Loving Oliver

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ３３ Ｌｏｖｉｎｇ ｔｈｅ Ｓｕｐｐｏｒｔ】

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ　３３　Ｌｏｖｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅ　Ｓｕｐｐｏｒｔ】

I try not to let my frustration show but my clenched jaw is doing me no favors. Aspen's worried look meets my eyes before Owen's gaze turns to confusion.

"Is it your bitch of a mom?" He asks blatantly. And a part of me wants to laugh in response to his question and his very accurate description of the woman who birthed me. But nervousness bubbles inside me at what the hell Alice could want from me.

"Kid, you want me to answer?" Sam asks wiping his hands on his legs sitting back.

"No, I'm just gonna..." I say as an excuse before sliding my chair out from the table before I stand up and head toward the back of the kitchen toward the backdoor exit.

It's finished ringing by the time I'm outside and the sunshine meets my face as the metal door squeaks open. I take a deep breath knowing that it won't be the end of it.

I clutch my phone moving toward the side of the brick building toward the loading docks for our suppliers and lean against the wall.

And sure enough my phone begins vibrating with a mocking ferocity.

I answer her on the fifth ring to really piss her off. Not that it takes that much. At least it used to.

"Hello," I chirp but even I hear the sarcasm in my own voice. Welp, this was off to a mediocre start.

"Hello, Parker... Can you hear me?" Alice partially hollers into the phone and despite the busy hustle of the city that's filtering through her background I can.

"Yes Alice. Did mom try and sick you on me? She try and convince you to convince me out of early retirement or something?" I feel myself blow out an annoyed breath. Alice was always the go between when mom and I had a spat or I would attempt to go off grid.

I should have been expecting a call from Alice way sooner because of mom's refusal or denial of me quitting. Alice was often the peace keeper and I hated that about her. Because peace for them meant acceptance, and my surrendering to whatever mom wanted.

Again.

"No honey. Once you fired your agent your mom ceased all contact with me. Her signature meant nothing when your brother gained custody of you. She fired me the day she heard you weren't coming back to New York. Honey, are you okay?" Alice asked again and this time it sounded quiet from her. She sounded tired too.

I try and settle myself and my anger. It wasn't Alice that was the problem.

"Sorry, I'm okay. Better actually, I like it here." I comment as I find myself looking around the alley that led to Sam's restaurant, his livelihood and his friends inside. Our friends. Owen's jeep was parked next to a few others in the back lot who I assumed belonged to the other staff.

"I'm sure, way better than Rehab Park." She snorts out humorlessly. Like anywhere was better than rehab and while I agree that rehab wasn't where I needed to be now, Sam wasn't second choice. I mean he had been at the time but staying with Sam, living with him was much more than mom, Alice, or I could've ever given him credit for. I was starting to feel like Sam was my safe-haven, and I hadn't felt that kind of reprieve from the harsh world since Oliver.

"I like living here. I've made friends." I reply softly because an overwhelming feeling has me nearly choking and I can't manage anymore words at the moment. I pull the phone from my face trying to take a large gulp of air and steady myself.