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Killian
I miss food.
Maddox
You eat.
Killian
Yeah. Chicken and rice is what we feed the dogs.
Leo
I like chicken and rice.
Hendrix
I heard you like raman since Nixon moved out. You ever heard of a meal service?
Leo
Sorry. Mommy didn’t set that up for me when I moved out. Must be nice being the baby.
Hendrix
You said it. Not me.
Nixon
Nine minutes.
My doorbell rings ten minutes later, and I curse Nixon. I wouldn’t put it past him to have walked to my place to drag my ass back to his. Some days, this town is too damn small. I could just ignore the fucker, but he’s persistent. Always trying to do the right thing. Leo would let me starve to death, then let the dogs in to lick my bones if he thought it would be fun to watch.
The bell rings again, and I grumble as I make my way to the front door. “Dude, I just played last night. I’m not in the mood—” I swing it open and find Maddox on the other side. Not Nixon.
“You were saying?” he asks as he walks around me into the house and into my kitchen. He opens the fridge, tosses me a beer, then cracks one for himself.
“Apparently, I was saying help yourself to my beer,” I tell him as I open the bottle and toss the lid into the trash from across the room. “He shoots. He scores.”
“Certainly weren’t doing much of that last night.” Maddox leans against the counter and watches for my reaction, but I don’t react. “Come on, man. We lived together for nine years, including college. What the fuck was up with that shit last night?”
“I already did the whole therapy thing with my old man. I’m good. How about you? You still acting like you’re not hung up on the princess?” When all else fails, the best defense is a good offense.
“Kill’s got a big mouth. I’m not hung up on anyone. Between the bar, the gym, and a few things I’ve got going on with my dad, I don’t have time to focus on anything else.”
“Oh yeah...” I know I shouldn’t ask. It’s an unwritten rule. You don’t ask Maddox about Sam or his business. None of us do. But I’m dying for something, anything that might give me information because I haven’t heard from Sam since that night. “How’s the stuff going with your dad?”
“I don’t know. He’s been a moody son of a bitch lately. Not as moody as you. But moody.”
“Gee, thanks.” I crack a smile, managing to forget for a minute how much Maddox is going to hate me if he ever finds out what happened.
“He worked through most of Thanksgiving. At least until Caitlin got sick. Mom made him get his ass to the table while she stayed with Cait.”
My head spins. “Sick? Like bad sick? What was wrong?”
“Dude. She got a stomach bug or something. Probably ate too much raw cookie dough. She’s been baking so much, you’d think her job was to stock Sweet Temptations with cookies. Who knows? She seems better this week.” Madman finishes his beer and tosses it in the trash. “Come on, man. Let’s go watch the game with the guys.”
I fucking hate this.
