Page 95 of Holiday Hostage
The living room and kitchen were almost as bad as the bedroom.
I’d ordered meals to be delivered the few times I’d been able to eat at all.
Empty containers stacked in a precarious pile on the garbage can gave off a pungent odor that made my gag reflex kick up.
I snarled my nose and opened the door. “You might not want to come in.”
Lisa peered over my shoulder. Her eyes went wide, then narrowed on me. “What the hell, Payton? Move over. I’m your best friend, and I’m not afraid of whatever waits for me in there.” She hugged me tightly. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
I’d told her everything. Her and Dad. They knew all about my relationship with Tarron, Reed, and Mav. Even if they didn’t understand how I loved three men, they understood that it had been real.
I rested my cheek on her shoulder and returned the hug. “Thanks.”
“I know it doesn’t help, but it has to be said.” She gripped my shoulders and peered down at me. “You’ve lost weight. A lot of weight.” Her head shook in a slow wag. “I came to see how you’re doing. I knew it would be bad. How could you not be feeling awful?”
“They died trying to save me.” My nose started running, and I pulled out of Lisa’s embrace to hunt for a tissue. “Now all this…” I motioned at the rooms around me. “My comfortable life that I’ve lived my whole life is so damned empty.I’mso empty.”
Lisa nodded again, though I knew she had no idea what I really meant.
No one did unless they’d been through this kind of loss before. Dad understood.
He called every day to check on me.
He didn’t tell me to get over it.
He offered sympathy and a cleaning service to help with the household chores.
I’d declined because I couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else being in my apartment while I rotted in bed with my misery.
“I wish I knew how to help.” Lisa puttered around the kitchen. She reached the trash can and waved a hand in front of her nose. “Well, I know one thing I can do.”
I tried to stop her, but stopping Lisa when she sank her teeth into something was like wrestling a hurricane.
She bundled her red hair into a bun and set her hands on her hips after bagging up and taking out the trash. “I’m going to put in a grocery order for you. And I want you to eat.”
I rubbed my hands over my stomach, noting the significant change that had happened during the weeks we’d been running across Alaska. We’d survived on MREs and done okay.
That was before.
I shoved my hands into my pockets. “I’m having trouble eating.”
“Try.” Lisa squeezed my arm as she walked past. “I’m going to clean up a bit. Do you want to help?”
Not really, but I couldn’t sit on the couch and watch her clean the mess I’d spent weeks making.
I gathered up clothes and threw them into the washing machine. “Thanks for coming.” I didn’t feelbetter,but having her around took away the slightest edge of pain that constantly sliced me into pieces.
“You’d do it for me.” Lisa grinned at me over her shoulder. She wiped a cloth over the coffee table, gathered up the dirty cups I’d left on the glass, and carried them to the sink.
By the time Lisa left that night, we’d cleaned the entire apartment.
She’d put on music at one point, and I caught myself nodding along to the beat.
The food order arrived, and she put everything away before cooking us both a plate of chicken and asparagus.
I’d eaten to please her, and the food tasted good enough that I managed to eat everything.
She’d even offered to stay all night, but I drew the line at that.
