Page 6 of Buddy System

Hot tears burn my eyes, and I struggle to keep them at bay as I jerk back. “That’s not a very nice thing to say, Levi. It’s not crazy to want to make love to myhusbandso I can show you how much I love you.”

Immediately, he hangs his head, “I know, babe. I’m being an asshole.” He gets up quickly and clomps into the kitchen with the aid of his cane to grab a beer. I don’t stop him or tell him it’s a little too early in the day for a drink. I don’t have the energy. What happened to that man in my favorite photo? The one with the smiling eyes? Levi has big brown eyes that can look so sweet. Lately, though, they’re devoid of any emotion.

I get up and grab my purse out of the bedroom, then I head through the kitchen to the back door to the garage. On the way I tell Levi, “We’re low on a few things, so I’m going to go buy groceries.” He barely looks up from the beer bottle label he’s studying. When he gets like this, it’s like living with a ghost. We’re not actually low on anything, but I think we both need some space for a little while. I know I do.

As I start to back out of the garage, a truck pulls into the driveway. It seems to be from some garden company. That’s odd. We’re not planning to have any work done to the yard, but maybe the landlord has plans I don’t know about. I pull the car back into the garage and get out to ask him what he’s doing here, immediately realizing he looks familiar.

He heads toward me with a bright smile on his tanned face, and it hits me. “Skyler! What are you doing here? I mean, it’s good to see you. You look so different…and so much better!”

Wow. This guy fills out a t-shirt and jeans like nobody’s business. His thick blond hair is a lot longer now, and he lookswaybetter than he did in a hospital gown with cuts and scrapes all over him. I need to stop perving on him. If I can’t get Levi to have sex soon, I may go nuts.

“Hi, Brooke. I hope I’m not interrupting you guys. The fact is, I can’t get Levi to return my calls, and I’m concerned about him. I can’t help but worry…did I do something wrong? This seems so out of character for Levi. Is he okay?”

I bite back a sigh. “I’m sure you did nothing wrong, Skyler. Levi’s going through a rough time. We were actually just talking about you, if you can believe it. Why don’t you go on in and visit with him? I can leave the two of you alone for a while because I was heading out to the market for a few things.” I see the concern in his eyes, and it guts me. I don’t want this kind man to feel like he’s done anything bad. I reach out and give him a quick hug, regretting my action immediately as we hear the kitchen door open.

“I thought I heard voices out here. Well, if it isn’t Skyler. It didn’t take the two of you much time, did it?” Levi steps back in and slams the door.

Skyler looks at me with a baffled expression and asks, “What’s going on?”

Chapter

Six

Levi

What is going on?I have a gorgeous wife, and I can’t respond to her no matter what she does. Fucking Skyler shows up out of the blue, and for the first time since I saw him at Walter Reed, I start to get hard? All he did was touch me, and I chubbed up, and now I see him hugging Brooke, and it happens again. This is so weird.

No sooner do I think this when both of them follow me into the kitchen. Brooke looks about as pissed off as I’ve ever seen her. I guess she has good reason.

“Levi Spencer, you apologize this instant! I’m your wife, and I love you more than anything in the world, and this is your best friend. You saved each other’slives, for heaven’s sake! And you have the audacity to accuse us of something in our front yard? In broad daylight? As if either of us would? Have you lost your mind?”

“I probably have.” I look up from studying my feet. “Hi, Skyler. Sorry.”

Skyler approaches me like he’s going to hug me too, so I quickly sit down, putting a stop to that. He looks so good. I’m sure he’s had a lot to recover from, and his right arm has scars that show below the sleeve of his t-shirt, but he’s clearly been working out. Oh my God, I have to stop staring at him.

“Want a beer?” I ask.

“Oh…not really, but I could sure go for a bottle of water after I use your bathroom, if you don’t mind. It was a long drive up here.”

“I’ll show you the way,” Brooke tells him. I guess her shopping trip is on hold for a while.

Less than a minute later, she comes marching into the kitchen glaring at me. “Is this how you treat your best friend?” I don’t answer that, and she’s on a roll, so she goes on, “I was merely saying hello to someone I admire and I’m certainly thankful for. Without his intervention, you wouldn’t be sitting here. You need to do better than that lame-ass apology to him. He just told me he drovenearly six hoursto see you.” I don’t answer that either, and she has a full head of steam going. “I’m going to run out to the deli and bring back some lunch since he says he hasn’t had anything to eat. I hope by the time I get back you two have worked through what’s going on.” She picks up her purse and stomps out the back door again.

I reach into the fridge for some water and hand it to Skyler as soon as he returns. “Here. Sorry I’m such an asshole.”

“Do you want me to leave? If I’ve come at a bad time…”

“No, stay, please. It’s good to see you. But I have to admit we don’t have much other than bad times lately. It’s all because of me. Brooke is her normal sweet self—even if her present attitude is the exception. I know she’s trying, but I’m still a wreck.”

“Where is she?” Skyler looks around.

“She went to get us all some lunch. I hope you like whatever she picks out.”

“That was nice of her. I guess I left enough room in the driveway for her to get out. You know I’ll eat just about anything. I’m not picky.”

“Yeah, I remember—all except for mushrooms.”

“Well, true. They’re gross. I’ve seen too many nasty toadstools in the garden to ever enjoy a mushroom. I’m always sure I’ll eat a bad one.”

---