“I don’t do other lawyers. Too much work talk.”
“Shame.” She shook her head slightly.
“Who’s the other man who was in there this morning?” I remembered my elevator companion.
“What other man? I’ve only seen one man in there today apart from the clients.”
“Bugger.” The opposition was the man who thought my job was to get him coffee.
Fenella shot me a look that suggested I’d lost several marbles on the way to work this morning. “That’s the cutest Irishism I think I’ve heard you say.”
“It isn’t an Irishism.” I needed to kill this conversation. “Catch you later. Let me know who wins the bet.”
CHAPTER 2
MAX
Istared at my youngest brother as he flexed his biceps in the speckled mirror of the changing rooms, wondering just how he’d managed to find someone to marry him.
Some things were incomprehensible.
“How does Georgia put up with you?”
He smirked at me through the mirror. “I don’t behave like this at home. I save it for my eldest brother, the person who wiped my arse when I was a baby.”
He wasn’t wrong. I had changed his nappy a few times and was pretty sure that was why I had a poor sense of smell.
“I’m not sure if to be grateful for that or not. If you didn’t have Georgia, you’d probably be at our house all the time.” Seph and my wife, Victoria seemed to rather like each other. I could totally understand why Seph adored Vic, but I had no idea why she was so fond of him.
“Or Mum and Dad’s.” He sat down on the bench opposite me, the flexing having thankfully finished. “Why do you think they’re having us all round?”
I shrugged, pulling on a fresh T-shirt. We’d finished rugby practice and I’d already showered, while the rest of the teamwere still fannying around. I’d promised Vic I would get people back to ours for a reasonable time and in a reasonable state for a barbecue. The weather was forecast to be good all weekend and our house had the biggest garden out of everyone’s, so the plan was for some of the kids to camp in the garden.
“Maybe they’re going to spend more time in Toronto or New York.” I was just relieved that it had nothing to do with ill health. They’d both had a couple of scares in the last few years but recently had been fit and well.
Seph shook his head. “I think I know what it is.”
“What’s that?”
He leaned closer to me and kept his voice low. “I think they’re selling the house.”
I frowned, shaking my head. “There’s no way Marie would leave that house.”
“I disagree. And I think I know who’s buying it.” He looked tense, which was unusual for my brother. “Want to start walking over?”
Clearly there was something he wanted to tell me.
“Sure. Let me just yell at Cal and Jacks to hurry up.” I went and did that, unsurprised that both of them were sitting in just underwear – thank fuck – on one of the benches with a can of beer.
Rugby brought out the worst in us, apparently. But that was according to Claire.
We headed across the field to a gap in the fence that was a thistly shortcut in the direction of our parents, slightly overgrown due to a warm wet summer. By the time we got to November, it’d be a more obvious path, trampled down by both the death-knell of autumn and feet.
“What’s up?” I asked Seph after a pointless conversation about training during the week.
“I think the house is being bought by Rose’s new surgeon.” His voice was emotionless.
I stopped walking. “Did you just say Rose’s surgeon?”
