Page 104 of Playing for Keeps

“Come in,” Char called back.

I walked down the hallway to the living room, where the tension between Char and her parents was so thick I could feel it as if it was a living, breathing thing.

Char looked even more exhausted than usual. She wore an old ratty cardigan and had her arms wrapped around herself. She was leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, as if it was propping her up.

Anthony stood behind the couch and Alison was halfway between her husband and daughter, her gaze shooting anxiously between them.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

Char tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear, a defeated look on her face. “We’ve just worked out that my exhibition opening is the same night as the first New Zealand rugby game.”

“Why don’t you tell them who your brother is and that he’s playing his first game for New Zealand? Surely they’d understand and postpone it.” Anthony was using his calm, reasonable voice.

I sucked in a breath. God, Anthony was a smart guy being a doctor and all, but sometimes he really didn’t get it.

“They won’t reschedule it,” Char said. “I’m only a small part of the exhibition. And there is actually a part of this world that doesn’t care about New Zealand rugby, believe it or not.”

“Luke might not make the team, so this whole conversation might be redundant,” Alison said.

“Of course Luke will make the team,” Char said. “It’s Luke. Doesn’t he always get exactly what he wants?”

She stalked off down the hallway, leaving Anthony, Alison and me in a pit of awkwardness.

“There will be other exhibitions,” Anthony said to Alison. “We’ll only see Luke make his debut for New Zealand once.”

Alison pursed her lips and didn’t reply. I could see she didn’t really agree with her husband, but didn’t want to disagree with him in front of me.

Shit.

Yeah, the faster I removed myself from this situation, the better. Although I could see Theo out the window on the swing set, I didn’t head in his direction.

Instead, I walked down the hallway to Theo’s room, where Char was angrily stuffing his things into a bag.

“You know Theo and me will be there, right?” I gave her shoulder a squeeze.

She turned toward me and there were tears in her eyes. Shit. Char was normally so stoic.

“Hey,” I said softly, and she folded her body into mine. My arms automatically came up to hug her.

There was a noise at the doorway and I looked up to find Anthony standing there. He raised his eyebrows at me.

I didn’t blame him. After all, it was the second time in a week he’d found me in an embrace with one of his kids. And okay, this was a very different kind of embrace.

But still. Anthony had two kids, and I’d slept with both of them.

There was no way to avoid that fact.

* * *

Luke was coming home on Thursday night, and the whole day I was on edge, waiting.

Char had Theo, so I had my whole schedule clear for some fun Luke shenanigans. Assuming he wanted to pick up where we’d left off.

I sent him a message around midday.

When are you back in town?

Should be home by 6.