AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He closed the door and set the dishwasher running. “Audrey?”
“Mum, I was talking. Mum. Mum. Listen to me.”
Audrey laughed. “We’re all going to playgroup.” She looked at Mia. “You’ll see all your friends and I can talk to Reece.”
He leaned against the counter and folded his arms. That was as much of an answer as he was going to get for now. He didn’t feel a hint of annoyance about it. He felt awesome. He drove. Mia sang and made it impossible to talk. Audrey was a hit surprise guest at the beach.
Carrie hugged her hard. “Christ on a cracker, Aud. We were so worried about you.”
“How much weight did you drop?” said Junna. Reece heard more admiration than concern in her voice. Jesus.
“You look well though,” said Maria.
“I’m much, much better. I’m back at work soon,” Audrey said, then faced a dozen or more questions, rapid fire artillery. He kept half an ear on it and watched the kids until Carrie’s hand on his arm.
“You did good.”
He should get Mia to blow her nose, but hey, sleeves could be washed. He cut a glance at Carrie. “What do you mean?”
“You took care of both of them.”
He nodded. He’d keep doing it too as long as Audrey would let him.
In front of them a bunch of little kids acted like drunks falling down in the sand. Behind them there was laughter.
Carrie leaned into him. “I’ve missed my chance with you haven’t I?”
“Ah.” What to say?
“I can see it on you. The way you look at her. The way she looks at you.”
“I’m not sure she—”
“Wants anyone to know. She’s a fool. I’d want you to wear a sign. Property of Carrie. I’d have it tattooed on your chest, make you go shirtless so everyone would know I owned you.”
He laughed and it sounded shifty. Carrie made him nervous. So goddamn confident. Polly would like her. Except odds on Polly was liking someone else right now.
She squeezed his arm. “Oh don’t worry, they can’t hear us.”
“I don’t have a problem if they can.”
She yelled. “Hey, Toby. Don’t hit. Hailey. Eugenia, no biting.”
He stepped forward to sort out the altercation. Maria called Carrie and he heard her rejoin the women behind him, sitting on the cement steps that lead down to the sand. He got Mia to blow her nose. He unstuck Tody’s zipper from his underpants and stopped him whining about sand in his hair. He could hear the women plenty good enough. Did they want him to? He had to think so, they were cackling loud enough.
“He’s like our mascot, Audrey.”
“No one messes with us when Reece is around.”
“Best thing you ever did was hire him, Aud.”
“I’d hire him as my house husband but I think my real husband might object.”
“I bet he could make doing a load of dirty laundry look sexy.”
“I think if I saw Reece unstack a dishwasher I might spontaneously orgasm.” That was Carrie. He turned and glared at her, she grinned back. “You can stack my dishwasher any day, big boy.”
He opened his arms, free-shot wide. Why not, they were taking them. “I’m right here and I’m not deaf.”
