Free Crazy Love by Nicola Marsh Page A

poisoning yet.
    “We’ve set a date.”
    Flo banged the table and the cups she’d set out rattled. “Good for you. When’s the big day?”
    “Christmas Eve.”
    “Lordy, old Hank’s getting romantic in his dotage.” Flo chuckled as Olivia poured the tea. “Does that mean he gets to wear a red suit rather than black?”
    “No, but all his Christmases come at once.” Olivia winked as she set down the cookies. “What’s your news?”
    Flo wrapped her gum in a serviette, wadded it and lobbed it into the trash. From Flo’s height, Olivia guessed she’d been a basketballer in her younger days back in Australia and it looked like she hadn’t lost her aim.
    Flo took a sip of her tea and sighed. “For a person who had one of those fancy chefs back in LA, you sure know how to make a mean cuppa.”
    “Any old fool can boil water and steep a few leaves.”
    As the words left her mouth, she cringed. George had used those exact words in one of his many put-downs, knowing she took pride in serving quality tea. His petty attitude had never ceased to amaze her. For a man who’d had everything he wanted and his own way for so long he’d still derived satisfaction from making her feel inadequate. Bastard.
    “You’re thinking about him again.”
    “That obvious?”
    Flo shook her head, a sad expression creasing her lined face. “Been there myself. Though thankfully my mean old son of a bitch had the decency to curl up his toes and leave me in peace. Saved me the hassle of going to jail for murdering his useless arse.”
    Olivia loved their cultural differences—arse for ass—glad it lost nothing in the translation. Sounded like both their husbands had been an arse/ass.
    “Murder would’ve been too good for George and besides, I would’ve had to care to do it. I didn’t in the end. In fact, I didn’t care for a very long time. Years of putting up with infidelity and abuse do that to a person.”
    “He hit you?” Flo’s hands clenched into fists. “That lily-livered bastard—”
    “No, but the verbal and psychological stuff was just as bad.”
    In many ways it had been worse, as he’d subjected her to mindless torment before finally realizing what he said or did didn’t affect her anymore. Even then, he’d tried to get a rise out of her daily but she’d refused to bite, seeking oblivion in alcohol rather than face her demons. She’d been on a downward spiral until Marc stepped in and the fact her son had to see her like that, drunk, devastated, depressed, saddened her.
    No child should have to shoulder the burden he had but she thanked the Lord every day he’d helped her turn her life around.
    “He better not show his face around these parts or I’ll tear him apart with my bare hands.”
    She glanced at Flo’s ham-fisted weapons of choice, not doubting their strength for a second. Man-hands, Marc would’ve called them. She hadn’t heard from him and it worried her. He of all people knew what she’d gone through with George and rather than be happy for her it looked like her son had chosen to ignore her.
    “Quit thinking about him this instant, Liv. He’s not worth it.”
    She valued Flo’s loyalty. For all their differences the two of them had bonded when she’d first come to town. Nothing like loneliness to bring like-minds together.
    “Actually, I was thinking about my son Marc and how I haven’t heard from him.”
    She couldn’t fathom Flo’s sly grin. “I wouldn’t be too concerned. Something tells me you’ll be seeing him real soon.”
    Wondering whether Flo was suffering from nicotine withdrawal, Olivia drained her tea and placed the cup out of thumping reach.
    “What makes you say that?”
    “Marc’s a handsome devil. And that fancy car of his must impress the ladies.”
    Flo had seen pictures of Marc but there was no way she could know about his Jaguar unless she’d actually seen it.
    “Marc’s here?”
    Olivia should be ecstatic he’d found it in his heart to leave his