Page 46 of The Triple Play

“Trust me, Griff, I tried to convince her not to. She’s stubborn.”

“She is right here. And she was raised with two brothers. I know how to hold my own against boys who think they know better than me.”

I lean my head down ever so slightly. “Boys? I think we proved last night that we’re men, baby.”

The endearment slips out, half teasing, half…something more. Olivia’s eyes flare wide, then narrow into a smirk. “Real men don’t try to tell a woman what to do.”

That makes me exhale a laugh. I hold my hands up. “Fair enough. Alright, then how does your foot feel?” I turn so she can limp to the couch, where she sits down and presses a kiss to the top of Trip’s head.

“Still hurts, but it’s like a four out of ten, maybe. I think if we wrap it for support and I get a walking stick and go slow, I’ll be fine.”

Foxxy’s rummaging around in the kitchen, probably making some instant coffee from the water I set to boil before letting Trip out. So I move to sit on the coffee table across from Olivia. There’s space on the couch next to her, but I don’t trust myself not to pull her into my arms. Her brows draw together in a slight frown that she quickly smooths away, looking over at the woodstove.

“Thanks for getting a fire started, it’s chilly in here.”

Foxxy comes over with two steaming mugs, handing one to Olivia as he blows on the other. He takes the open space beside her and slides his free arm along the back of the couch, his fingers coming to her shoulder.

“So. What’s the plan for today?”

I clear my throat. “Actually, Armstrong called me. There’s a crew assessing the road, and if they can’t make it work to get a vehicle up here, they’ll call in an aerial evac with the military team. We should be out of here soon.”

A heavy silence settles when I stop talking.

Foxxy breaks it. “That’s good news. We can get you back to town and have your foot x-rayed before you injure it further by trying to walk on it.”

His voice is light, almost teasing, but I know him well enough that I can hear the edge to it. It makes me feel marginally better to know I’m not the only one grappling with mixed emotions over the idea of leaving here so soon.

We need to talk, but I can’t bring myself to start the conversation. The radio beeps again and I’m not sure whether I should be grateful or annoyed for the interruption.

“HQ to team lead.”

I pick the radio up from beside me and answer, keeping my gaze on Foxxy and not Olivia.

“This is Voss.”

“The crew reached your vehicle and were able to patch up the flooded culvert. They got through and are en route to the cabin. Should be there shortly.”

“Got it, sir. We’ll pack up and be ready to go.”

“Good. See you when you get back for a debrief. Do we need to get the subject to medical?”

“Yes, she should be assessed. Not critical, though.” I pointedly ignore Olivia’s head shaking in refusal.

“Okay, I’ll have a crew on standby to take her in.”

The call disconnects and I set the radio back down. No one speaks for a long minute.

Blowing out a breath, Olivia adopts a bright tone and says, “That’s good news. We can go home. Thanks again for coming to help me. And…yeah…” She trails off, and when I lift my gaze to look at her, I see her staring down at her hands twisted in her lap.

Even Foxxy seems to be at a loss for words, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that happen to the guy.

“Right,” I say gruffly. “Guess we should pack up.”

For the next hour, we move around each other in relative silence, gathering belongings and making sure everything that will be staying at the cabin is secure.

When we’re done, that silence has festered into something tense and loaded.

Someone has to say something. We can’t leave it like this.