Page 25 of Addicted

“And what would you have done? Hired your own lawyer? Kicked them out and handled The Gray’s estate for Liam? Comeon.“ Finn took a final sip from his bottle, shook the empty a little to make sure nothing was left, and then placed it back on the table, crossing his arms.

“I should’ve visited more. Done more. Donesomething. That poor boy’s life was falling apart and I wasn’t there for him, the most I could do was stop by the hospital when Sharon wasn’t around and help Liam pack up the moving van.”

“Opie. Your. Marriage. Was. Falling. Apart.” Finn punctuated each word as if he could nail it into Owen’s brain. Talking about it did alleviate a tiny bit of the guilt but Owen still felt somewhat responsible.

“And there is no marriage anymore so let me help him now.”

“Does he need help?” Finn pressed, getting another beer out of the cooler beside them.

Owen didn’t feel it was right to talk about how broken Liam seemed so he deflected. “I think he could use a friend.”

“But you have so much on your plate already. Do you think it’s a good idea to have him be your assistant?”

“I do. He’s great at it and makes my job a hundred times easier. Why does this bother you so much? Liam is a good kid.”

“You don’t know that. Not now.” Finn wagged a finger in the air. “Listen, you are my best friend and you’re going through some shit. I know you feel guilty and want to watch out for him but someone needs to watch out for you. That’s my job.”

Smiling, Owen clinked his bottle against Finn’s. It meant the world to him to have someone in his corner. And Liam didn’t seem to have anyone in his which made Owen want to keep him close. This time he wouldn’t let Liam down. “I appreciate that, Finn. So much. But trust me when I say that I’ve got this.”

“Okay. Fine. Whatever.” Finn huffed. “Just don’t go apologizing to him about this stuff, you have nothing to feel guilty about.”

Owen disagreed but he let it go, opting to look out at the sky, which was streaking with pink as the sun set. Finn was quiet for over a minute which was a record for him.

“Exactly when are you going to put your grill out here?” Finn finally asked, flapping his hand at the empty side of the deck. “It’s doing you no good in the garage and I haven’t had one of your steaks in forever.”

Owen appreciated the change in subject. “Soon, I promise. I haven’t had a lot of time to unpack and the last thing I want to do when I get home is go through all my things. My organizing energy is being used up at work.”

“So, the place is as much of a mess as John?”

“I wish I could say no but there is a pile of mail in the office next door that is half as tall as Liam and he’s been sorting through it for three days. There’s also the six hundred unanswered emails that I’m trying to get back to, the constantly full voicemail, the weddings that need to be booked, the events that need to be checked on that are happening that day, the files that seem to be scattered throughout the building, the terrible website that sorely needs updating, and it’s only my first week. At least the financial records aren’t that bad but it doesn’t mean they’re great either.”

Finn whistled low. “Okay, I take everything back. You so need that assistant. I have to come by one day for lunch and see this disaster for myself.”

Owen heard the unsaidand check out Liam toobut decided to let it go.

Nine little numbers. Owen had been staring at them since Finn left, stuffed full of pizza and once again insisting that Owen shouldn’t feel guilty about anything.

Their earlier Liam-centric conversation had pushed him to the forefront of Owen’s mind and, once he was alone, he ended up contemplating Liam’s number. What was he going to do, call Liam? Text him? For some reason, Owen wanted to know if Liam was okay, what he was doing, and it was ridiculous. He’d already acted like a fool a few nights ago by bursting into the bathroom at Bar None. Dylan had asked where Liam went and all of a sudden Owen was in the men’s room, his brain hijacking all his logic and temperance.

He needed to put the phone down, clean up the paper plates and beer bottles, and get some sleep. But Liam’s face, his dim lifeless eyes, still haunted Owen. Sure, Liam had been a little more talkative and receptive over the last few days yet Owen was still worried. It wasn’t the same gut-twisting worry he felt over Michael; it was concern, disquiet, and lately Owen had learned to trust his gut.

Just like at Bar None, his mind worked against him, and his fingers flew over the keyboard.

What do you call a bear with no teeth?

He threw his phone down, feeling like an idiot. Of all the things he could say he decided on that? For the next hour he was lightly disgusted with himself as he tidied up the condo.

Until his phone chimed.

Owen scrambled over to his cell, his heart in his throat as he tapped away the lockscreen, but as he read the text all his worry dissolved and his laughter echoed off the walls of his living room.

Please don’t say gummy bear.

10

LIAM

Liamhadunderestimatedhowhelpful drugs would be. When he was younger, he didn’t understand why people did them. He’d been curious but cautious enough to avoid anything stronger than alcohol or marijuana in high school; besides, he had been fine with his life back then, content, and hadn’t felt the need to alter his state of mind until his life fell to pieces.

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