Luca smiled, and I settled into the ride, my heel tapping againstmy seat.
Zolt would be there.
And it had been hours, but I was excited to see him in a suit again.
Mum stood at the front doors to the mansion, arms spread wide as Dad got out of the car last. Behind her stood all of our friends and family. Nana had flown over from France. Abbé had lied to him on the phone earlier about still being in South Africa. But it wasn’t just his nearest and dearest. There had to be over a hundred people. The people he’d directed. The people he’d raced with.
They’d all come here for him.
Dad never cried. But he tried to blink his tears away, taking my mum’s embrace, speechless. “This is a bit more than a meal.”
Everyone laughed, and I could feel myself get choked up.
And this wasn’t even half of it.
“You did the video, right?” Ever asked me as we climbed the steps. “In amongst all your other, higher priorities?”
I nodded. “Of course I did.”
She huffed, lifting her skirt so as not to fall on it while we reached the building and the cheerful classical music. An orchestral rendition of‘Pink Pony Club,’I was sure my dad would screw his nose up at it if he knew.
“I’m allowed to have other relationships, Everly.”
She whipped around. “I’m not saying you aren’t. I’m saying our Dad is the best Dad there could ever be. You don’t know what you have to give up as a parent sometimes. He would do anything to protect us. And if that means getting Imre sacked, I trust his judgement, Zsófia.”
But I didn’t.
Of course, a conversation had happened in the time I’d beengone.
Everly thought I should switch teams and risk not having the full experience.
Dad thought he should be fired.
And Zolt thought we could be together.
No one was thinking logically.
Livie and Nix interrupted our conversation. “Hello, ladies,” Livie said, eyes pingponging between us.
“I didn’t think you could make it!” Ever squealed and wrapped her in a hug. “I thought this little bugger was keeping you home.” She gestured to Livie’s stomach.
“Hey, I’m a larger-than-average bugger, thank you,” Nix said.
Luca laughed.
And it hadn’t hit me quite like this before. That I might live with these people often, but I wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t that they weren’t welcoming and friendly. And it wasn’t that I didn’t class them as my friends… I was just a lot younger than them. Babied.
The feeling sank low in my chest as I was rocked with nausea. I’d been the tag-along sister for years, but I’d always had my own friends. At university. School. Netball. Jordan.
And now I was travelling the world… those friendships had slipped away.
Maybe I’d have to befriend Nora or something.
“Livie, I sent the report,” I said, just to say something. To stay relevant. To be seen.
“Oh, I saw, thank you,” she said and hugged me in greeting. “Did you not see my reply?”
I had. “Not yet, sorry,” I said. “I had a flight today, and I’ve just beeneverywhere…”
