Page 48 of Just Watch Me
The youngest rat, with a chip on his shoulder. “I recognized you too,” Skylar said. “You went up for that high balland won it. The announcers were excited about it, and that’s about what I know.” She gestured with her peeler. “I don’t know whether I’m supposed to say cheering things or ignore the topic entirely. I’m new to this. What eases the pain?”
“Drink,” Gordo said.
“Sex,” Jack said.
“Bro,” Zane said, and he was frowning.
“She asked,” Jack said. “Just being honest.”
“The only thing that really works,” Zane told Skylar, ignoring him, “is winning the next one. Losing hurts, but if it pushes you to work harder, it’s useful. It also helps to know that you emptied the tank. The other team can still be better on the night. Stupid penalties, now …” He glanced meaningfully at Gordon.
“Rub it in, why don’t you?” Gordo said. “Not like I’m not going to hear about it tomorrow. Oh, wait. Season’s over. I’ll just have to marinate in my misery for the next six months or so. That contrite enough for you?”
“And you’re wondering why on earth I’m here,” Skylar said, because what must he think? There’d probably been a movie made about a sportsman coming home from his away match and finding some woman he’d barely met cooking in his kitchen. In other words, a stalker. “Oh—the kids are in the pool—with Granddad watching them, to Scarlett’s disgust—and probably on the trampoline, and yours have been looking forward desperately to you coming home. Georgia wants to give you heaps of cuddles to make you feel better. All of you,” she informed them, and all three brothers smiled, so that was good, wasn’t it? “And I have to tell you, it’s a good thing there’s a net around that trampoline. There was some discussion of how, if there weren’t, you could bounce high enough to launch yourself into the pool. That was Finlay, with excited agreement from Duncan. Finlay’s my eldest,” she told the others. “My kids are here, too. That’s why it’s so noisy.”
“Surprised they haven’t jumped off the roof into the pool yet,” Gordon said. “Slow to recognize life’s possibilities, I call that. We’d have been doing that in a heartbeat, eh, Zazza.”
“Where’s Nan, though?” Jack asked. “She’s crook? How crook?”
“Flu,” Jade said. “Even though she got the jab. She went to the doctor and got some tablets yesterday—that Tamiflu stuff—and her boyfriend’s been in her room with her all night and half the day, tenderly ministering to her needs. Says she’s asleep now, though. Did you know Nan had a boyfriend? Me neither.Ican’t make a dent in the dating market—well, enough of a dent, anyway—and here’s our Nan, one and done.”
“Her—well, man friend,” Skylar said, “is my grandfather, which explains my presence. He’s had the flu jab too, so hopefully it works in his case. I hope you all have as well, although it’s apparently not a perfect match this season.”
“Course we have,” Gordon said. “En Zed Rugby sees to that. I’ve played a match with flu. Schoolboy days. Heaving my guts up on the field. Not doingthatagain if I can help it.”
“Well, good,” Skylar said, and kept peeling kumara. “Anyway, since Zane was gone and Jade wasn’t available, Granddad called for reinforcements. Which is why I’m here.”
“There’s such a thing as meal delivery,” Zane said, frowning again. “Not sure why it had to be you.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She knew she was turning red, too. Surely there was a clever retort to that. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find it.
“Bro,” Jade said. “No.”
“What?” He looked genuinely confused. Also tired, and he was limping, wasn’t he? He’d put in a dominating and brutal performance last night, had seemed to be trying to carry the team to victory on his back. And he hadn’t been able to do it. That had to be a major blow, however stoically he carried it.
“You just made her feel like she shouldn’t have come,” Gordon said. “Can’t believe I’m having to school you on this. How old are you again?”
“Oh. Well, of course I’m glad you’re here,” Zane said. “And something smells amazing. Seems like too much to ask, though, for you to have to ride to the rescue.”
“Hmm. Who fixed my sink again?”
“Took fifteen minutes. And I didn’t fix it. I patched it. Didn’t your granddad ring that plumber, then? I could?—”
“I rest my case,” she said. “It’s fixed now, no worries. No, I just brought a few groceries over and made a simple dinner, and we all watched your match. The kids and I watched on your big screen, and your Nan and my granddad watched in her room, as she couldn’t possibly miss it, ill as she’s been. And then Granddad called me again this morning and said that Maureen was dreadfully fussed that she couldn’t cook the special tea she’d meant to for all of you, so …” She gestured with her knife, because she was chopping the kumara now. “Another trip to the shops and a bit more cooking, that’s all.” She didn’t add that the call had come at six-thirty this morning, that the kids hadn’t been one bit chuffed to have to get up early on a Sunday to go to the supermarket, or that she’d put the lamb in the oven at nine. “Half an hour or so for this.”
“What is it?” Gordon asked. “And why can’t I ever find a woman who cooks like this?”
“Like what?” Skylar said. “All you’ve seen me do so far is peel kumara. It’s lamb puttanesca with mashed kumara. It had to be beef or lamb. Those were my instructions. It’s easy as, and it has thirty-five grams of protein per serving. Iron and zinc, too, and I reckoned you boys needed that. Zane said calories, but nutritious calories, so here we are.”
“Well, I for one appreciate it,” Gordon said. “But I don’t know why Jade isn’t cooking it, if somebody had to.”
“Oi,” Jade said. “I’m not your domestic servant. And as ithappens, my date lasted into the morning.” Her younger two brothers made some“Ooh”noises, and she said, “Yeh, and I won’t ask where the two ofyouended up last night, or why you’re looking so green around the gills. Zane isn’t, of course, because he’s perfect.”
“Gordon said, “I resent that. What did you cook for the kids last night, Skylar? Just asking to see if I should be making it a point to pop round more often.”
“Chilli crisp beef noodles with veg,” she said. “Easy as. And sorry, but you’re going to owe me some money,” she told Zane. “I’m putting that out there so I’m not embarrassed to ask.”
“You’re embarrassed to ask,” Jack said, “so you ask?”
