Page 40 of Try Hard

Fia

A fter an evening of fairly unsubtle attempts to monopolise my attention, Sophie caught me in the hallway as I put my coat on and waited for Eve to return with her overnight bag.

Her mum and Terrance were packing up leftovers for us both to take, even though nobody had actually spoken about the fact that Eve wasn’t staying here tonight.

“I cannot believe that, after all this time, you’ve chosen the least interesting Archer sister,” Sophie said, leaning against the wall and inspecting her nails.

I looked at her levelly. “Eve and I are friends.”

“Yeah, right. You might be good at hiding your feelings, but she sure as shit isn’t.”

I pursed my lips to avoid smiling. She wasn’t wrong about Eve.

It was honestly a relief to be around someone who was so free and open with her feelings—and Eve’s were constantly written across her face.

Just as they had been when she’d run off to the bathroom to get a grip on her jealousy over Sophie flirting with me.

“You know, it wasn’t very nice of you to wind her up. ”

“By flirting with you? That’s just a bonus. I’ve been flirting with you since we met. I’m not giving that up because Eve finally realised how hot you are.”

The familiar squirming in my stomach started up, but I hadn’t been lying when I told Eve it was different with her—with Sophie too, I guess—given that I knew it wasn’t about my weight.

Still, Sophie looked at me like she wanted to devour me.

It was all physical. Sure, there were aspects of my personality she’d always seemed to enjoy, but it wasn’t the same as with Eve.

Something about the way Eve looked at me made me feel simultaneously like she was looking at the best thing she’d ever seen and like I could be a consciousness inside a vase and she’d still want me in the same way.

No matter how much Sophie liked my personality, she liked my body more.

I sighed. “Well, it’s a good job your sister and I aren’t dating, isn’t it? Flirting with your sibling’s partner would be weird as hell.”

She eyed me critically, something similar to the looks she’d given me years ago when I’d suggested she give some of her teachers a chance. “Firstly, just because you haven’t named it yet, doesn’t mean you’re not dating—and I’m assuming that’s because Eve’s being too much of a loser to ask you.”

“It is not.”

“And, secondly,” she continued, shooting me an amused grin, “I met you first. If she’s going to sweep in and take you, she can put up with the knowledge that I liked you first.”

From the comments Eve had made, I wasn’t sure that was true, but I wasn’t going to wade into that. If Eve wanted to defend her… honour from Sophie, I was sure she was more than capable.

Sophie inched along the wall, getting closer to me. I knew she wouldn’t try anything, but I shot her a look through narrowed eyes that would have stopped a younger her in her tracks—and most adults too.

She shook her head. “The good news is that she couldn’t have picked a better time.”

“How so?”

“I’ve been seeing someone. So, while my heart breaks for your bad taste, at least I know I’m still the better sibling. I managed to ask my person out.”

I shook my head. Still the same Sophie I’d always known. It was amusing to see, even as her prickling made me want to defend Eve. I knew that would only make things worse, though. “Congratulations. Who’s the lucky person?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“People generally ask questions, Sophie, because they’re interested in the answers.”

She laughed and tossed her long hair over her shoulder. “She’s never deserved you, you know?”

“That’s your opinion.”

“You always told me I’m entitled to that.”

“You are. Just as I’m allowed to disagree with you.”

She rolled her eyes at me but didn’t seem truly wounded. “It’s just someone I met at work.”

“A client?” I asked sceptically.

“Definitely not. No, a member of staff. It’s going well.”

I smiled at her, noting the way she avoided my gaze. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen Sophie so shy about anything. “I’m happy for you both.” I laughed briefly. “Does your new partner know you’re spending so much time hitting on other people?”

“Partner is a strong word for it…” She scrunched up her face like she couldn’t quite figure out what the correct term would be. “And I’m not hitting on other people .”

“Okay. Other person. ”

She shrugged. “They’re cool with it. We’ve talked about the whole thing. I’ve told them you’ve got terrible taste and have taken up with my sister instead.”

“I see.” I was suddenly fascinated by the whole relationship, and desperate to know who this person was that they were willingly letting the person they were dating run off for a night of flirting with their sister’s… whatever I was. Maybe messy, undefinable relationships ran in the Archer family.

I hoped we weren’t about to get a weird reveal about whoever Jeremy was hooking up with.

“Okay,” Marnie said, joining us in the hallway and carrying multiple containers of food.

Sophie shot me a salacious grin before stepping back and disappearing into the kitchen.

“You really don’t have to give me all that,” I said as Marnie handed me a bag to put them in.

“Nonsense. You and Eve might be hungry later.”

I fought the blush threatening to rise up my neck and take over my face. Talking to Sophie about Eve was much easier than talking to Marnie about her. “Well, thank you. To both you and Terrance. It was a wonderful evening.”

Marnie laughed and sent me a knowing look. “I’m glad my incredibly forward daughter didn’t ruin it for you.”

“Not my first experience of Sophie, don’t worry. I’m used to her.”

“Well, hopefully it won’t be so long before I get to see you again this time. Especially if Sophie isn’t scaring you off.”

I cleared my throat as I heard Eve coming back down the stairs. It was remarkably easy to be around Eve’s family. Perhaps because they reminded me of her.

I looked at Marnie and said quietly, “I’d like that.” And I really meant it.

◆◆◆

It was throwing it down when we made it back to my parents’ place, rain bouncing off the car and the pavement, and running down the road like a stream.

“Wait there,” Eve said as she grabbed her bag plus the one her mum and Terrance had given us, and jumped out of the car.

It only took a second for me to realise what she was doing as she raced around the car, her clothes already soaked, and yanked my door open.

I scrambled out, dragging my bag with me as I laughed in surprise. “Archer, you didn’t need to do this!”

“Let me woo you,” she called back over the pummelling rain as she held her bag over my head to protect me.

I shook my head as I wrapped an arm around her waist and we ran for the door. The sconce beside the door was like a beacon in the night, calling us into the warm, dry house.

When I got the door open, I tried to gesture Eve through first, but she wasn’t having any of it, practically lifting me through the doorway, even with her hands full.

“You’re ridiculous,” I muttered as I closed and locked the door behind us.

Eve barked a laugh as she attempted to shake a little of the rain off without wetting the entire hallway. “I wasn’t expecting to run into you here, Big Jezzer.”

I paused before moving closer to her and looking into the living room. Sure enough, sitting together with the TV on and the fire going, were my mum, dad, and Eve’s dad.

Jeremy laughed. “Well, the Archers got a Pendrick for dinner, and the Pendricks got an Archer for dinner.”

Eve hummed. “Fair enough.”

Mum shot me an accusing look that was barely concealed behind a polite smile. “Good dinner?”

“Great. Thank you.” I narrowed my eyes infinitesimally, hoping she’d get the message that I didn’t want to talk about the fact that Eve had returned home with me. “And you?”

“Delicious,” Dad said happily, entirely unsurprised to see Eve—which I supposed wasn’t entirely unexpected. He’d spent the entire morning with the two of us paying very little attention to the planes we were ostensibly watching.

“Agreed,” Jeremy said, looking warmly at his daughter. “And I’m guessing your mum and Terrance sent the two of you with lots of leftovers.”

Eve laughed. “You know it.”

I gestured to the kitchen. “We should get it in the fridge, actually, but there’s plenty of cake to go around if you haven’t had dessert yet.”

Eve followed me as we heard Jeremy tell my parents, “I wouldn’t say no to Marnie’s baking.”

I was sure divorces were hard and painful, but the way Eve’s parents had navigated it, the ease with which they spoke of each other was really something special.

I looked at Eve as I shut the fridge again. “I’m glad your parents still have such a good relationship.”

She sent me a soft, appreciative smile. “Me too. Soph and I are very lucky.”

“You know it’s good when you’re talking about Sophie without sounding like you want to murder her.” I wanted to hold her so badly, an unusual urge for me, at least outside of her. The way she stepped closer to me told me she was feeling the same way.

“Soph’s not here,” she said, her voice low and suggestive.

“Indeed.”

“Do you two want tea?” Mum asked, appearing from the living room.

I cleared my throat and stepped back from Eve, more than ready to be alone with her. It was like we were slowly making our way through an obstacle course of the Archer and Pendrick families. I was more than ready for it to just be the two of us now.

“That would be great, actually,” Eve said, smiling at my mum with ease. “Can I help?”

Mum laughed. “Absolutely not. You poor girls are soaked! Let me get you your tea and you can head upstairs to get dry and warm.”

I cringed internally at the slightly accusing edge in Mum’s voice. We were not going to have sex in their house. Even if I didn’t have a million things to talk about before that could happen, my parents and Eve’s dad being downstairs, eating cake together, was the opposite of a turn-on.