Page 127 of Luck of the Draw

Liza Hardin-Deneau: Do you really have to ask, B? (happy face emoji)

He smiled for a second at the happy emoji, but then a pang of sadness resonated in his chest.

Five minutes later, he approached the emerald green door and waved at Liza and Ophelia through the window before pushing it open.

“Hey neighbor!” Ophelia called from where she and Liza were standing at the sales counter. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Ladies.” He nodded at them, crossing the space to lean across the counter and kiss Ophelia’s cheek. He wrapped his arm around Liza’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze while he kissed her temple. “How are you, honey? How’s little Savannah?”

Liza chortled as she wrapped her arms around his waist to hug him with her cheek pressed to his chest. “You crack me up. We won’t know if it’s a little Savannah or not until the end of next month.”

“Well, I have a feeling.” Brennan slipped his arm away and crossed his arms over his chest, facing them both directly and suddenly sick with nerves over the reason why he’d come over. “Y’all have a minute for me to talk to you about something? I need a pretty important favor.”

He must’ve had a tone. Both women’s faces melted into a somber expression.

“Is something wrong?” A deep V had carved itself between Liza’s brows. That only happened when she was worried. After this conversation, it would stay there until Vito’s squad pumped his guts full of lead, and then she’d just be heartbroken.

But hey! At least not too long after that, she’d be nice and distracted by finding out whether they were having a little Savannah or a boy, and she might honestly forget him completely after a while.

Just like Josephine did.

Just like Skyewillonce she gets settled in with her program and starts over in Las Vegas.

Brennan shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and looked at the floor for a beat. “Yeah, you could say that,” he said, looking back up at them both.

The V was missing from between Liza’s brows, and her hazel eyes were now huge. “Is Skye okay?”

“Yeah, totally!” Exuberance and happiness and a healthy dose of melancholy briefly distracted him from the macabre reason he came over here. “Yeah, she’s actually in a much better state of mind than she was. We figured out a solution for her problem. I found this amazing rehabilitation program for her, and she’s completely stoked about it.”

Both women instantly smiled brightly.

“Oh good,” Liza said. “That’s so good to hear. What place is it? Like where is it?”

“It’s in Vegas. It’s run by women who understand exactly what she’s been through because a lot of them have been through it, too. They have all the resources to help her in every way she needs to get on her feet. She’s got a spot and is supposed to leave in about—”

“B.” The V had etched itself between Liza’s brows again. “Why Las Vegas? There’s not somewhere closer? Why are you sending her so far away?”

“It’s the best place for her, L. Trust me. I looked everywhere.”

Liza eyed him skeptically before rolling her lips between her teeth. “How long will she be there?”

Ophelia crossed her arms over her chest, eyes ping-ponging between Brennan and Liza as they spoke.

“The program is a year long, but she might end up staying there when she’s done,” he explained, bracing. He hadn’t anticipated this kind of reaction to that part of the news, and he still had to explain the part that was actually bad.

“But, B., why can’t you…” Liza started to say. She flattened her hands on her little baby bump, which was prominently on display under her fitted, dark green maternity dress, and she shook her head as she looked away from him. Her eyelashes fluttered indignantly as she rolled her eyes, and her jaw pulsed like she’d gritted her teeth.

“Why can’t I what, honey?” he asked gently.

“Nothing.” She stared at the floor. “Andthat’snot what’s wrong?”

Well, since everything except for Skye getting the help she needed completelysucked…

“No, it’s something else.”

Liza drew in a breath as though preparing to say something else about it, but it was time to just rip off the band-aid, and he went on before she could speak up.

“Yesterday, I went to the police about my problem with…” He jerked his chin knowingly at her. “Y’know. The guy I owe money.”

---