Page 42 of Antagonist

“You have two options. Wait for me outside and deny all knowledge of this or unpack it with me and go back to the barbecue before anyone knows you’re missing,” he says.

I laugh and help him unpack. Hopefully, I can get back before Megan realizes I’m not there, and we can leave before Tate finds out I helped his brother-in-law with his latest mission.

When we’re finished, we stand back to look at our work.

“That’s quite a gift, Sage,” I say, admiring the rocking horse we unpacked. It’s made from a single piece of wood. The craftsmanship is stunning, but what sets it apart from any other rocking horse I’ve seen, and what will make Tate and Indy go mad, are the small carvings all over the horse. From its mane to the tail, the horse is full of tiny little hand-carved dicks.

It’s done in such a way that it looks like a random pattern, so unless you look really closely, you might not notice the hundreds of dicks. The saddle also has Tyler’s name engraved.

“You’re a little insane, but it’s a cool present, Sage.”

His smile lights up the room. “Now, let’s go before we’re caught.”

Despite his urgency to get back to his parents’ place, Sage still has time to steal a brownie from the kitchen.

We sneak back into the house through a side door.

“Here.” Sage gives me a card. “For your humble services.”

I look at the card and see Fletcher’s name and address.

Before I can ask Sage why he’s giving it to me, he’s gone.

I put the card in my pocket and look around. No one has noticed us come into the house.

That has to be the most ninja-like thing I’ve done in my life, so I smile to myself as I look for Megan, who I find staring at Tyler as he sleeps in his Moses basket.

With some luck, she won’t ask me for a baby brother today. Damn Tate and his cute baby. They’re making my daughter broody.

Although staring at Tyler’s peaceful tiny figure with his lips slightly pursed, I’m not going to lie, I’d love to have another child. I put those thoughts aside…way, way aside, and ruffle my daughter’s hair.

“Time to go, sweetie. Mom is taking you out for dinner, so we need to go.”

“Are you coming with us?” she asks.

“Not today, honey.”

I need to speak to Stella about Megan’s recent questions and requests. Maybe it’s the move to a different area. Stella says she still keeps in touch with a few friends from her old school, but she’s mostly having to make brand-new friends.

Naturally, she wants to default to what is safe and familiar, such as me spending a lot of time with them. It’s something Stella and I never thought too much about because we’re friends, but us getting along may give Megan an unrealistic expectation that we might one day all live under the same roof as a family.

I feel Fletcher’s card burning a hole through my jeans the whole drive home.

Ellis emailed us this week about the fair. There’s a meeting in two weeks, and since I missed the last one, I can’t miss this one.

Given Megan’s recent interest in painting, the idea of having a mural at the school made by the parents and the children is something I want to be part of.

Of course, that means I need to smooth things out with Fletcher first.

If only I knew what to say to him.

I put the card with his address under a magnet on my fridge, which means it's taunting me every time I look at it as if asking me when I’ll find the guts to go see him.

That’s a good question. If only I knew the answer.

* * *

A week later, I’ve made no progress, but it seems life has a way of messing with my head.