”

Lee figured the same could be said for Dottie’s apparent devotion to him, but kept it to himself to avoid her sympathy. “I’m not sure I need a therapist. I think I found a support group.”

“Really?”

He shrugged, trying to play it off. “A friend of Addy’s invited me. It’s for people who want to try to get their lives back on course.”

She gave him a sly look. “Is it for rehabilitated criminals, with meetings held at a halfway house?”

She was teasing, but he could see why she’d ask.

“Not that I’m aware of.” He shifted in his seat and dropped his gaze to the surface of his hot chocolate. “Anyway, I’m thinking about trying it out.”

“Oh.” He heard the hopefulness behind that single word. “I think that’s a great first step toward working through your pain.”

“Thanks.” He was surprised by how proud her affirmation made him feel. “Do you think it’s possible to be friends with someone of the opposite sex?”

“You mean without being romantically involved?” she asked. “Of course. Look at River and Maisie. They’ve been best friends since they were kids.”

“Not the best example,” he said dryly. “She was in love with him for nearly a decade.”

“Notthatlong,” Georgie scoffed. “And honestly, I think she was just in love with theideaof being in love with him. He was comfortable and familiar.”

“Do you know how convoluted that sounds?”

She laughed. “I guess. But back to your question. Is this about Adalia’s friend?”

He nodded. “Blue. I’m drawn to her, but she wants to be my sponsor to help me work through my problems.”

“Is she a therapist?” she asked in surprise.

“No. She said they don’t counsel one another. The sponsor points out when their sponsee is reverting to bad behaviors.”

“Huh,” she said, her teeth gnawing on her bottom lip, a behavior he recognized from when they were kids. He hadn’t seen her do that in years, not after her father scolded her for it and said no man would want a “rabbit.” It gave Lee a sense of triumph to see their dad hadn’t truly driven the habit away. That he hadn’t conquered her.

Maybe there was hope for Lee yet.

“I can see there might be merits to that,” Georgie said carefully, “but wouldn’t you rather talk to a trained professional?”

“I don’t like the idea of telling my problems to a stranger.”

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