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I growl. “That’s fucking low, using your mate to make me play nice. Mia, you better consider this all the favors I owe you because I’m not punching his face in right now.”

“Mia?” Olivia slips down to the floor and presses up against my back.

I turn. “You know her?”

Olivia’s cheeks are rosy pink and her hair is wild and mussed and gorgeous. She brushes a curl from her face. “Ah, we metthe other day on the cliff walk. Well sort of. I interrupted her painting. Hi.”

“Hi.” Mia gives Olivia an awkward smile and there’s a pause where Luke and his fiancé just stand there looking at us.

“Well?” I snap, when no one speaks. “What is it? What’s so important you felt you had to barge in here?”

Luke coughs. “Look, maybe we can come back later. You know, if you would just answer your phone we could have avoided this whole thing.”

“Don’t try to blame this on me. I don’t want you to come back later. I want you to tell me what the fuck you want and then leave me alone.”

I’m fuming. Normally it would be Jack pulling something like this. The fact that he sent Luke to do his dirty work only makes me madder.

Olivia tugs gently at my arm. “Maybe we could all have something to eat?”

I blink. She wants them to stay?

She flushes. “Or I can go and—”

“Don’t go.” The words are growled, and I take a breath and try to keep hold of my temper. When I speak again, my tone is softer. “Don’t go. They should go. If you’re asking me to play nice, I’ll do it, but only because you’re asking.”

She gives me a tiny nod and a pleading look.

I sigh, turning back to Luke and Mia. “Make yourself at home, I guess. Looks like I’m making breakfast.”

I choose to ignore the look of astonishment my brother shoots me, instead turning back to my omelette mix and adding more eggs.

I listen with half an ear to the nothing small talk they make with Olivia as they all sit at the counter. Just enough to make sure my brother is not being annoying. Mia is here and she can usually be relied on to keep him in line, though. Olivia asksher about her painting, and Mia asks about Olivia’s hometown. I listen a little more attentively to that. Luke thankfully keeps quiet.

I serve coffee and tea for Mia. A few minutes later, I plate up the omelettes and lean against the other side of the counter to eat mine.

Luke clears his throat. “Are you OK?”

“I’m fine.”

There’s a pause and I look up. He hasn’t touched his eggs, which makes me frown.

“Mum says you didn’t answer her call.”

“I was busy.” I flick my eyes pointedly to Olivia and back to Luke who nods.

“Yeah, OK. She asked me to come round here, though, because there’s news and…” He rubs his hand over his face and my stomach flips like the omelettes in the pan a moment ago.

“What?”

Luke’s face transforms into a grimace and suddenly the half-cold omelette is the last thing I want right now.

I push my plate away. “Dad?”

He nods.

“Fuck.”

“What is it?” whispers Olivia. She and Mia have stopped talking, and she looks at me across the counter with compassion on her face.