Page 64 of Go Away, Darling

“Yeah?”

“Congratulations. I better get an invitation when you set a date.” He clicked off the call.

I wouldn’t be setting a date if Olivia ran away from me before we got started. I wouldn’t blame her if she took this news as a sign we were doomed, or that it was too dangerous to be with me.

“Making sandwiches?”

I spun at the sound of her voice. “Uh, yeah. I was hungry and figured we could both use some sustenance.”

She looked at me like I was talking in gibberish.

Maybe I was talking gibberish. “Is everything okay?” she asked slowly. Linc was in his room watching a show on his iPad and “taking a nap” since he didn’t sleep much last night.

“Everything’s great!” Oh my god, I sounded insane.

Olivia stared at me.

“Fine, everything isn’t great. Everything is bad. Very bad and I’m afraid when I tell you what’s happening you’ll be mad and leave me and never let me love you again.”

Now she really stared at me.

“I think I need some coffee before whatever this is,” she waved her hand at me, “happens.”

I whimpered a little and handed her a mug. I didn’t want any. I had enough nervous energy and adrenaline running through my system to power a small country.

Olivia sat at the counter and watched me finish assembling sandwiches. Okay,watchingis probably the nicest way to say she was studying me. Probably searching for signs I’d taken drugs or been taken by aliens.

I repacked all the meat and cheese, plated our food, and set it on the bar. “Do you want to eat first or last?”

She picked up a chip and took a bite. “How about I eat while you talk?”

I whimpered again, paced the kitchen, pulled my stupid hair some more. None of it told me how to share this new information with Olivia in a way that wouldn’t freak her out.

“Chris? Start at the beginning.”

Right. The beginning. “Roman called. He’s my agent.”

“Are you being traded?”

“No! It’s nothing about baseball.” Thank God.

“You’re the new spokesman for a cereal box?”

No wonder Roman had a hard time breaking the news to me. This was fucking impossible. I pulled out my phone and called up the images he sent me. “Roman received this letter. Ben and Scott’s agent received the same thing.”

She took my phone tentatively, scowled at the image, swiped the next, and the next.

“What kind of fucked up shit is this?”

God, I loved her. “We don’t know but we don’t like it.”

“No kidding!” She stood up, taking her sandwich with her. I thought she was going to pace around too, but instead she came to me and wrapped her arms around my middle. “I’ll cut anyone who hurts you.” Then she took a bite of sandwich like getting threatening letters happened everyday.

“Really?” I stroked her hair, thankful that she was touching me.

“You should probably know now, I may like my nice quiet days at home, but I’m a Momma Bear. I’ll take anyone out who hurts my family.”

I squeezed her against me because, if I wasn’t mistaken, she was saying I was family. “Don’t leave me.” Celebrating last night I was all caveman, but I couldn’t caveman Olivia about her life. In this I was powerless. I really preferred when I got to be a caveman.

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