Page 120 of Just Watch Me
“Ah,” Skylar said. “You’ll see.”
Zane sat on a chair in the hotel lobby and pushed buttons. There you were. The sound of an international call going through. Modern technology was pretty bloody miraculous. If expensive.
“Zane?” Skylar asked. “Whattimeis it there? You just played a match yesterday morning! Last night. Whenever. It’s barely six in the morning here, so it’s … sorry, can’t compute.”
“Just past eight in the evening,” Zane said. “No worries, I got my beauty sleep last night. That’s because I’m not twenty years old. Also because I couldn’t go home with anybody. Sad. My roomie’s twenty-three, though, and likely to be snoring like a horse up in the room again the moment they let us off for the evening. He’s lying on the bed right now, in fact, probably because he came in with a pretty good beer fug around him at about three this morning. Lobby’s better, so that’s where I am. Talk fast, because we’re doing some team-building thing pretty shortly. Karaoke, I think it is.”
“Well, pardon bloody me,” Skylar said, but she was laughing. “Here I am, interrupting my workout for you, and you’re whinging about the sex you’re not having? Poor form, boy.”
“Yeh.” He stretched his legs out in front of him. “You’re right. I’ll have to console myself with thoughts of you. How’s the workout, then? What’s your favorite bit?”
“My favoritebit?I’m lifting weights! No part of it’s my favorite bit. I’ll tell you myleastfavorite bit, though. Planks. Who invented the plank? Especially the side plank? I’m almost positive that I was behind the door when the muscles to do those were handed out. And all right, Imaynot hate chest presses, but only because I get a sexual charge from them. Isn’t that odd? If you come home to find that I’ve suddenly developed bulging pectorals, that’s why.”
He said, “You do know how to show a man a good time on the phone. Why didn’t I know?”
“Because you’re actually talking to me this time. Do I assume the other day was some sort of pre-game nerves?”
“No. I don’t get nerves. I get focus.”
“Oh,focus,”she said, in an extremely insincere way. “Also, you were very impressive yesterday. The kids thought so, and Ireallythought so.” He heard some rustling. “I’m sitting on the bed to talk to you. If I start snoring, it’s because I fell over on my side from exhaustion.”
“That from the exercise?” he asked. “Or the kids?”
“Why not both? Just joking. It’s been good. Want to know what we did?”
“Dying to,” he said, and it was actually true.
“We cleaned my house. Drumroll, please.Noteverybody’s favorite. Dusting! Hoovering! Cleaning mirrors and glass sliders! Oh, the humanity. Then I took the four youngest to the supermarket. I left Scarlett and Finlay alone at home, because I don’t have enough seats in the car. We didn’t think about that one. No worries, though, because theyareeleven and twelve, it was only about an hour, and I asked my neighbors to keep an eye out and to look in, too, if they had the chance of it. As the female half is the nosiest woman in the world, and her only hobby appears to be checking on the goings-on next door, that seemed like a reasonable choice, and I was right. She dropped by within half an hour ‘just to check.’ Pumped Scarlett about you, too, if I’m not mistaken. Good thing your daughter thinks you’re God’s gift to mankind, or theHeraldmight be getting an exclusive on your bad habits.”
“No worries,” he said, “though we should probably do something about that. The car.”
“Oh, yeh? Like what? It’s six kids, Zane. That people-mover in Wellington took ten years off my life. My shoulders were up around my ears every time I drove it. I was almost happy when it got crushed in the earthquake.”
“So let me see.” He was enjoying this, which might be odd—he wasn’t much of a telephone conversationalist—but Skylar wasan entertaining woman. “So far, you watched my match, did chores, and went to the shops. A riveting day for you. Also, send me the amount so I can put it into your account.”
“I will once I separate out what was for this weekend.”
He sighed. “You’re annoying. Just send me the amount, will you? It’s little enough to do, since Nan’s left me high and dry. Any word from her, by the way?”
“Nope. Exactly none from herorGranddad, ever since they buggered off early yesterday morning. When they said they needed their own life, they meant it. So beyond that exciting program, we had our first session of Cooking School. Brilliant, if I do say so myself. We made pizza dough, and everybody did their own toppings and then shared their creations. Smash hit. We also made yoghurt and granola, so we’re doing parfaits for brekkie. With passionfruit. Yum.”
“You did all that in oneday?”
“I’m an efficient woman. Also, I enjoy teaching. Perhaps you’ve noticed. And … another drumroll … we stayed over here for the night. First stab at it. The older kids in Finlay’s loft in their sleeping bags, and George and Georgia in George’s room, as they don’t like being separated. I didn’t see Snowball all night, which probably means that there’s now white cat hair on all your sleeping bags. Snowball shares his favors around pretty equally. A bit of a slut, in fact. Oh, and instead of watching TV last night, all four of the younger ones climbed into Olive’s cupboard to read. There were plans to get up early and spy, I believe, but the spies are apparently worn out from their busy day and haven’t stirred.”
He dropped to the floor and did some pressups, as he had earbuds in. Also, active recovery. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
“Your house. Swimming—how much does all that heatingcost you?—trampoline, and games. And more cooking school. Tonight, we’re doing homemade gnocchi and tomato sauce, because that’s always a fun one. And for pudding, plum crumble with plums from my freezer. Cheating, because they’re already pitted, but so easy.”
“I’m definitely paying for your groceries,” he said. “Also a … a spa day, or something. What would be good? What do women like?”
“Some women,” she said, “enjoy being taken to luxury resorts in Fiji. Or so I hear.”
“The resort has a spa,” he pointed out. “And I owe you child-minding time. Also, the resort has nannies. I checked.”
“Brilliant. Although I don’t even know what women do at spas. I’ve never been. Sad.”
“Look it up on the website,” he said, “and get inspired. Waxing seems to be heavily favored.”
