Page 171 of Fearless

Olivia made a noise in the back of her throat. “Hate me all you want, Maggie, but you don’t have the connections to make this happen. I do.”

And didn’t that just suck? Olivia was involved in all things city-related: the Ladies’ Luncheon Club, the Historical and Garden Committees, in addition to organizing and requesting permits for almost all the charitable events. She was part of a board, the name of which Maggie never could keep straight. Ruling at her husband’s side within the MC had never been good enough for Olivia; but now, in her pantsuit and gold earrings, she was queen of a castle she could be proud of.

Maggie seethed inwardly. Outwardly, she smiled. “ ‘Hate.’ Now there’s an awful strong word to use for someone I don’t give a damn about.”

Olivia gave her a frosty, scant half-smile in return. “Sign here and here” – she indicated on the sign-up sheet – “and I’ll need an estimate of the amount of junk you’ll be bringing to sell.”

“Junk?”

“It’s a yard sale, after all. Setup begins at seven sharp. Tents will not be provided. The signs will direct you where to go in the parking lot at the school. Any questions?”

“Just one.” Maggie held up a finger. “Are you actually going to say ‘hello’ to your son this time?”

Olivia gathered the folder up, slipped it back in her case with fast, practiced movements, and tugged her blazer into place as she stood. “I’ll call you to confirm in a few days.”

“He grew up handsome,” Maggie called to her back. “Looks just like his daddy.”

Olivia paused.

“Then again, that’d be why you can’t stand the sight of him, huh?”

She left without looking back, sliding her sunglasses into place.

“Bitch,” Maggie said to the empty office.

Ava had only two classes to attend that day, thank God, and when she came squinting and grimacing from Miss Coleridge’s class, Littlejohn was waiting for her propped against the building with a twenty-ounce Coke, greasy hamburger from the student center, and a travel packet of aspirin.

“Oh, I love you,” she said, collapsing onto the bench beside him.

He handed her the Coke first, then the aspirin. She swallowed them down and sipped slowly at the soda, pressing the cool bottle to her forehead. She felt almost feverish.

Students passed in lazy droves, voices overlapping, the occasional giggle or exclamation cutting above the dull chattering. The sun was beaming and a breeze was scooping up handfuls of premature fallen leaves and tossing them against the brick sides of buildings. It smelled like cut grass and that faint, ever-present tang of the Tennessee River. Picturesque on-campus day, orange everywhere, football excitement rippling through the students in waves.

Ava unwrapped the burger and took a tentative bite, finding that her urge to gag lessened as she chewed.

“They had mac & cheese,” Littlejohn said. “That’s what gets me through a hangover, but I didn’t know what your food was, so I just went for the meat.”

“Meat is good.” She waved the burger at him before she risked another bite. “You guessed right.”

He nodded, a pleased smile crossing his boyish face.

Another bite quelled the churning in her stomach and she washed it down with more Coke. If she worked slow enough, and sat here long enough, she might be able to eat the whole thing.

Her phone chimed with a text alert, and she frowned when she read it, holding the phone in one hand, burger in the other. It was Ronnie again:Ava, I really want to talk to you. Please call me.

“Boyfriend?” Littlejohn guessed.

She gave him the side-eye.

“You just made this face,” he explained, “and considering last night, I’m guessing the person you want to hear from least right now is your boyfriend.”

She turned the side-eye into a flat, forward look that her mom would have been proud of. “So many lines crossed, prospect. So many.”

He pressed his lips together and his face began to redden in an expression she was beginning to read asoh damn I got in troubleagain.

“But anyway,” she continued, “he’s not my boyfriend anymore. I broke up with him.”Mostly, she added to herself.

“Bet Mercy was glad to hear that.”

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