Page 59 of Love in the Storm

“Pretty good. What about you?”

Her dark hair was longer than she’d kept it when they were in high school, and she’d finally started smiling again recently. When her mom died a few years ago, Asa, Beau, and Dawson had done all they could to pull her out of her grief. He couldn’t imagine losing his own mom, but Olivia and Martha had been inseparable—more like best friends—for as long as he’d known them.

Olivia brought her arm down around Asa’s shoulders and gave him a side hug. “I’m makin’ it. Is Jacob here?”

“Yeah. I’d better go see if he needs help.”

Olivia lifted the bag. “I brought dinner for Beau. There’s enough for you and Jacob too.”

“Thanks. We’ll take you up on that. Jacob isn’t going to be happy about stopping for a meal.”

Shoving the bag at Beau, she stepped past Asa. “I’m going to say hey.”

“Hold on a second,” Asa said. “Do you know a woman named Lyric?”

Okay, so it wasn’t any secret he’d been thinking about her in every spare moment since they parted ways, and the lack of replies on her end was letting him know she wasn’t that into him.

“Yeah. There was a girl named Lyric in a different grade in school. I don’t know her personally, but I know of her. I mean, who could forget a name like that?”

“What else do you know?”

Olivia shrugged. “Not much. I haven’t heard about her since I graduated. No news is good news, right?”

Asa started walking toward the bay where Jacob waited. Olivia just hadn’t heard the news about Lyric’s arrests. That part wasn’t good news.

He gave Olivia what he hoped was a friendly smile. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“Why do you ask?” Olivia questioned with a little too much lift at the end.

If he didn’t keep his mouth shut, word would get out that he was asking about Lyric before he had a chance to talk to her and figure out where they stood. “No reason.”

Olivia narrowed her eyes. “I can do some investigating. What do you need to know?”

“No, that’s okay. Thanks for the offer though. I better tell Jacob to come eat before he gets elbow deep in grease.”

He had no doubt Olivia could investigate. The problem was, he had Lyric’s number, but it wasn’t doing him any good if she wouldn’t answer.

20

LYRIC

Lyric rested her hip against the checkout counter at Deano’s as Kendra handed a customer his change and a ceramic mug. Kendra’s job wasn’t glamorous, but she was a bright spot in the morning for so many. Deano’s was a popular hangout for the older men, and she kept their mugs full while they chatted.

“I’ll have that out to you in just a minute,” Kendra said.

The slender old man tipped his hat. “Thank you, ma’am.”

When he was out of earshot, Lyric scooted back over to the checkout counter.

Kendra stuck the order in line with the others. “Where were we?”

“I was telling you about striking out at The Landing.”It was the last apartment complex in town. Now the last of her hope was gone.

Kendra wrapped her warm hand around Lyric’s. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Give up. We won’t stop until we find something.”

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