Trivial Pursuits (Chicago On Ice Book 2)

by Aven Ellis

  And as much as I want to see Landon, and as hard as it is to know I’ll miss a goodbye before he catches a plane, my friend needs me more tonight.

  “Yes. I’ll come pick you up. Why don’t you pack an overnight bag, and we’ll have a sleepover like we did in high school. And Mom is making pot roast in the crock pot.”

  Collins sniffles. “Will your mom have her perfect mashed potatoes?”

  I grin. Mom spares no fat with her butter and sour-cream-loaded mashed potatoes. Ones I pass up in favor of lighter cauliflower mash, but ones that Collins thinks are the best side dish on the planet.

  “Of course,” I say. “And while it won’t solve everything, it will certainly taste good.”

  I manage to get a laugh out of Collins with that. I tell her I will swing by in about fifteen minutes to pick her up.

  Then I lean against the dryer and call Landon. I know he’s up now and getting ready to leave for the arena in a bit.

  He answers on the second ring, and I swear I’ll never get sick of hearing his raspy, just-taken-a-shot-of-brandy voice.

  “Hey Sweetheart,” Landon says easily. “I was just thinking about you.”

  “Yeah?” I ask happily.

  “Yeah. I already miss you,” he says softly.

  “I miss you already, too,” I say truthfully. Then I clear my throat. “Remember my friend Collins?”

  I doubt he does, guys never remember conversations like this.

  “Your friend who broke up with the future fiancé?” Landon says easily.

  I smile. Landon continues to surprise me at every turn.

  And his remembering what I say is one more thing for me to love about him.

  “She just called me. Something has happened and she’s a wreck.” I pause for a second. “Landon, Collins needs a friend tonight. I have to be there for her. I’m so sorry I won’t be able to see you at the game,” I say disappointment filling me.

  Landon is quiet. My heart freezes. I hope he understands this, that of course I want to see him tonight, but I have to be there for Col—

  “Sweetheart, I get it,” Landon says. “And you know what? Your kindness and compassion are qualities I admire in you.”

  “I’m so glad you understand. And know I hate missing you like this. I wanted to be able to kiss you goodbye, Babe.”

  Gah! I realized ‘babe’ instinctively came out of my mouth. I mean, it’s one thing for him to give me a nickname, but does Landon want one from me so soon?

  “Babe?” Landon questions.

  Ugh. “Um, yes. Unless you want me to call you something else,” I add quickly.

  “I like babe. Or you could go with ‘Big Daddy’ after last night,” Landon teases.

  I feel my face flame with embarrassment, and then Landon laughs.

  “Are you blushing?” he asks.

  “No!”

  “Liar.”

  I laugh. “Okay, I am. But for that comment I’ll call you Pookie.”

  Now Landon is really laughing. “No, you won’t.”

  “Oh yes I will!”

  “You do realize you can call me anything and I’ll love it, right?” Landon says.

  I do, I think, falling more in love with him at this moment.

  “Thank you for being wonderful,” I say softly. “Sugar Pie.”

  Landon cracks up and so do I.

  “It’s easy to be wonderful when your girl is doing something wonderful for someone she cares about,” Landon says seriously. “But I’ll miss kissing you goodbye tonight.”

  “I will, too. But I’ll make it up to you when you get home,” I promise.

  “You’ll make it up to me tomorrow with computer sex,” Landon teases.

  “Gah! No!” I cry, thinking of my family and the last time they accused me of that.

  “Come on now, Pudding Pop, you’ll owe me,” he says, laughing.

  “Not that!” I say. “Unless I get to call you ‘Love Muffin.’”

  “I think we have a new game,” Landon declares. “How will we outdo each other with nicknames? Do you accept this challenge, Sprinkles?”

  “You could at least call me ‘Kale Chip,’” I counter.

  “Shit, that’s better than ‘Sweetheart,’” Landon declares. “But my little Kale Chip, I have to go.”

  My heart deflates as I know I need to say goodbye. “Okay.”

  “I’ll call you after the game,” Landon assures me. “Tell Collins I said hi.”

  “I will. Have a good game tonight, Babe,” I say, going back to the nickname in my heart for him.

  “Will do, Kale Chip.”

  And I don’t even need to see Landon to know he’s smiling.

  I end the call and sigh happily. Even though I hate missing his game, I’m happy with what just happened. Once again, he continues to surprise me. Landon values the traits I have as a person, and even if it’s at an expense to him and what he wants, he’s the kind of man who will stand by me and encourage me to do whatever I need to do.

  Another step forward.

  I have all the confidence in the world it’s all steps forward from now on. We’re growing together. Unlike my feelings for Troy, this love is different. It just is. I feel it in every fiber of my being.

  And I have no doubt that Landon will fall as much in love with me as I have with him. The hardest part was actually getting him over his fear, which happened when we made love last night.

  I see nothing but smooth sailing ahead.

  With that thought in my head, I slide back into my coat and head out the door, knowing nothing will change what we are building.

  Not ever.

  Chapter 22

  TriviaPlayOrPass!

  How many colors are in a rainbow?

  As soon as Collins opens the door, I can see she’s barely holding it together. Her eyes are brimming with tears, and she’s deathly pale.

  “Hey, come in,” Collins says, her voice thick. “I just need to put my coat on.”

  I step into the foyer, one familiar to me as my own. Collins has lived in the same house since I’ve known her. Collins walks across the Oriental hall carpet, to the closet, and opens the door.

  “Is that you, Livy?” her mother asks, coming down the hallway. “How are you?”

  I pause for a moment. Collins’ mother, Victoria, is always sunshine and roses. Now I know why Collins needed to get out. Her mother doesn’t deal with any emotion other than happy because she doesn’t acknowledge any other feeling can exist.

  “I’m fine,” I say, nodding. But unlike her, I’m going to acknowledge that Collins needs support. “I’m glad to spend time with Collins tonight,” I say seriously. “I know the past week has been hard.”

  “Oh, I hope you can get Collins to turn that frown upside down,” Victoria says breezily, oblivious to her own daughter’s torment. “Because a sad Collins is no fun.”

  Fun? Anger builds in me. This isn’t about Victoria being in her world of sparkles and unicorns and all seven colors of the rainbow. It’s about Collins.

  “I’m trying, Mom,” Collins says bravely, sliding into her coat and putting a sad smile on her face. “I promise I am.”

  I don’t need Landon to tell me my nose has a crease in it. Collins shouldn’t have to apologize to her Mom for not being happy. She just went through a gut-wrenching decision to end a relationship that was headed toward marriage. Collins has every right to be upset.

  “Good. I hope you come home in a better mood,” Victoria says. “Because no Debby Downers are allowed in this house.”

  I need to get Collins out of here. Now.

  I spot her bag next to the antique Queen Anne table in the foyer. I quickly walk over and pick it up.

  “Ready, Coll
ins?” I say firmly.

  I see gratitude flash in her toffee-colored eyes.

  “Yes,” she says. “Bye, Mom. See you tomorrow.”

  “With a sparkling smile, I hope,” Victoria calls out as Collins heads toward the door.

  Oooooooooooooooh, I hate how Victoria messes Collins up like this. I need to get her back to my house. Where we can talk and Collins can cry if she wants.

  Because I have no doubt she has done nothing but repress all her feelings this past week at home.

  We say goodbye and head down the sidewalk to my SUV. I toss her bag into the backseat, and we both get inside the Jeep.

  The second the doors are shut, I turn to her. “That’s bullshit about not crying. You need to cry, Collins.”

  Collins stares down at her hands while I turn the key in the ignition.

  “There are bigger problems in the world than mine,” Collins says softly. “I’m healthy. I have a job. I—”

  “Stop it!” I interrupt. “Collins, you’re a human being with real emotions. You have every right to be sad!”

  “But I wanted this break-up,” Collins protests.

  I turn to her. “That doesn’t matter,” I say firmly. “It still hurts.”

  She bites down hard on her lower lip. I can see the wall is about to come down.

  “First Gabe bombarded me with poetry about unrequited love,” Collins says softly. “When that didn’t work, he started getting angry. Gabe sent me some awful texts before I called you,” she admits, her voice shaking. “About me. Things mutual friends were saying.”

  I take a deep breath to try and remain calm. “What did he say?”

  “I can’t repeat them,” Collins manages to get out. She reaches into her purse, retrieves her phone, and I notice her hands are shaking as she tries to swipe the screen.

  Then she hands me the phone. I glance down at a string of angry, abusive texts from Gabe:

  Everyone thinks you’re a bitch. But you probably don’t care.

  How could you lead me on like this? I FUCKING LOVED YOU.

  Becca and Allie think you’re a bitch, did you know that? That’s why they unconnected from you on Connectivity. They said you led me on for YEARS. You’re a horrible, horrible person.

  Four years. How can you throw away four fucking years, Collins?

  Allie said I was your back-up plan the whole time. Maybe now you want a hockey player like Livy.

  Becca said you’re bipolar.

  “I’ve seen enough,” I say calmly, my voice betraying the rage that I feel inside. I hand the phone back to Collins. “It’s one thing to be heartbroken. It’s another to be a verbally abusive manipulator. You block him right now.”

  “I did this to him,” Collins says, the tears now brimming in her eyes. “I drove him to this.”

  “No, you didn’t. You didn’t do what he wanted, and that was stay with him even if you didn’t love him,” I say, reaching for her hand and squeezing it. “You can’t please him, or these bitch girls, no matter what you do now. And you shouldn’t want to please any of them. You did the right thing. You’ve been quiet about the whole situation and respectful of what you had with Gabe. You can’t control what they say, so please, please, I beg you, don’t obsess over it. They can all go fuck off, Collins.”

  Suddenly I see the wall fall down. Collins leans into me, sobbing, and I fight back my own tears as I hug her.

  “You’re one of my best friends, and I’m proud to call you that,” I whisper into her ear. “You’re a good person. And the people who know you and truly love you are on your side, I promise.”

  I stroke her hair as she cries, and I have a feeling this is one of the few times she’s let down her guard. Lord knows she couldn’t do it with the ‘sun is always shining’ Victoria around.

  She lets it all out. Finally, she pulls back from me. “I think I snotted on your coat,” she admits, looking embarrassed.

  “What’s a little snot when it comes from your oldest friend?” I say cheerfully.

  She opens her purse, and as she pulls out her tissue pack, my cell rings. I glance down and see it’s Nana.

  I pick up the phone. “Hello?”

  “Livy, are you girls coming soon? Your mother refuses to open the wine until you are back. She’s such a buzzkill.”

  I laugh. “Yes, Nana, we’re on our way. And break open two bottles, because Gabe is being a complete asshole to Collins.”

  I know Nana doesn’t mind swear words, so I feel okay using that one with her in regards to Gabe.

  “Oh, let me guess, playing the bitter ex card? Been there. Tell Collins I’ll plan on whiskey shots after dinner then.” She laughs before hanging up.

  I love my nana so much. I turn to Collins and smile. “Nana wants to do whiskey shots after dinner.”

  For the first time, I see a genuine smile spread across her face. “You have the best grandma in the whole world, Livy.”

  “I do,” I say, putting the car into drive and heading out onto the street. “I’m blessed to have her as my nana.”

  As I drive, my mind drifts to Landon. I’m blessed to have found him and fallen in love with him, too.

  And I can’t wait to talk to the man I love after the game tonight.

  “Have we waited long enough for shots yet?” Nana asks impatiently.

  I laugh when I see the mischievous smile pass over her face. It’s been a good evening, and somehow, I don’t think Nana is going to let Collins escape without doing a shot of whiskey before we go to bed.

  I brought Collins home to Nana and my mom, who immediately wrapped her in love. They let her cry, gave words of wisdom, and made her laugh. When Dad got home, we all sat down to a home-cooked pot roast, mashed potatoes, cauliflower puree, and red wine. It was perfect, comforting and nurturing, and I think it helped Collins turn the corner tonight.

  We watched the Buffaloes game in the den, and Collins apologized profusely when she realized that’s where I would normally be, but I reassured her I was where I wanted to be—with my friend. I have my phone next to me, as I know Landon will call soon, but in the meantime, we’re hanging out and talking. The tears have stopped. Gabe has been blocked.

  And now Nana wants shots.

  “I had a pancake shot once at Purdue,” Collins says, tucking a lock of her long, brown hair behind one ear. “That is the only shot I’ve had that I could stomach. It really tastes like a pancake with syrup.”

  “I need this in my life,” Nana declares, sitting up straight in the recliner chair.

  “Mom, you sound like Livy when you say that,” Mom declares, laughing.

  “If I sounded like Livy I’d be saying I want more of Landy’s cute butt in my life, not a pancake shot,” Nana says giving me a wink.

  Gahhhhhh!

  “On that note, I’m going to go read,” Dad says, shaking his head as he gets out of this chair. “Livy, I’m counting on you to keep these three out of trouble. Especially Nana,” he adds, grinning at me. “Keep an eye on her.”

  “Oh, Dave,” Nana says, playfully rolling her eyes. Then a teasing smile passes over her face. “You’re so right about that.”

  And we all crack up again.

  “Are we really doing shots?” Mom asks, incredulous. “I haven’t done one in twenty years!”

  “How are you my daughter?” Nana asks.

  “What, are you doing them at your weekly canasta game?” Mom asks.

  Hmmm. I wouldn’t put that past Nana at all.

  Suddenly my phone rings.

  “Oooh, it’s hot buns!” Nana cries.

  Collins bursts out laughing. “Nana, will you adopt me?”

  “I already have,” Nana says, reaching for Collins’ hand and giving it a squeeze.

  I grab my p
hone off the coffee table, and it is indeed Landon. My heart dances the second I see his name on the screen.

  “Oh, it is, look at her face,” Mom cries, her eyes twinkling in delight. “That’s Landy love right there.”

  “Or lust,” Nana counters.

  “Stop it,” I say firmly. Then I accept the call. “Hello?”

  “Hello, my little Kale Chip,” Landon says playfully. “What are you doing?”

  Oh, I’m so in love with him.

  I stand up and move toward the bookcase in the corner of the room for a smidge of privacy. “I’m hanging out with Collins and Nana and Mom. I watched the game. You were great, Babe,” I say, not caring who hears. “I’m glad you held on for the win.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Landon says. “I’ll tell you more about it from the hotel.”

  I hear voices all around him, echoing, and it sounds like he’s in the corridor.

  “I missed seeing you tonight,” Landon says.

  “I missed you, too,” I say softly.

  “How is Coll—” Landon stops, and I can hear a female voice talking to him. “Hey, Kayla, I’m talking to Livy,” Landon interrupts. “I’ll see you next week.”

  My stomach tightens the second I hear her name. I instantly remember watching Kayla talking to him, how she touched Landon’s arm, the way her eyes narrowed when she met me. How she calls him and gets him to listen to her as an excuse to get closer . . .

  “Trouble.”

  “Sorry about that, Sweetheart,” Landon says, breaking into the warning playing in my head. “Anyway, how is Collins?”

  I shove down my thoughts about Kayla. This wasn’t the time to talk about them, but what would I say if I did bring it up? I’d seem like an insecure, crazy girlfriend.

  I know what I have. I trust Landon with every inch of my heart and soul.

  And in the end, that’s all that matters.