Page 53 of Slow Burn (The Boston Beauties)

As a consolation, I allowed my family to hire a nurse to take care of me post-surgery with things I didn’t want Breton to do for me and was sure Breton would have been too embarrassed to do. She was hired full-time for the first week, but by the second day, I only needed her about three times a day for personal care, such as changing bandages, showering, dressing and at first, using the toilet. It was mortifying, but in the beginning, I was in so much pain that I didn’t even care.

After a week, I should have been on my own, but I got a pretty serious infection in my right incision and had to go back to the hospital for intravenous antibiotics, then again to see the plastic surgeon.

It added three weeks to my recovery, and just when I was feeling better, I got a nasty stomach bug, likely due to my immune system being non-existent from all the trauma I had just put it through. I looked and felt like shit. Nearly a month post-op and I was only starting to get my energy back.

We were behind in preparing all the documentation to build my case as to why I had to fake my own death. Breton had last-minute missions that took him out of the country and working nearly round the clock one week when he was actually in London.

I was well aware of the half a dozen or so laws I had broken during my time away, however, with the right backstory and the right supporting documents, all of this would be minimized.

But we had to do it in a way that would keep Matt and Christopher in jail, and hopefully land the sister there as well. She was our only big concern at the moment, as she was the last one free. Soon she would realize that Christopher wasn’t reachable and would likely start to panic.

Through all of my recovery Breton was amazing. As macho, and at times self-absorbed, as he was, he really was kind, generous and gentle with me over the past month.

Thanksgiving was upon us, and it would be his first away from his mother. I wanted to make it up to him and say thank you to him for all the support he had given to me. I also wanted to thank his co-workers. They were the real stars, and I would be forever in their debt for all they had done for me. I was thankful this year that I wasn't seriously depressed any longer. That I had direction and a life plan ahead of me that I was actually really excited about.

I had made a semi-traditional meal. Instead of a turkey, I cooked two chickens, but made a bunch of sides and a pumpkin pie.

Breton had invited a few people from work, so it wasn't just the two of us, and they watched football in the evening, due to the time change. It was a fun time and I loved having people over and entertaining. It had been the first time that anyone other than Drew and my nurse had been to the apartment in the entire time I lived here. I wasn’t sure if Breton ever had anyone over before I got here, but to my knowledge, he hadn’t had anyone over since.

By the end of the night, I was thoroughly exhausted and knew it was time to start going back to the gym. I needed it both mentally and physically.

CHAPTER 17

DREW

It was a cold Friday night in December and I was at the bar with a few members of my crew. We were deep in the middle of our slow season, but we still made a habit to get together at least once a week. We were now offering snow removal services for hire and we were fully booked, perhaps a bit too much, as even I had a plow accessory for my truck in the garage if needed.

On top of all that, we had a few renovations to complete before spring on a few interior and exteriors of homes before people moved back out here for the summer.

After our breakup, I stayed away from the bar where Lisa worked all of the spring and most of last summer, even when the crew I had hired wanted to go there after work for a beer. I explained to them early on my history with Lisa, and they got it. But when many of the bars closed soon after Labor Day, as many businesses did, our options for a drink were limited.

The first few times I went into the bar a few months ago, Lisa had someone else serve the table I sat at with the guys. But since then, things have progressively improved, to the point if she’s the only one working, she will actually serve us.

‘What can I get you, boys?’ she asked us. I looked up to her and was surprised to see her smiling down at me.

‘Hiya,’ I greeted her.

‘How have you been?’

I shrugged. ‘Same old, you know, busy,’ I answered her. ‘You?’

‘Not many changes around here,’ she looked back to the bar, and it looked the same as last year, and likely the decade before that.

There wasn’t too much in the way of decor or a theme of the bar. It was pretty basic, but it was close to the water, central to key tourist spots, some hotels, and shopping. They didn’t need a theme or to make it fancy. The tourists came for the dated, beach vibe, and that’s what this place gave off in spades.

‘Can we get a few pitchers of Sam Adams IPA and a few baskets of wings and fries,’ I ordered. Knowing my guys, and their simple taste.

‘Sure thing, sauce on the side?’

I winked at her, ‘You know it.’ She smiled, and I saw that look in her eyes.

Shit.

I really shouldn't have winked at her. The last thing I needed was for her to think I was interested in starting whatever it was we had back up again.

Lisa came back with the pitchers and four glasses when my phone started to vibrate, but as Joe was in the middle of telling us a story, I let it go, not wanting to be rude, even if it was Jessa returning my text. After the phone started up again immediately, I dug it out of my pocket to see that Colleen was calling me.

‘Hello?’ I answered, not sure why she would be calling me at eight in the evening on Friday.

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