Page 18 of Bully's Darkness

“Ladies.” We all look up as Darren approaches, and I inwardly groan. “Nice to see you all again.”

“Is this your regular?” asks Bria, looking amused.

“I was hoping to bump into your sister, actually. She’s been avoiding me.” His eyes penetrate into my soul, and I shift uncomfortably.

“I wasn’t,” I mutter feebly. “I was busy with work.”

“Liar,” singsongs Bria, and I glare at her for outing me.

“Maybe we could get a drink together now?” he asks hopefully, glancing back at the almost empty bar. “Just one?”

Bria grins, nudging me. I give a stiff nod, and his smile widens as I slide from the booth and follow him to the bar.

“What’ll you have?” he asks.

“Lemon gin,” I reply, and he places an order. We wait while the barman pours a gin for me and a beer for him, then he leads me to an empty table where I can still see the girls.

“So, what did I do?” he asks. I almost choke on my drink at his bluntness, and he grins. “I like honesty, Liv.” I don’t like how he says my name.Just like Bully.

“It’s Olivia,” I correct. “And you did nothing. I don’t want to be a cliché, but it really is me and not you.”

“And the guy at the shelter?”

I think over my words. “An ex . . . I guess.”

“Husband?”

I shake my head. “Boyfriend. Long-term, but it’s all very raw, I’d prefer not to talk about it.”

“Relationships are hard,” he says with a shrug. “They take a lot of work and understanding.”

“Have you ever been married?”

He nods. “Yeah. She died. Well, actually, she killed herself.”

I gasp. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. She struggled after she lost her job, and things got messy for a while. Sometimes, I think it was for the best.” I inhale sharply at his careless words, and he laughs a little. “Sorry, that sounded way worse than I meant it. She was suffering, and sometimes when the suffering ends, it’s a relief to everyone involved.”

“Was it long ago?” I ask.

“Coming up to three years,” he replies with a sad smile.

“You must miss her.”

“So,” he says, taking a breath and smiling, “seems we’re both new to this.”

Somehow, his words make me feel more relaxed. “I’m not looking for anything right now,” I admit.

“But there’s nothing to stop us just talking, right?”

I laugh. “Okay.”

“What do you like to do, Olivia?”

I frown. It should be an easy thing to answer, but instead, my mouth opens and closes but no words come out.

“Let me guess, you forgot how to be you,” he says, saving me from the awkwardness of lying.