‘You sure that’s what’s got your back up?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘If it was the other way around, I bet you’d have no problem with it…’
‘What are you trying to say?’
‘I’m nottryingto say anything; I’m simply telling you. If he was the older party, you’d be all macho and “nice one, mate,” bigging him up for pulling the hot young chick.’
‘Firstly, I would never call any girl,chick. And secondly…’ I pause, begrudgingly chewing it over. Hell. She’s got a point. Would I react the same if the roles were reversed?
I mean, Granny Anna is… objectively hot. In an ageing-gracefully, good-genes, doesn’t-even-try sort of way. Her happy, almost hippy-like charm draws everyone in, so I can’t blame Sterling for noticing, but…
‘Told you,’ she says, all high and mighty now.
‘She’s still Theo’s mum and that ain’t cool. Not at his wedding, for fuck’s sake.’
‘He’ll get over it.’
‘Not if you rib him with it.’
‘Chill out, Ax. The man can take it. And he knows I’m just teasing.’
She shimmies deeper into the deck chair, smug as a cat in cream, her cheeky grin making me want to spank her petty arse silly. Not literally, but yeah… and nowthatimage is right up there with the olive oil.
‘And what if he doesn’t? What if he thinks you still hold a grudge deep down? Or worse, you provoke him over Sterling enough that he actually does break it up and cause a scene? You think he’ll thank you for that later? You think Sadie or his mum will?’
She drags her gaze away from Sterling and Anna, her eyes narrowing to slits as they meet mine. ‘Are you scolding me, Axel?’
‘Do you need scolding, Baby Girl?’
It’s out before I can stop it. And I see the spark it lights in her eye. The heat. The flicker. The flare. And then, just as quickly, I see her stamp it out: her body going stiff, her mouth forming the start of something serious.
‘Ax, we need to talk. I think it?—’
‘Aunt Tay-Tay! Aunt Tay-Tay!’
Our heads flick to Lottie racing up to us, blonde curls bouncing, cheeks as red as her dress.
‘Will you dance wif me?’ She hops from one foot to the other, fists caught in her dress as she pouts. ‘Parker says no and Josh is asneep!’
Taylor sends me a look that says,We’ll pick this up laterbefore she turns her full focus on Lottie, breaking into a smile so full of love, it steals my breath with it.
‘Of course I will.’ She plants her drink in the sand and starts to rise.
‘’n you, Uncle G!’ Lottie turns that pout on me, tiny hand thrusting out while Taylor takes her other. ‘Dance wif me, pwease!’ The kid’s fingers grasp at thin air.
‘I think Uncle G might prefer to watch,’ Taylor says, her eyes back to laughing.
Lottie ain’t laughing, though. She frowns, her soft blue eyes making my insides squirm; what the hell is that about?
‘On ’is own?’ she says to Taylor, but those eyes stay locked on me.
‘Yeah.’
Just the way I like it, kid.
‘Come on, darling. Aunt Tay-Tay loves this song.’
