Thankfully, she gets myMastermindreference, and I’m not left feeling like a dumbass. But my heart thaws at the existence of such a list in the first place. What the fuck goes on behind closed doors with this damn family?
Aoife: And a hot chocolate without the marshmallows. She hates that goopy, marshmallow sludge you get at the bottom of the cup.
Robert: So noted. Thanks for the heads up.
She gives off chaos energy, but she’s a good egg, and she doesn’t need to know that I already know this sliver of information about her sister.
I’m surprised it wasn’t Clíodhna who reached out, though. The responsible one. Guess everyone’s off script tonight. There’s something telling about the silence from the middle sister; the peacemakers are often the first to burn out. Maybe even she’s stopped trying to hold this family together.
I had planned to head home from here. My leg’s throbbing in time with a drumming in my temples, and I need a bath hot enough to peel my skin off after that encounter with rugby royalty. I almost burst out laughing. If the public had seen the sham of aconversationI just witnessed, they’d flay Mike and kick him off his fucking throne. There have been rumors about him over the years, and not just my accusations of doping.
It’s no secret that rugby coaches past and present can bearseholes, but I think the assumption is that in private he’d be… softer? Or at least less of a raging dick.
Rhiannon turns the car off and turns to look at me. Her face is a picture of beautiful torment, two deep lines between her furrowed brows. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
I blink once, twice, my brain trying to process that she’s apologizing to meforher father. “I…” I rake my hand through my hair. “You’re kidding me, right?”
She tilts her head.
“You never,everhave to apologize to me, or anyone else, for someone else’s behavior. Especially your da.”
She opens her mouth, but I hold up a hand. “I don’t want to hear it, Morrigan.”
There’s a heavy beat of silence in the car between us before she lets go of a breath I’m not sure she realized she was holding.
“Do you have hot chocolate in the house?”
The edges of her lips quirk, but she shakes her head.
I point to the road. “Okay, let’s go, Rhi-Bird. They’re open late at Dock of the Bay. We’ll grab hot chocolates by the sea, and I’ll kick your ass at checkers. If you win, I’ll watch a Julia Roberts movie with you.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “You’re on.”
CHAPTER 24
Rhiannon
An ache in my neck pulls me from what seemed to be a pretty good dream and into reality. Blinking awake, it quickly becomes clear I’m not in my bed. What the?—
“Morning, sleepyhead.” Robert’s deep, rumbly voice makes me shiver.
My head snaps up from his chest, and my eyes meet his. Oh God, not again. Did I drool? I slap myself in the face, checking for the snail trail down to my chin. Mercifully, there’s no wetness, and a furtive glance at his chest confirms I didn’t slobber over his—sweet baby Jesus, he’s bare chested.
What the hell?
“Easy.” His palm finds my back and rubs in comforting circles. “No need for panic. Julia Roberts puts me to sleep all the time, too.”
I snort. Someone knocks my front door, and we both freeze, eyes locked together.
“What time is it?” My voice is a whisper, and I’m thrown back to my childhood of hiding behind the sofa when the TV license man came calling.
He chuckles, his chest vibrating against my cheek, and his hand still rubbing my back. “It’s just after nine.”
“Fuuuuuuck.” I leap off his body and onto the floor like my arse is on fire, groping the coffee table for the remote to turn off the TV that’s been left on all night. “I’m supposed to haveRuck Offhere for an in-home podcast interview.”
Another knock sounds at the door.
“Shit.” His face pales, and he sits up. “What can I do?”
