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Avery clucks her tongue, steps forward, and removes the pan fro fool And you can't just put that in without seasoning Let me show you how to do it"

"And with that," I say, takingto take Piper for a walk"

They both ignorea lecture to Dave on the proper way to prepare a roast

Chapter 27

Hawke

"Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes," Oliver's mom, Carly, calls out froet here"

The smell of Carly's poutine rapee tantalizes me and my stomach rumbles It alone makes this hasty spur-of-the-moment trip to visit orth the hassle

"Coets up fro on beers His dad doesn't spare us a glance, preferring to watch TV stretched back in his recliner Oliver's wife, Nina, who is very lovely and also a handful, is helping Carly in the kitchen "I need a smoke"

I follow Oliver out the front door, both of us grabbing our coats from the rack in the entryway We step out onto the stoop lit by a single yellow bulb and he lights up

"Nasty habit, dude," I say as I flick arette

"Yeah, so is scratchingthat up anytime soon, do you?" he says, and then proceeds to show me just such a move

I laugh and shake ainst the iron porch rail that trails down the steps "What Nina sees in you is beyond me"

"It's true love," is all Oliver says as he takes another drag Then he gives rin "DudeI can't believe you just showed up"

"I had so "And a visit with your parents is long overdue"

I really shouldn't have taken the tiaave ional jet here so I could visit rounds

And perhaps a chancewith Vale?

Oh, who a? Asif I said I wasn't pulled here by Vale I can barely see about her

Missing her

So fucking much it almost makes me sick to my stomach

Oliver nods and takes another drag, looking out over the yard I hesitate ah my hair, I ask, "How is she?"

His head snaps my way and his eyebrows raise up in surprise "Who? Vale?"

"Well who else?" I snap at him "Of course Vale"

Oliver gives , and exhales slowly "I haven't seen her much Avery sees her almost every day"

"And?" I prompt

"And what?" he plays stupid, and I think he's enjoying this

"How is she doing?" I grit out

"Oh," Oliver says withof a broken heart? Orsooing to ask her out He seeo for it Vale's as single as they coht?"

Jeff Conklin? You got to be fucking kidding h for the likes of Vale We played hockey together for the Oilers but he was a hack Got cut after the second year and stayed behind in Sydney trying to capitalize on his brief falory with the team Oliver told me he's been married and divorced twice since then