Page 9 of The Triple Play

I move to the kitchen and pull out two beers, opening one and setting it beside him before taking the other to the stools that line the counter. I open mine and take a drink, then answer. “He’s good. I need to call the pharmacy to get his pain meds refilled, though.”

Griff glances up at me with a frown. He cares about Harold just like I do. “Is he having a flare-up?”

I nod. “Yeah, not a bad one, but it was bugging him when I stopped by.”

Griff grunts under his breath and returns his attention to the sauce he has bubbling away.

“I saw Olivia at the pet store today,” I mention casually, watching him for his reaction. He stiffens, his hand pausing in its stirring before resuming a beat later.

“Okay.”

“She’s got a three-legged dog named Trip.” Like me, Griff is a softie for all animals.

“Yeah, I know. I ran into them on my hike the other day.” His voice is tight. Weirdly so.

My eyebrows raise as I take another pull from my beer. “You didn’t mention that.”

“Didn’t know I needed to.”

I can’t tell if he’s feeling defensive or what, but something’s off. Understanding hits me quickly. I’m guessing this tension I’m picking up on has to do with a beautiful tall blonde woman.

Well, fuck. Griff’s interested in her, too.

I mentally slam the brakes on my excitement over that same woman. There’s not a chance I’m letting a woman, not even an amazing one like Olivia, come between me and my best friend. If he wants her, I’ll step aside.

Adopting a casual tone, I try to feel him out. “Are you gonna hike together again?”

He lifts his head, his gaze sharp. “Why?”

I shrug. “You like to hike, she likes to hike, makes sense you’d do it together. You could show her some trails.”

Moving slowly, he turns and takes two bowls out of the cabinet beside him and starts to dish up the food. “I guess so. Would you want to come?”

Damn it. Spend more time with Olivia? Hell yes. Get in the way of my best friend if he chooses to pursue the woman he’s had a crush on for ten years? Hell no.

I force myself to say the words. “Nah, you know the trails better. You should get her number from Kyle and make some plans.”

Griff’s brows knit together. “You know the trails, too. Hell, you’ve hiked most of them with me. But you’re right, getting her number would be a good idea. Make sure she knows she’s got some friends in town.”

That right there is why I can’t think of a better dude for a woman like her. He’s always looking out for everyone else. He’s solid, dependable, and into the outdoors and communing with trees, just like she is.

I’m more of an adrenaline junkie. Act first, think later. I know my energy can be overwhelming at times, and I noticed how flustered Olivia was at the pet store. She doesn’t need a guy like me coming in and causing chaos, even if it is the fun kind.

I know I don’t measure up. Not anywhere close to her league. Hell, I’m pretty sure they only let me graduate with an actual degree because of my skills on the baseball diamond. Truthfully, I only went to university because of the baseball scholarship I was offered. I ended up partying and playing ball more than I studied, and my GPA was evidence of that. Don’t need to be book smart to play ball and save people, and I’ve always known I’d do one or both of those things.

My dad, my uncle, my brother, and my grandfather all worked as first responders. Grandpa was a medic in the military, Dad and Uncle Jerry were firefighters, and my brother Derek is a cop. My dad likes to say that it’s in the Foxx blood to be a hero.

No pressure, right?

Sure, I’ve helped a lot of people during my time with the Mid-Island Ground Search and Rescue team. But a hero? Nah. Not me. I’m the disappointment in my family, even if they’ve never said it.

When Griff and I are out on a rescue, I’m the backup. The muscle. The comic relief to ease the panic of whoever’s in trouble. He’s levelheaded, the leader, the guy with the plan and the brains to make it happen.

The more I think about it, the more certain I am that Griff and Olivia are a good match.

Which means it’s time to push down my own attraction to her, stretch my wingman muscles, and make the magic happen.

So what if the thought of the two of them together makes something twist in my chest…