“Only because she fucking gave up waiting!” He smacks his forehead with his palm. “And here I was, thinking I was the emotionally stunted one.” Gabriel’s sharp tone has both our heads spinning to face him. “You really are dense for someone who’s supposed to be intelligent.”
My head spins, and my skin tingles with discomfort.
“Elijah, Pen has spent years watching you from the sidelines. She’s been there whenever you needed her. She helped raise your daughter when you and Darra were too consumed by anger. She pushed aside her wants and dreams and threw herself into her business. But she’s a woman. Seeing her with Callum, with Lottie. She wants that for herself. Is it so surprising she looked for it? Pen has always been someone to take charge, go after what she wants. She’s no different from Leah in that respect.”
I think back to the number of times Lottie told me Aunty Pen had taken her somewhere or helped her with her homework.
It’s my turn to quirk my brow.
“If she always goes after what she wants, then why, brother dearest, has she never said anything to me? Told me how she feels?”
They both groan, and it’s Caleb who slaps his forehead this time.
I begin to wonder if I really have been that blind and stupid.
CHAPTER 37
PEN
“Penelope Dawson, open this door and let me in.”
There is another bang on the door, followed by incessant ringing as someone holds their finger on the bell.
I throw open my front door.
“Bloody hell, Kat, I was downstairs.”
“What? In the cellar?” she says, brushing past me and into the house.
“I was checking something out,” I say vaguely. “Why don’t you come in?”
Kat turns and winks at me.
“I will,” she says, continuing her journey towards my kitchen. “Now, where’s that coffee machine Gabriel bought you?”
She makes her way across the kitchen and sets the coffee machine going.
“You and your brothers are coffee addicts,” I tell her, grabbing two mugs out of the cupboard.
She turns and grins.
“And you’re not? I think we should totally blame Gabriel. He set us all on this path. Even Harper now agrees with us, though she always preferred tea, like our father.”
My heart pinches at the mention of Robert. We still feel his loss all these years on. His advice and support stretched beyond his family. I owed that man a lot. I owe Franny a lot.
“How is H?” I ask.
Kat smiles. Harper is eleven years younger than she is, but over recent years, the gap has closed.
“She’s loving her university course. It’s as if it was made for her. She’s also enjoying the anonymity.” She nods, her eyes glowing. “I think she likes not being a Frazer for once. Enrolling under our mother’s maiden name was pure genius. She’s toned down her makeup and returned her hair to its natural colour. Even I nearly didn’t recognise her when she turned up on my doorstep. I’m pleased for her. This is what she needs.”
Harper took Robert’s death incredibly hard. She was only seventeen when he died in a car accident. He was on his way to pick her up. Since her father’s death, she’s been hiding behind a mask, something I recognise. I’m pleased to hear she’s finally moving on.
“I agree,” I say. “Good for Harper.”
“Now we have got that out of the way. How are you doing?”
Kat moves closer, her eyes lock onto mine, her eyebrows drawn together.
