Page 5 of The Triple Play

I make my way over to them, curiosity getting the better of me. “What is it?”

She lifts the bag triumphantly. “Nephroma occultum, otherwise known as cryptic paw lichen. It’s quite rare, and one of the varieties I was hoping to find.” She bends down to pet Trip’s big head. “Luckily, I always have my collection kit with me. I certainly wasn’t planning on finding it today. What a good boy.”

My amusement at how she gives credit to her dog for “finding” the lichen must show because she arches her brow at me. “Told you he was my research assistant.”

This time, my laugh breaks free, and I get one of her full smiles, dimple and all, in return.

Later that evening, I can’t stop thinking about Olivia. The entire time I’m showering, pulling on some clean clothes, and making dinner, I’m thinking about her. Her quick wit, next-level intelligence, and overwhelming beauty stunned me.

But I have to keep all of that to myself.

When Foxxy had come home from dinner with her and Kyle a couple of nights ago, he’d been grinning like a fool. Called her a “real-life Valkyrie,” and having seen her for myself, he’s not wrong. He went on and on about her, talking more about Liv than he did our friend. His interest in her was clear.

When we were younger, it was no secret between us that we were both attracted to Olivia. But we never even considered acting on it. After all, she was Kyle’s older sister, way smarter than both of us combined, and definitely out of our league. I think we both knew we didn’t stand a chance. Besides, letting a woman come in the middle of our friendship wasn’t something we were interested in.

It still isn’t, even now. Which is why I’ll ignore my own attraction to Liv and let my best friend pursue her if he chooses to. He deserves that happiness. They both do. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he decides to ask her out.

And if he does, I’ll be supportive. Full stop.

My phone rings just as I’m finishing my last bite of food. There’s only one person who actually calls me instead of texting, so I answer without checking the caller ID.

“Hey squirt.”

My sister Janey’s voice fills my ear. “Is that how you answer all your calls? What if it wasn’t me, what if it was your boss?”

I settle back into the overstuffed black leather couch with a grin. “Well, for starters, my team lead calls me on a different phone, and no one from the Thunder would be calling me at 7 pm.”

She giggles, and I hear sounds of her settling on her end of the line. “Is there no one else who calls you on the phone, Griffin?”

“Nope.”

“I guess I feel special, then.”

“Yeah, you’re the only person I let annoy me like this. What’s up?”

There’s a second of silence, then a slow exhale. “I wanted to give you a heads-up that Dad’s escapades made the media again.”

I curse under my breath. “Great. Who is it this time?”

“It’s bad.” Janey pauses and I know I’m gonna hate whatever she says next. “It’s Dorothy Burton. They got caught leaving a hotel room.”

“For fuck’s sake.” I don’t even bother trying to muffle my reaction. “His fucking VP’s wife? You’ve got to be joking.” I stand up and start to pace. Even here, an entire province away from my family, my father’s indiscretions can still get to me. That’s what happens when your family owns a multigenerational oil sands empire in Northern Alberta. The Voss family is well known across the country, and when I stepped away from it all to move here and play baseball, effectively cutting ties with everyone except Janey, I foolishly hoped I’d eventually fade into obscurity.

And while that’s mostly true, whenever dear old Dad fucks up, whether it be a new mistress, or some political bullshit, the media comes after me for my thoughts. Which means I’m in for a week of ignoring phone calls and blocking emails until some new scandal pops up and they get bored of my nonanswer and move on.

The concepts of family, loyalty, respect—all of it means nothing to my father. Commitment is a commodity to him. Full of empty promises and backdoor deals, whatever it takes to get what he wants, regardless of how it makes others feel.

“How’s Mom holding up?” I ask through gritted teeth. Try as I do to not think about my family, I can’t completely shut off my heart.

“Pretty bad, as usual. She’s in full-on denial mode.”

I nod grimly even though Janey can’t see me. “Do you need me?”

“No. I just wanted to warn you in case the vultures descend.”

She sounds exhausted. I feel guilty for the relief that courses through me when she declines my offer to come back and support her. Not that there’s anything I could do, not with Dad basically shunning me when I chose to walk away. It was the hardest decision of my life, and the best. But at times like this, I feel helpless, knowing I left Janey behind. That’s not entirely true, she chooses to stay there and work for the family, but the guilt I feel doesn’t know the difference.

“Okay, then why don’t you come out for a visit when the season starts? Catch a couple games, relax for a bit.”