Page 9 of Playing for Keeps

Jonathan eyed me, his expression skeptical. Maybe he sensed from my tone just how much I hoped my words were true.

Chapter3

Ethan

“Daddy!” Theo’s body slammed into me, almost sending me flying off the doorstep. My son had a good future as a tackler, that was for sure.

“Calm down there, mister.” I tousled his hair, his head warm under my palm.

“Hey, Ethan.” Char opened the door to let me into her house. She walked down the hallway, pulling her cardigan tighter around her shoulders.

“How’s it going?” I asked.

“Good.”

As I entered her living room, I squinted sideways at her, playing master detective and trying to determine if she was telling the truth. But her gaze wasn’t cloudy, and there weren’t dark shadows under her eyes or any other signs to alarm me.

Theo ran off to his room to say goodbye to his toys. He always did this. It was as if he suspected Char and I of inviting other kids over to use his stuff when he wasn’t there, so he had to do an inventory before he left.

“Don’t forget he’s got Frankie’s birthday party tomorrow,” Char said.

“Yeah, I know. I grabbed a present when I was in town yesterday.” The present was a super soaker water gun, which was potentially going to land me on the “bad parent” list in the eyes of Frankie’s ultra-strict mum, but hey, what was the point of being a kid if you didn’t get to have fun?

“That’s great,” Char said. “Can you FaceTime me afterwards? I want to hear how it went.”

“Sure.”

I liked to think Char and I had a good co-parenting dynamic going on. We’d been two stupid eighteen-year-old kids who’d made a mistake and then done the best we could in the circumstances.

I could write a fucking essay on the ways parents could screw up their kids, and I was determined I would never do any of that to Theo.

Now, in her living room, my eyes caught on a bright addition to the wall.

“Is that the new painting you’ve been working on?”

Char’s teeth worried her bottom lip. “Yeah, there’s a new art gallery opening and they’ve offered me a place in their first exhibition. It’ll only be a few paintings, but it’s a start.”

“That’s great news. Your work is amazing.” Char never had much confidence in herself, so it was up to me to cheer her on. Not sure I had the figure to pull off a cheerleading outfit though.

She tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. “Thanks.”

“When’s the exhibition going to be?”

“Not for a few months. They’re still working on the space.”

“Let me know when it happens. I’ll come along if I’m in town.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but then her attention was drawn out the front window to where a Ford Ranger was pulling into her driveway.

“You expecting someone?” I asked.

Her expression turned to horror.

Shit. Was this a new boyfriend? But why would that freak her out? I’d gotten on all right with Adam, the guy she’d seen a few years ago. I’d only had to give him the “you hurt her and you answer to me and the rest of my rugby team” talk once, and we’d had a good understanding from then on.

I watched as a guy climbed out of the driver’s seat. Tall and lean with dark hair cropped close.

My breath slammed out of me.