A/O Fic: Needed You. ( 8/? )
Title: Needed You; another fic based on the song by Lady Antebellum, Need You Now.
Disclaimer:Same as always. I am just having fun with Dick's toys. He wouldn't treat them right, so I took over.
Rating: PG-13; no sex, some bad language, just some angst.
Spoiler(s): A little for Lead and a little for Conviction
The list of employees and visitors from Park Avenue Manor was faxed over two days after Olivia and Elliot had paid a visit to the Residential Coordinator. The squad quickly ran the names through their computer and, other than a citation for public intoxication for one of the nurse aides, there was nothing outstanding about anyone on the list. Olivia leaned back in her chair, her fingers laced together atop her head and looked over at her partner.
“That’s the last one and we’ve got nothing. Everyone checks out, no priors other than a public intoxication.”
Elliot leaned forward, running a hand over his tired face.
“That doesn’t mean that someone on that list didn’t assault her, but then again, we don’t know for sure that Mrs. Harrison has been assaulted.”
Captain Don Cragen, who had switched off the light in his office and came out to go home, overheard Elliot and looked at his detectives.
“It sounds like you’ve hit a dead end with the Harrison case,” he glanced between Olivia and Elliot. “Put it on the back burner, you both have plenty of other open cases of confirmed crimes to concentrate on. Go home, tomorrow is another day.” The captain bid them both a good night and headed for the exit.
Not needing to be told twice, Elliot straighten the files on his desk, turned off his computer, and stood up to slip on his coat.
“You need a lift home, Liv?”
Olivia, who was stacking up her own files, smiled at Elliot and shook her head.
“No thanks, I’m going to walk. I might stop for dinner some place on my way home.”
Elliot nodded, knowing from experience that it would do no good to argue with his partner once she made up her mind.
“Be careful, Liv. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night, El. Tell Kathy and the kids I said Hi.”
“I will.” He gave her a small wave and smile, then left the squad room.
After shutting down her computer and retrieving her own coat in preparation to leave, Olivia’s cell phone rang and, thinking that her free time had just evaporated, looked down at the caller id. Relief flooded over her at the name on display and she smiled as she answered on the next ring.
“Benson.”
“Hey Ben, what’s up?” Abbie Carmichael’s voice came over the connection as she pulled her car to the curb out in front of the precinct in order to surprise her old friend.
“I am heading home. What’s up with you, Tex?” She made her way to the stairs, opting to skip the elevators and just walk down to the lobby of the building. Olivia shrugged into her coat as she went down the three flights.
“Do you have any plans for the evening?”
“Ooo are you asking me out on a date?” the brunette teased her southern friend. “I was planning on getting a bite to eat on the way home and then going to bed at a decent hour.”
“Boring!” Abbie sing songed into the phone. “Let’s go to a movie or catch a play or do something else. You could stand to have a little bit of fun.”
“Fun? Hmmm…what is this fun you speak of?” Olivia teased again as she walked out of the building and paused, spotting the lanky attorney leaning against the side of her Cadillac CTS. She raised a brow and pressed the end call button on her phone as she walked toward the slender woman.
“What brings you here? Is there another case you need to steal?” Olivia truly wasn’t upset about the Samuelsen case, but she just had to razz her friend about it.
Abbie, who had put away her own phone, pressed a hand against her chest.
“I’m wounded, Ben. Can’t I just come to see an old friend?”
“Mmhmm. You know and I know that you’re full of shit.” Olivia smirked and opened the passenger door of the sedan and sat down in the leather seat. Abbie went around the car and got in behind the wheel and looked over at her friend as Olivia clicked the seatbelt into place. “Home, James.”
“Presumptuous aren’t you?”
Olivia gave her a cheeky smile and ran her hand along the dashboard.
“Nice car.”
Abbie chuckled and pulled away from the curb. They drove in silence for a few moments and Olivia rested her head against the supple leather seat. As Abbie stopped at a red light, the detective looked over at her old friend. She was comfortable in the other woman’s presence and felt relaxed for the first time in days. However, it had been a long week and she still had another workday left.
“I’m really tired, Abs. Why don’t we plan to do something another night?”
“You’re getting old, Ben,” Abbie’s voice was soft and affectionate. “Tell ya what, why don’t we pick up some steaks at the store and I’ll take you back to my place and we can just hang out and talk.”
Olivia watched the other brunette and scowled just a bit.
“Why do I feel like the other shoe is about to drop?”
“Because you’re paranoid?”
“What are you up to Carmichael? We haven’t talked in months and suddenly you show up on business and then you want to be my best buddy.”
Abbie signaled and eased her car into the left turn lane and glanced over to Olivia.
“I’m spending some time with a friend of mine that I haven‘t seen in a long time, is that a crime?”
“You’re up to something and I’m going to discover what it is, so you may as well tell me now.”
Abbie said nothing and made her way to a small butcher’s shop and parked out front. Before getting out of the car, she looked at Olivia. While she did have an ulterior motive for talking with the cop, she wasn’t about to put all her cards on the table yet.
“Look, I just want to catch up with my friend, okay?”
Olivia, she head still resting on the car seat, huffed a little, playfully glared at Abbie, then smiled.
“Okay, okay. I give. I want a ribeye,” she winked and closed her eyes to rest while Abbie ran in into the shop for the meat.
________________________________________________________________________
A quick rap on her door had Alex looking up from her desk curiously as her door opened to reveal a familiar blonde.
“Hey, I’m glad I caught you before you left.” Serena Southerlyn slipped into the opened doorway and greeted her former colleague.
“Wow, there must be something in the air this week,” Alex said jokingly as she got up from behind her desk and went over to hug her friend.
“Why do you say that?” Serena released Alex from the hug and sat down in one of her guest chairs.
“You’re the second friend whom I haven’t seen for awhile that has made a sudden appearance.”
Serena nodded knowingly and smirked a bit.
“Well, if that other friend is Abbie Carmichael, she’s invited both of us to dinner at her place. She called me earlier and said she is grilling some steaks and has one for each of us.”
Alex took the other guest chair and looked at the pile of work on her desk and then to the other blonde, the hint of a grin on her lips.
“So, you and Abbie are talking again?”
Serena sighed slightly and resisted rolling her eyes.
“Yes, we are talking again, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”
“What am I thinking?”
“That me and Carmichael are going to hook up again. I like her, she’s sexy, but…,” Serena gave a slight shrug and looked away for a moment.
“She broke your heart,” Alex softly finished for her as she reached over and lay her hand atop her friend’s.
“She bruised it pretty badly, that and my ego,” her friend gave Alex a half-smile. “We’re working on being friends again.”
“Just be careful, Rena. Abbie’s a playgirl and I don’t think she will settle down any time soon.”
“So, not to change the subject,” the blonde managed a smiled, “but I am. Are you going to come to dinner or not?”
“Hmmm…I’m probably just a chaperone, but I am not going to turn down a free steak dinner,” Alex chuckled softly.
Serena wrinkled her nose at her friend for her teasing and took out her phone to text Abbie and let her know that Alex would be joining them for dinner. Putting the phone away, she glanced at Alex and motioned her out of the chair and toward her untidy desk.
“Well, let’s go blondie, finish up so we can get out of here.”
________________________________________________________________________
Abbie was humming to herself as she tore some romaine lettuce and baby spinach into bite size pieces for a salad. She had the steaks marinating and the grill getting hot on the patio and corn on the cob in a pot of hot water on the stove. Finishing with the greens, she wiped her hands and took two beers out of the refrigerator as she went into the living room to check on her guest.
Olivia was surfing through the channels on the large flat screen television that Abbie had hanging on the living room wall. She took the last sip from her first bottle of beer and placed the empty on the coffee table and glanced up at Abbie.
“Are you sure I can’t give you a hand?” she lifted her chin toward the kitchen as she took the bottle the other brunette offered her.
“Nope, I have it all under control.”
Abbie twisted the cap off her beer bottle and took a sip as she eased back on the sofa. Reaching for the remote, she changed the channel to CNN, ignoring Olivia’s scowl when she did. Lowering the volume, she let her head rest back on the sofa and glanced to her friend.
“How do you like working with Alex again?”
Olivia’s scowl deepened and she took a long drink from her beer before answering.
“It’s good for the squad. She’s the best ADA we’ve had, present company excluded of course.”
“Mmhmm, flattery will get you nowhere,” the smoky voiced attorney teased. “But, that’s really not the question I asked. How do you, Olivia Benson, like working with Alex again?”
Olivia took another long sip and sighed as she put the beer on a coaster on the coffee table.
“If we are going to talk about Alex Cabot, I am going to need something stronger to drink.” She got up and headed for the kitchen and Abbie’s stash of alcohol. Abbie followed her into the kitchen and retrieved the marinating steaks from the refrigerator as Olivia found a bottle of tequila and set it, along with two shot glasses, down on the kitchen counter.
“None for me, Liv. I’ve got to cook and I don’t want to burn these steaks.”
“More for me then,” Olivia teased as she poured herself a shot and downed it, then poured another. She carried the second shot with her as she followed the Texan onto the patio and watched her place the steaks on the grill.
“You must be hungry tonight, Carmichael. There are two of us and four steaks,” she downed the second shot and grimaced slightly at the burn in the back of her throat.
“No wonder you’re a detective,” Abbie smirked as she let the steaks sizzle on the grill and went to retrieve her beer. “I invited a couple of mutual friends over while I was in the butcher shop, I hope you don’t mind.”
Olivia picked up her bottle and took another sip from it, eying the attorney as she reclaimed her spot on the sofa. On her second beer and having had two shots of tequila on an empty stomach, Liv felt the beginnings of a pleasant buzz, but she was suspicious of Abbie’s motives.
“You are up to something. Fess up, Carmichael.”
“Are you always this paranoid, Liv? I just thought it might be fun to have a small get together and spend some time with friends.” Abbie busied herself in the kitchen finishing up the salad before going back out to check on the steaks. It was cold outside, but she had a gas heater on the small balcony and, with the grill going, it was comfortable.
Liv watched Abbie move from kitchen to balcony as she was finishing up dinner and couldn’t help but feel she was being set-up. Deciding to not dwell on her suspicions, she went back to the kitchen and knocked back another shot of tequila and got herself another beer.
“You should slow down on that stuff,” Abbie advised as she watched her friend from the kitchen doorway.
“I have a feeling I am going to need it,” but she did put the bottle of tequila back in its proper place.
“I’m hurt that you don’t trust me, Ben.”
Olivia chuckled and went back to the living room and sprawled on the sofa again. She rested her head on a throw pillow and looked over to the beautiful brunette.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, I just know you too well. Who are your other dinner guests?”
Before Abbie could answer, the door buzzer sounded and she offered Olivia a smirk as she buzzed up her guests.
“I guess you’re about to find out. Do me a favor and go check the steaks? Please?”
The detective eyed her for a moment before she got up, knowing that Abbie was just trying to get her out of the room, and went to the balcony.
“Thank you!” Abbie called after her. She went back to the kitchen to check the pot on the stovetop. Removing the ears of corn and placing them on a platter, she set the platter on the stove as her front doorbell rang. With long strides she went to the door and opened it, smiling at her guests.
“Serena, Alex, I’m glad you both could make it,” Abbie gave each blonde woman a hug and kiss on the cheek as they stepped into her apartment.
“Thank you for the invitation. You’re saving me from another night of take out,” quipped Alex as she slipped her arms out of her coat.
“Let me take your coats.” Abbie helped Serena with hers and then took Alex’s as well and headed for her spare bedroom. “I’ll hang them in here.”
Olivia checked the steaks as requested, using a pair of tongs to flip them over and gently poking them to test their firmness. If too firm, they would be overdone, if they were too soft, they needed more time on the grill. These were just a bit soft, but it wouldn’t be long before they would be perfect. Wiping her hands on a towel, she made her way back inside.
“Abs, another ten minutes,” she called out behind her as she slid the glass door to the balcony shut to keep out the cold wind.
Turning, she paused at the sight of the two blondes before her.
“Serena, Alex,” she said hesitantly.
“Olivia, it’s good to see you again,” Serena gave the detective a pleasant smile.
“Yeah, Serena. It’s been awhile.”
Olivia wasn’t sure whether to be mad at Abbie for inviting Alex or gloat to the brunette lawyer that she had been right about Abbie’s little set-up. She also didn’t know how to react to Alex’s presence. While she was still mortified by the events at the courthouse, she would be lying to herself to say the mere sight of the blonde didn’t make her heart beat faster and her palms sweat.
“Hello, Olivia,” Alex gave her a tender smile.
Abbie walked in on the exchange of greetings and gave a conspiratorial wink to Serena as she passed by her.
“What would you ladies like to drink? How are those steaks doing Liv?” Abbie tried not to smirk, but couldn’t help it as the other brunette glared at her. It was going to be an interesting evening, a very interesting evening.
Disclaimer:Same as always. I am just having fun with Dick's toys. He wouldn't treat them right, so I took over.
Rating: PG-13; no sex, some bad language, just some angst.
Spoiler(s): A little for Lead and a little for Conviction
The list of employees and visitors from Park Avenue Manor was faxed over two days after Olivia and Elliot had paid a visit to the Residential Coordinator. The squad quickly ran the names through their computer and, other than a citation for public intoxication for one of the nurse aides, there was nothing outstanding about anyone on the list. Olivia leaned back in her chair, her fingers laced together atop her head and looked over at her partner.
“That’s the last one and we’ve got nothing. Everyone checks out, no priors other than a public intoxication.”
Elliot leaned forward, running a hand over his tired face.
“That doesn’t mean that someone on that list didn’t assault her, but then again, we don’t know for sure that Mrs. Harrison has been assaulted.”
Captain Don Cragen, who had switched off the light in his office and came out to go home, overheard Elliot and looked at his detectives.
“It sounds like you’ve hit a dead end with the Harrison case,” he glanced between Olivia and Elliot. “Put it on the back burner, you both have plenty of other open cases of confirmed crimes to concentrate on. Go home, tomorrow is another day.” The captain bid them both a good night and headed for the exit.
Not needing to be told twice, Elliot straighten the files on his desk, turned off his computer, and stood up to slip on his coat.
“You need a lift home, Liv?”
Olivia, who was stacking up her own files, smiled at Elliot and shook her head.
“No thanks, I’m going to walk. I might stop for dinner some place on my way home.”
Elliot nodded, knowing from experience that it would do no good to argue with his partner once she made up her mind.
“Be careful, Liv. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night, El. Tell Kathy and the kids I said Hi.”
“I will.” He gave her a small wave and smile, then left the squad room.
After shutting down her computer and retrieving her own coat in preparation to leave, Olivia’s cell phone rang and, thinking that her free time had just evaporated, looked down at the caller id. Relief flooded over her at the name on display and she smiled as she answered on the next ring.
“Benson.”
“Hey Ben, what’s up?” Abbie Carmichael’s voice came over the connection as she pulled her car to the curb out in front of the precinct in order to surprise her old friend.
“I am heading home. What’s up with you, Tex?” She made her way to the stairs, opting to skip the elevators and just walk down to the lobby of the building. Olivia shrugged into her coat as she went down the three flights.
“Do you have any plans for the evening?”
“Ooo are you asking me out on a date?” the brunette teased her southern friend. “I was planning on getting a bite to eat on the way home and then going to bed at a decent hour.”
“Boring!” Abbie sing songed into the phone. “Let’s go to a movie or catch a play or do something else. You could stand to have a little bit of fun.”
“Fun? Hmmm…what is this fun you speak of?” Olivia teased again as she walked out of the building and paused, spotting the lanky attorney leaning against the side of her Cadillac CTS. She raised a brow and pressed the end call button on her phone as she walked toward the slender woman.
“What brings you here? Is there another case you need to steal?” Olivia truly wasn’t upset about the Samuelsen case, but she just had to razz her friend about it.
Abbie, who had put away her own phone, pressed a hand against her chest.
“I’m wounded, Ben. Can’t I just come to see an old friend?”
“Mmhmm. You know and I know that you’re full of shit.” Olivia smirked and opened the passenger door of the sedan and sat down in the leather seat. Abbie went around the car and got in behind the wheel and looked over at her friend as Olivia clicked the seatbelt into place. “Home, James.”
“Presumptuous aren’t you?”
Olivia gave her a cheeky smile and ran her hand along the dashboard.
“Nice car.”
Abbie chuckled and pulled away from the curb. They drove in silence for a few moments and Olivia rested her head against the supple leather seat. As Abbie stopped at a red light, the detective looked over at her old friend. She was comfortable in the other woman’s presence and felt relaxed for the first time in days. However, it had been a long week and she still had another workday left.
“I’m really tired, Abs. Why don’t we plan to do something another night?”
“You’re getting old, Ben,” Abbie’s voice was soft and affectionate. “Tell ya what, why don’t we pick up some steaks at the store and I’ll take you back to my place and we can just hang out and talk.”
Olivia watched the other brunette and scowled just a bit.
“Why do I feel like the other shoe is about to drop?”
“Because you’re paranoid?”
“What are you up to Carmichael? We haven’t talked in months and suddenly you show up on business and then you want to be my best buddy.”
Abbie signaled and eased her car into the left turn lane and glanced over to Olivia.
“I’m spending some time with a friend of mine that I haven‘t seen in a long time, is that a crime?”
“You’re up to something and I’m going to discover what it is, so you may as well tell me now.”
Abbie said nothing and made her way to a small butcher’s shop and parked out front. Before getting out of the car, she looked at Olivia. While she did have an ulterior motive for talking with the cop, she wasn’t about to put all her cards on the table yet.
“Look, I just want to catch up with my friend, okay?”
Olivia, she head still resting on the car seat, huffed a little, playfully glared at Abbie, then smiled.
“Okay, okay. I give. I want a ribeye,” she winked and closed her eyes to rest while Abbie ran in into the shop for the meat.
________________________________________________________________________
A quick rap on her door had Alex looking up from her desk curiously as her door opened to reveal a familiar blonde.
“Hey, I’m glad I caught you before you left.” Serena Southerlyn slipped into the opened doorway and greeted her former colleague.
“Wow, there must be something in the air this week,” Alex said jokingly as she got up from behind her desk and went over to hug her friend.
“Why do you say that?” Serena released Alex from the hug and sat down in one of her guest chairs.
“You’re the second friend whom I haven’t seen for awhile that has made a sudden appearance.”
Serena nodded knowingly and smirked a bit.
“Well, if that other friend is Abbie Carmichael, she’s invited both of us to dinner at her place. She called me earlier and said she is grilling some steaks and has one for each of us.”
Alex took the other guest chair and looked at the pile of work on her desk and then to the other blonde, the hint of a grin on her lips.
“So, you and Abbie are talking again?”
Serena sighed slightly and resisted rolling her eyes.
“Yes, we are talking again, but it’s not what you’re thinking.”
“What am I thinking?”
“That me and Carmichael are going to hook up again. I like her, she’s sexy, but…,” Serena gave a slight shrug and looked away for a moment.
“She broke your heart,” Alex softly finished for her as she reached over and lay her hand atop her friend’s.
“She bruised it pretty badly, that and my ego,” her friend gave Alex a half-smile. “We’re working on being friends again.”
“Just be careful, Rena. Abbie’s a playgirl and I don’t think she will settle down any time soon.”
“So, not to change the subject,” the blonde managed a smiled, “but I am. Are you going to come to dinner or not?”
“Hmmm…I’m probably just a chaperone, but I am not going to turn down a free steak dinner,” Alex chuckled softly.
Serena wrinkled her nose at her friend for her teasing and took out her phone to text Abbie and let her know that Alex would be joining them for dinner. Putting the phone away, she glanced at Alex and motioned her out of the chair and toward her untidy desk.
“Well, let’s go blondie, finish up so we can get out of here.”
________________________________________________________________________
Abbie was humming to herself as she tore some romaine lettuce and baby spinach into bite size pieces for a salad. She had the steaks marinating and the grill getting hot on the patio and corn on the cob in a pot of hot water on the stove. Finishing with the greens, she wiped her hands and took two beers out of the refrigerator as she went into the living room to check on her guest.
Olivia was surfing through the channels on the large flat screen television that Abbie had hanging on the living room wall. She took the last sip from her first bottle of beer and placed the empty on the coffee table and glanced up at Abbie.
“Are you sure I can’t give you a hand?” she lifted her chin toward the kitchen as she took the bottle the other brunette offered her.
“Nope, I have it all under control.”
Abbie twisted the cap off her beer bottle and took a sip as she eased back on the sofa. Reaching for the remote, she changed the channel to CNN, ignoring Olivia’s scowl when she did. Lowering the volume, she let her head rest back on the sofa and glanced to her friend.
“How do you like working with Alex again?”
Olivia’s scowl deepened and she took a long drink from her beer before answering.
“It’s good for the squad. She’s the best ADA we’ve had, present company excluded of course.”
“Mmhmm, flattery will get you nowhere,” the smoky voiced attorney teased. “But, that’s really not the question I asked. How do you, Olivia Benson, like working with Alex again?”
Olivia took another long sip and sighed as she put the beer on a coaster on the coffee table.
“If we are going to talk about Alex Cabot, I am going to need something stronger to drink.” She got up and headed for the kitchen and Abbie’s stash of alcohol. Abbie followed her into the kitchen and retrieved the marinating steaks from the refrigerator as Olivia found a bottle of tequila and set it, along with two shot glasses, down on the kitchen counter.
“None for me, Liv. I’ve got to cook and I don’t want to burn these steaks.”
“More for me then,” Olivia teased as she poured herself a shot and downed it, then poured another. She carried the second shot with her as she followed the Texan onto the patio and watched her place the steaks on the grill.
“You must be hungry tonight, Carmichael. There are two of us and four steaks,” she downed the second shot and grimaced slightly at the burn in the back of her throat.
“No wonder you’re a detective,” Abbie smirked as she let the steaks sizzle on the grill and went to retrieve her beer. “I invited a couple of mutual friends over while I was in the butcher shop, I hope you don’t mind.”
Olivia picked up her bottle and took another sip from it, eying the attorney as she reclaimed her spot on the sofa. On her second beer and having had two shots of tequila on an empty stomach, Liv felt the beginnings of a pleasant buzz, but she was suspicious of Abbie’s motives.
“You are up to something. Fess up, Carmichael.”
“Are you always this paranoid, Liv? I just thought it might be fun to have a small get together and spend some time with friends.” Abbie busied herself in the kitchen finishing up the salad before going back out to check on the steaks. It was cold outside, but she had a gas heater on the small balcony and, with the grill going, it was comfortable.
Liv watched Abbie move from kitchen to balcony as she was finishing up dinner and couldn’t help but feel she was being set-up. Deciding to not dwell on her suspicions, she went back to the kitchen and knocked back another shot of tequila and got herself another beer.
“You should slow down on that stuff,” Abbie advised as she watched her friend from the kitchen doorway.
“I have a feeling I am going to need it,” but she did put the bottle of tequila back in its proper place.
“I’m hurt that you don’t trust me, Ben.”
Olivia chuckled and went back to the living room and sprawled on the sofa again. She rested her head on a throw pillow and looked over to the beautiful brunette.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, I just know you too well. Who are your other dinner guests?”
Before Abbie could answer, the door buzzer sounded and she offered Olivia a smirk as she buzzed up her guests.
“I guess you’re about to find out. Do me a favor and go check the steaks? Please?”
The detective eyed her for a moment before she got up, knowing that Abbie was just trying to get her out of the room, and went to the balcony.
“Thank you!” Abbie called after her. She went back to the kitchen to check the pot on the stovetop. Removing the ears of corn and placing them on a platter, she set the platter on the stove as her front doorbell rang. With long strides she went to the door and opened it, smiling at her guests.
“Serena, Alex, I’m glad you both could make it,” Abbie gave each blonde woman a hug and kiss on the cheek as they stepped into her apartment.
“Thank you for the invitation. You’re saving me from another night of take out,” quipped Alex as she slipped her arms out of her coat.
“Let me take your coats.” Abbie helped Serena with hers and then took Alex’s as well and headed for her spare bedroom. “I’ll hang them in here.”
Olivia checked the steaks as requested, using a pair of tongs to flip them over and gently poking them to test their firmness. If too firm, they would be overdone, if they were too soft, they needed more time on the grill. These were just a bit soft, but it wouldn’t be long before they would be perfect. Wiping her hands on a towel, she made her way back inside.
“Abs, another ten minutes,” she called out behind her as she slid the glass door to the balcony shut to keep out the cold wind.
Turning, she paused at the sight of the two blondes before her.
“Serena, Alex,” she said hesitantly.
“Olivia, it’s good to see you again,” Serena gave the detective a pleasant smile.
“Yeah, Serena. It’s been awhile.”
Olivia wasn’t sure whether to be mad at Abbie for inviting Alex or gloat to the brunette lawyer that she had been right about Abbie’s little set-up. She also didn’t know how to react to Alex’s presence. While she was still mortified by the events at the courthouse, she would be lying to herself to say the mere sight of the blonde didn’t make her heart beat faster and her palms sweat.
“Hello, Olivia,” Alex gave her a tender smile.
Abbie walked in on the exchange of greetings and gave a conspiratorial wink to Serena as she passed by her.
“What would you ladies like to drink? How are those steaks doing Liv?” Abbie tried not to smirk, but couldn’t help it as the other brunette glared at her. It was going to be an interesting evening, a very interesting evening.