Page 5 of Playing for Keeps

Outside on the restaurant’s deck, away from air conditioning, it was like being plunged into a warm bath.

At the same time I was plunged back into memories—but they weren’t warm ones.

Regret and guilt joined the nausea in my stomach. Because I could never forget the look on Luke’s face when he discovered I was the father of Char’s baby.

I never wanted to see that look on anyone’s face again.

The stupid thing was, when I thought about the night Char and I slept together, most of my memories were of Luke. Which was weird because he hadn’t even been there. He’d been in Australia with his dad, and I’d been at the pub with some mates, feeling sorry for myself because nothing was as much fun without Luke.

I’d been sculling beer to cheer myself up when my phone had beeped with a message from him. He’d sent through a selfie of him and his dad grinning outside the Sydney Opera House, and the sight of his happy face had caused an almost painful squeeze inside me.

As the evening wore on, I found myself returning to that photo again and again. And when Char and her friend came over to say hi, I showed Char the photo and we laughed at the idea of Luke becoming an opera fan. And then Char and her friend hung out with me and I continued to drink and then suddenly I was back at Char’s house on the couch and I realized for the first time she had the same eyes as Luke…

The sound of a door opening snapped me out of my memories.

Jacob came out and stood on the deck next to me. “You okay?”

“Course.” I summoned a grin, but Jacob looked doubtful.

He was a good guy. We’d hung out a bit because he had twin girls close to my son’s age.

“What do you think about our new teammate?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Luke’s a great player. Good for the team.”

“Be nice for Theo to have his uncle home,” Jacob said. He’d been there when I’d first heard the news about the Marauders looking to sign Luke, and I’d let slip the fact Luke was Char’s brother.

“Yeah it will,” I said, but my voice sounded hollow even to my own ears.

Because Luke hardly knew Theo.

If I’d thought about it growing up, I would have assumed Luke and I would be honorary uncles to each other’s kids. And yet he was my son’s uncle by blood, the only uncle Theo had, and he kept his distance.

He’d been home only once in six years, flying in for his grandmother’s funeral, leaving the next day.

His parents went to visit him regularly in Japan, but as far as I knew he’d shown no interest in Theo beyond the occasional FaceTime call with Char.

I scraped my hand across my face.

There were so many layers of hurt and anger between us.

And once the season started, I was going to have to see him nearly every day.

Chapter2

Luke

Home.

It was a blue sky day, so New Zealand’s South Island was spread out like a picnic blanket beyond the plane window. The green rolling hills of farmland. The deep blue of the glacier-fed lakes. The snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps.

There was a reason people came from around the world to see the stunning scenery.

I had stayed away for too long. And it had hurt.

As if he sensed what I was feeling, Jonathan laced his fingers with mine and gave a reassuring squeeze.

I summoned a smile for him in return.