Page 20 of The Grump I Loathe (The Lockhart Brothers #3)

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t make this difficult.”

“You’re just trying to butter me up so I tell Alannah’s team to take it easy on yours,” I said, stepping away from him before my insides combusted.

Connor crossed his arms. “Grace’s team doesn’t need anyone to take it easy on them. ”

I smirked. “You sure? Because the kids are already calling your team baby puke green.”

He narrowed his eyes. “It’s a perfectly nice green.”

“No, purple is nice,” I said. “You’re in charge of a bunch of bodily fluids.”

He towered over me, nostrils flaring. “We’re going to wipe the floor with you.”

I straightened my spine, an electric thrill coursing through me. “If you’re so sure, how about we put a little skin in the game? If my team wins, you have to agree to take fun lessons.”

“And if my team wins?” Connor asked.

“Name your terms.”

His face broke into a smug grin. “You accept a company car.”

I pursed my lips, thrusting my hand out. “You’re going down, Lockhart.”

He shook my hand, and I did my best to ignore the tingle of sensation that shot through me. “You’re on, Edith. Prepare to lose.”

“I didn’t know snacks were a competition,” Connor said an hour later in the field behind the school. He was newly greenified, his unfairly sexy forearms painted with green stripes. The color even looked good on him, damn it.

“Everything is a competition,” I said, racing to set up my juice and granola bars as team purple came barreling toward the rest tent.

“I haven’t been provided the rules on what constitutes competition,” he said, hurrying to catch up with me .

“I just told you. Everything.”

“This feels like cheating, Edith.”

“You just don’t like losing, Lord LockMill.”

“How can I be losing at something that isn’t a competition ?” he said, exasperated.

I tossed a granola bar at his pile, knocking them off his table. He groaned, diving after them as team purple descended on the tent, bringing with it a sweaty whirlwind of chaos.

“More juice, Eddie!” Alannah cried. “We need more juice. We’re fighting for our lives out there!”

I hurried across the tent for another crate of juice just as team green came barreling into the tent. A second before I reached the juice boxes, a hand reached out, snatching the crate out from under me. “Hey!”

Connor gave me his shit-eating grin as he started doling them out to his team. “Look who’s taking the lead now?”

I caught myself smiling so wide it hurt.

And what the freaking hell? This was Connor Lockhart, the bore to beat all bores.

Not someone I should be flirting with. But he was also the guy who’d gotten real with me after Alannah’s suspension and who’d pressed his body against mine in the club and who’d spent an entire afternoon slaving over the Juni Protocol as a surprise for his daughter.

Truth was, there was a guy underneath his usual mask that I wanted to get to know.

“Hey, hey, hey!” I heard as I crashed back to reality in time to hear Alannah and Grace shouting at each other.

I raced over to them, but Connor had beaten me to it, latching onto Grace and hustling her over to the other side of the tent.

He nodded in Alannah’s direction, where she sat alone while the rest of the team finished their snacks.

I went to her, sitting down and throwing my arm around her shoulder. “Hey, what’s going on?”

She glared in Grace’s direction. “Tell them to mind their own business!”

“What happened?”

“Team purple was talking about our summer plans,” she said, screwing up her little face.

“Yeah?” June was just around the corner, and the kids would be free for two months of summer. “What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is Grace started talking about how she’s going to visit her mom for a whole week over the summer. And then she talked about all the fun plans she has with her dad for the rest of the holiday.”

“Okay?”

“She’s not even team purple! We weren’t talking to her!”

“I get that, but…Why does it matter if she talks about her plans?”

“Because it’s not fair!” Alannah cried. “Because I know Mom and Dad want to divorce. And if they do get divorced, I’m never going to see Dad again!

I won’t get to have any fun plans with him if I never get to spend any time with him.

” Her voice grew small. “I barely get to spend time with him as it is. He’s always working. ”

I blew out a heavy breath. This was a conversation I hadn’t expected to tackle during field day. “I know the fighting has been bad lately. But that doesn’t mean?—”

“I’m not stupid,” she said, shrugging out of my grip. “I’ve heard them talking about it. Mom’s always saying she’s going to take me and leave. ”

“I…Okay, you’re right. You’re not stupid.

I know you notice things.” And she wasn’t wrong about that marriage falling apart, either.

A divorce was likely, and I wouldn’t be doing her any favors if I pretended that wasn’t the case.

I wanted to tell her she’d still see Dad a ton.

But the only reason my own parents had ended up with split custody was because my Mom insisted on it, not because Dad fought for time with me.

Truth was, I had to admire what a dedicated dad Connor was. It was clear Grace knew he’d always show up for her. There was no doubt in her mind that she was his priority. I’d never had that security. And now, my sister didn’t have it either. I swallowed hard, feeling even worse for Alannah.

Maybe things would be different this time around, but I couldn’t be sure. And if Dad didn’t fight for partial custody, were there even summer visits in Alannah’s future?

“I wish I had something comforting to tell you, Lana. But I’ve been where you are, and all I can say is that absolutely none of this is your fault. It’s not on you to fix your parents’ marriage, and it’s not on you to figure out what comes next.”

She scowled at the ground and nodded.

“The only thing in your control is what you choose to do.” She looked up at me, eyes glazed, and I pulled her close.

“Right now, we’re here with your friends.

And we’re having the best time. Summer break starts in a week, and regardless of what goes on with Dad and Valentina, I’m gonna be here for you, no matter what, okay?

So how about we go back out there and crush this field day? ”

She smiled a bit. “You promise we’re gonna hang out?”

“So much you’ll be sick of me. ”

“Alannah!” one of the team purple girls called, rushing over. “Ms. Marilyn just announced a team change. She’s combining team green and purple. That means we’re on the same team as Grace!”

“What!” Alannah cried, jumping to her feet. “Eddie, no! Do something!”

I gave her an apologetic grimace. “I don’t think I can. Ms. Marilyn’s kinda the boss. But there’s maybe one plus to the change.”

“What?” Alannah whined as the rest of her team gathered around.

“If Grace’s team was the one to beat, that means you’re now the one to beat.”

Alannah pouted. “I want to go home.”

“No you don’t.”

“I do. I have a stomachache.”

I gave her a flat look. “You’re a lot more likely to win working with Grace than against her. Don’t fake a stomachache and just give up when you guys could walk away with the first-place trophy.”

Alannah grumbled, looking at her team.

“C’mon, Lana,” they said. “We can still crush blue and yellow and orange and pink!”

“Fine,” she said, huffing as we all walked over to join Grace and team green. The girls glared at each other.

“Did you just have to talk Grace out of faking a stomachache?” I muttered to Connor.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “Something like that. What’s the next event?”

“Tug-o-war,” Grace and Alannah announced at once .

“Okay, let’s do this! Team gurple on three,” I said, putting my hand out for a team cheer.

“We are not calling it that,” Connor said as the kids cheered and raced off for the event. We walked over together.

“Better than team preen,” I pointed out.

“Ugh, for a second I thought you were going to say team peen.”

I barked a laugh. “I would not call our team slang for penis. Ms. Marilyn would murder me. Can you imagine?” I put on my best announcer voice. “Introducing the winners of the St. Orwell Field Day. Team PEEN!”

Connor snorted. “We’d both be banned from volunteering.”

“And Alannah would probably get kicked out of school.”

“Everything okay with her?” Connor asked. “I tried to talk to Grace about what triggered the fight, but she’s not very receptive right now.”

“Yeah. I think Alannah’s a little jealous of Grace.”

“Jealous?” Connor frowned.

“Alannah’s parents might be getting divorced,” I explained, “and our dad, Simon…he’s not exactly someone you can rely on—at least, not if you’re his kid.

When my parents divorced, the only reason I still saw my dad at all was because Mom made sure they had joint custody.

Alannah figures Dad won’t put up much of a fight for her, and while I hate to say it, she’s probably right.

Grace talking about seeing her mom this summer and all the plans she has with you was just a lot for her to process. ”

“Ah,” Connor said, his lips pulling into a thin smile.

“What?”

“It’s just…kids are funny. ”

“Why?”

“Grace and I do have a lot planned—but part of that is because…well, because I’m overcompensating.

I’ve been having a tough time getting Grace face time with Ali.

She’s caught up in her own things, and she keeps canceling plans.

I’m crossing my fingers that the summer visit goes off without a hitch, but I’m worried about it. ”

“So what you’re saying is the girls probably have more in common than they realize?” He nodded as our arms bumped. He didn’t move away. Neither did I. “Kids,” I said.

“Kids,” he agreed as we reached the tug-o-war pit. Grace and Alannah stood at their end, facing off, hands on their hips.

“Go, team gurple!” I shouted at them, trying to head off whatever argument was brewing.

“Work together!” Connor called, cupping his hands around his mouth. Grace looked over her shoulder at him, scowling.

“Wow,” I laughed.

“What?”

“Like father, like daughter.”

He scowled at me.

“Ha! Yes, exactly.”

He shook his head as the girls lined up along the rope and tugged.

“They’re not pulling together,” I said as team yellow and blue started to drag them across the line. “Come on, gurple! You can do it!”

“Gurple! Gurple! Gurple!” Connor and I started cheering together.

Grace and Alannah looked at each other, said something, and with a nod, both of them sank down lower. “Pull!” they shouted in tandem. “Pull, gurple!”

“Yes!” I screamed, clamping down on Connor’s forearm. “There! Go! Go!”

“GO, GURPLE!” Connor shouted.

“PULL!” Grace and Alannah yelled. And with one more great heave, they dragged the blue and yellow squad across the line.

“Oh my God!” I said, jumping up and down by Connor’s side. “They did it!” The second they dropped the rope, Connor and I swept in, gathering Alannah and Grace into a giant group hug.

Connor beamed at us. “I think this calls for a celebration.”