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“And you rubbed each other the wrong way already? If only it was an Olympic sport.”
“Let’s order,” her father said, passing out menus.
Another grab for control because he didn’t want to talk about it.
No one spoke until the server came over to write their order.
Once the woman was gone, her brother inhaled. “So—”
“Oh,” their father said, checking his phone. “I have to take this.”
He slid out of the booth and went straight for the exit, raising the phone to his ear before the door closed behind him.
“What happened?” Lachlan asked. “He on your case?”
“About finding a man who’ll look after me? Always. But it’s more than that, he just… he doesn’t like me.”
“He loves you.”
“You know, I used to think he loved mom too. But every quality I apparently share with her, he hates.”
“You know what he’s like.”
“We have to make all these concessions for him and he makes none for us?”
“You should be used to it. He’s never going to change.”
“Again, so I’m supposed to?”
“You just have to accept it. Bet there are some things you don’t like about me,” he said, flashing her a grin. “You bitch to dad about those?”
“If I had the mental capacity, I would,” she said, sinking back, running a hand through her hair. “Right now, you have to take a ticket.”
“Need me to go big brother on anyone?”
His grin was gone, but she smiled, though exhaustion chased her. “I love you, Lach, but I can’t imagine you being mean to anyone.”
“If they’re hurting you, I would be.”
“You talked to Immie?”
His brows went up. “Don’t change the subject. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she said on a sigh. “Someone asked me to do something.”
“You don’t want to do it?”
“I don’t know.”
“If you don’t want to do it, don’t do it,” he said. “These things always start with one small step. You take that one step and another… Is this Steeple? Something he wants you to write about?”
Confirming that suspicion was better than telling the truth. “Sure,” she said. “Steeple.”
“You know how I felt about the Manzani thing,” he said. “You’re an incredible writer, but that won’t mean anything if you’re dead.”
Something she’d considered in another circumstance. “You do difficult things. Dangerous things. All the time.”
“I carry a badge and a gun,” he said. “I can protect myself.”
