“Don’t be silly,” Mum waves. “Anyone who can make my grandson smile gets fed.” She bends, arms open, and Teddy steps right into them, face pressed against her shoulder. She hums into his hair, soft and full of that grandmotherly patience.
I raise a brow, leaning against the doorframe. “What? No hello to your own son?”
Mum waves her hand. “I carried you for nine months. That’s enough hello to last a lifetime.”
Olivia’s laugh bursts out, bright and unguarded, and it hits harder than it should.Lovely.Even her laugh is attractive. I roll my eyes, stepping past them into the house before I do something dumb, like let her see me smile.
13
Olivia
My brother practically went into cardiac arrest when he found out I was going to Sebastian’s parents’ house for lunch.
I’m talking hands on hips, pacing, doing that deep inhale he does when he’s about to deliver a lecture.So dramatic, that man.Despite his performance, here I am, with a lemon tart in my hands, courtesy of Amelia, and nerves buzzing like I’ve consumed six coffees. It shouldn’t be this nerve-wracking, right? It’s not like I’m being introduced as a girlfriend.
God, no.No, Olivia.I’m invited because his mother has a heart bigger than the whole suburb, and because I’m Teddy’s babysitter. Not weird at all. Totally normal to meet your boss’s parents on a Sunday, right?
Excellent.My stomach somersaults.
The Daniels’ place smells like roast lamb, warm timber, and a life that’s been lived for decades. Sebastian’s mother, Stephanie, already has me in the doorway before I can blink. Apron flour-dusted, laugh lines softening every corner of her face, hair silvered through. Older than I expected, but lovely nonetheless.
Warmth radiates off her like fresh bread out of the oven. I love her immediately. And God, I can see exactly where Sebastian got his looks. He’s a spitting image of her. Same bone structure, same piercing eyes, softened by ageing. To my right, Sebastian’s dad sits in a well-worn armchair, newspaper folded to the crossword. He lifts his chin once, eyes sweeping over me in a way that feels precise, almost forensic, but not unkind, much like his son, before he stands to shake my hand. “Welcome.”
“Thank you, Mr. Daniels.”
“Tim, please,” he corrects me.
“Okay, Tim,” I echo, tucking the detail away.A man who likes names set right.
Footsteps barrel in from the kitchen, and suddenly, a beautiful older woman appears. She’s got Sebastian’s jawline, his eyes too, only softer. A dish towel gets shoved at Sebastian while she wraps me in a hug that’s too warm for the weather.
“There she is! The famous Olivia.” She grins like we’ve been pals for years. “I’m Sandra. Come meet the kids, my husband, Andrew, and the prized lamb that can feed a small army.”
A man appears just as we file out toward the deck. Sandra beams, all hostess pride.
“Olivia, this is Andrew, my husband. And these two troublemakers are Lily and Timothy.” Lily’s twelve, Timothy’s nine, I learn afterwards. They’re all elbows and questions, bright eyes darting like laser beams. I crouch down without thinking, smile wide, and Lily immediately asks about my boots while Timothy tries to guess my age. I grin back, settling into the chaos that feels, strangely, a little like back home. Teddy hangs back behind Sebastian. I keep my body angled toward the kids and turn just my head his way.
“Hey, champ,” I say softly. “Remember that yellow book? The one with the dinosaurs? I brought it for you. Just in case you want to read it or look at the pictures.”
He scans my face, then after a moment, steps forward with his palms out. The breath I’d been holding eases out of me when I place the book in his hands, because for him, it isn’t just a book.
It’s a bridge. The same book I read to him the other day, the same one he quietly picked up and clutched after he’d gotten overwhelmed when I’d accidentally packed up his blocks. It means something. He clutches it and turns down the hall without a word, shoes pattering against the floorboards. I glance at Sandra just as her brows lift high, like she wasn’t expecting that at all.
“Wow,” she says, blinking after him. “You’re really good with him.”
I try my hardest not to blush, but the heat betrays me anyway, creeping up my neck like a slow sunburn. “Oh, I just… It’s nothing,” I mumble, brushing hair behind my ear.
Sandra’s smile is warm and sincere. “Trust me, sweetheart. You’re doing great. I can see it.”
I redirect my attention to Sebastian out of reflex, and find him already looking at me, watching with an expression I can’t quite read. Before I can unpack it, we’re being ushered outside where Andrew is manning the barbecue, and Sebastian’s dad is settled nearby, nursing a beer in the corner. The shade cloth stretched over the outdoor table is doing its best to hold off the heat, but this spring’s September sun is putting up a hell of a fight.
When we eventually sit down to eat, I discover that Sandra wasn’t lying about the lamb—it’s a showstopper. The roast shoulder falls apart with a glance from the fork, the potatoes are golden and crisp with that perfect crunch, the beans gleam from a buttery glaze, and there are no less than three salads scattered across the table like edible artwork because apparently, one wasn’t enough.
Plates clatter, cutlery scrapes, conversation rolls. Laughter tumbles around the table, and I just sit back for a moment andlisten. I don’t butt in, don’t offer anything of my own just yet. I’m content to soak it in. Sandra launches into a story about Lily’s new obsession with gymnastics, how she cartwheeled her way through the living room last night and nearly took out the lamp, then adds that Timothy apparently discovered a passion for chess.
“Hey,” Timothy pipes up from across the table. “Nothing wrong with that.”
Sandra grins. “I suppose it’s better than your cow obsession phase.”
