Page 13 of Laurels and Liquor

“Is there anything I can do to make it better?” I whisper, rubbing my chest absently.

“Short of him coming home, I doubt anything is going to make this go away entirely. But I can tell you that curling up in a ball and waiting for it to blow over won’t help,” she replies with a chuckle.

I smile a little despite myself. I can’t deny that I’ve been wallowing in self-pity. And that’s not fair, not to my pack and not to myself. The only person who’s continued to blame me for this mess has been me, and it’s high time I stop doing that. I’ve got to take my own advice and stop acting like the world stopped turning. And there are things I can do to make sure that, when Rhett does finally get to come home, I’ll be ready for him.

Sylvie leans over and takes my hands, holding them tight. The touch makes my skin jump, and I return the hold as best as I can, squeezing gently.

“I’m always here to talk about things, if you need it. I think you may have missed a few lessons at Omega School,” she says softly, her smile serene and knowing.

I nod and go quiet for a minute, just enjoying her soothing cookie scent. Anxiousness still twists my gut, but I don’t think that’ll go away until Rhett is back where he belongs. Until then, I owe it to him to not dwell on or make myself sick over this. And as I consider my next steps, of what I need to do while I wait, a plan begins to form.

“Actually, there is something I want to ask.”

Chapter seven

Lucas

WestayattheNovak’s through supper, and the change that comes over Lydia is like night and day. She’s spent the last week drifting in and out, sleeping most of the time, but even when she was awake, there were times when her body was there, but the rest of her was miles away. I’d tried every trick I could think of, but I’d run out of options. I’m not afraid to call in an expert, and Sylvie Novak did the trick.

Once we’re back at the pack house, Lydia and I find Lex and Mateo sitting on the sectional, the TV on, but neither of them watching it. Lex is on her tablet, which is not unusual, but then so is Mateo, which very much is. They both turn to look at us as we enter, relief sliding over their faces.

“Did y’all have a good time?” Mateo asks, getting to his feet and vaulting over the couch to gather Lydia in his arms.

She smiles at his affection, and my heart skips a beat. An easy smile, almost a normal smile. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but maybe we’re turning a corner at last. My relief is palpable; I don’t think I could have watched Lydia be miserable for another minute.

“It was good. Caleb and Lucas made the house special carbonara from Alice’s,” Lydia says brightly, following Mateo as he leads her back over to the sectional.

I shove my hands into my pockets as I trail after them, catching Mateo’s questioning look, asking the question with his eyes rather than his words.Did it work?I give a tentative nod and a hopeful smile, and the returning grin makes my heart flutter a little. It truly isn’t fair how handsome that man is.

“Giving away trade secrets, I see,” Lex teases, locking and setting her device to the side as I flop down next to her.

“You’re just mad because he won’t tell you any of his recipes,” Mateo tosses out.

“We could get them patented and protected—”

“Joke, Lex. It was a joke,” Mateo says with an exasperated sigh, making Lydia and I laugh.

She’s tucked up under his arm, a soft blanket over her shoulders, leaving only her adorable face poking out. Her green eyes sparkle with life and awareness, and I get lost in them for a moment. I missed that look, the innocent curiosity she wears when she doesn’t think we’re watching her. Like she’s still trying to figure out if we’re real.

“Can I ask something?” she says into a lull in the conversation.

“You just did,” I retort before I can stop myself.

She sticks her tongue out at me, and I grin.

“What was that folio on the counter? The day we came home?” she asks hesitantly.

I look at Lex and Mateo, assessing. Lex tenses and swallows hard while Mateo’s smile falls flat. It’s only for a moment, but it’s still long enough to make Lydia go pale and start apologizing. I flap my hands at her to stop before she can build up a full head of steam.

“That’s the next Foundation project, right, Lex?” I prompt pointedly, turning to give her a hard stare.

She nods and clears her throat, sitting up a little as she composes herself. “Right. The Magnolia Garden Theater,” she says firmly.

Lydia nods. “I know that place. It’s just off Church Street?” she says, words lifting in a question.

Mateo nods, jumping on her change in mood. “Yep. We’ve been trying to get it for a while, but we had to wait for the contract to end and then the auction took forever to close and—”

“Long story short,” Lex says loudly, cutting off Mateo’s eager ramblings, “we closed the deal on the Friday you all left for Louisiana.”

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