She would have shoved her hand into her hair, but her hand had cleanser on it. “How about her other grandkids?”
“If you remember,” he said, “the brothers are in Christchurch too.”
“Oh.” How had she forgotten that? “What about Zane’ssister?” Jade, that was her name. “Can’t she come help?”Not this,she thought.Not this, too.Unfortunately, thinking that had never made any difference.
“Got a date tonight,” Granddad said. “She could break it, I suppose, but as you’re not doing anything, I thought you could buy extra and make whatever you were going to make anyway over here instead. The kids want to watch their dad play, and Finlay and George will enjoy that as well. Bloke’s got the biggest TV you’ve ever seen. Fills up an entire wall, and the sound comes from speakers. Quite startling, really, to hear that noise from all around you. TVs used to be in a cabinet on legs with a wee black-and-white screen, and now you’ve practically gone to the pictures, right there in your own lounge. Oh—get popcorn, will you? The kids like that feijoa kind, Maureen says. Get soup, too. Dunno how much she’ll eat, but she needs some salt in her. Something good for flu. Milk, too, and bread. Bananas. Oh, and eggs. She’s not going to be feeling better anytime soon.”
Skylar was a helpful person. She was! So why didn’t she want to help with this? She was afraid she knew why. There she’d been, objecting to having her kids over there, and nowshe’dbe over there? What would Zane think?
That you’re helping his grandmother. And his kids.“Of course,” she said resignedly, “if you need me, I’ll come. But that feijoa popcorn is—I don’t even know what it costs. Too much, is what. Five dollars for a wee bag? Six? Am I meant to be buying six bags? I can hardly give it to his kids and not give it to mine.”
“Mahuta will pay you back, I’m sure,” Granddad said airily, as if all his problems were now solved. “For all of it. He’ll understand that your kids had to stay and eat too. Don’t be too long, though, will you? I’d like to get Maureen into the doctor soonest.”
Zane pulled into the drive at eleven on Sunday morning. It was a brilliant day—sunny and fresh and crystal clear, like the weather didn’t realize it was June. Or, of course, that the Blues had lost last night, which meant that the mood in the car was as glum as the weather wasn’t. Gordon and Jack having a sook, or out on the razzle until the morning hours, or both.
Out on the dazzle, definitely, he realized once he’d parked and turned around. Jack was asleep back there with his mouth open, and Gordo’s head was against the window of the passenger seat. Probably drooling on Zane’s upholstery.
“Wake up,” he told them. “We’re here.”
Gordo stirred, ran a hand over his jaw, and winced. “I’ve got a head like a bag of soggy gym socks. Why do we have to do this?”
“Because Nan thinks it’s important,” Zane said. “Rattle your dags.” He pulled his duffel from the back seat. “Reminding you that your whanau’s behind you. Cooking you a roast dinner. Celebrating the season and turning the page.”
Jack said, “A roast dinner. Ugh. Can’t do it, bro. Miso soup and toast, maybe. Ramen. I’ll tell you what. We’ll give her a cuddle, tell her thanks, but we’re feeling crook, and take the car back to our place.” Jack and Gordon shared a flat and a car, and the car was here, because they’d all gone to the airport in Zane’s. Jade’s little blue subcompact was here, too. She’d already arrived, then.
“You won’t,” Zane said. “You’ll stay for time with the whanau. You’ve got weeks to lie about in warm places before you report to the Magpies.” The Hawke’s Bay Magpies, that was, their provincial rugby team.
“Cheers for reminding me that I wasn’t selected for the All Blacks,” Jack said.
“You’re twenty-one,” Zane said. “Heaps of time for that. But you won’t get there by drinking.”
“Yes, Dad,” Gordo said. “Do you ever give it a rest?”
“Not him,” Jack groused, climbing out of the car and groaning a little along the way. “He’s the skipper, you know. Must be hard, bro, turning up at ABs camp as a mere worker bee.”
“Not hard at all,” Zane said. “Glad not to have the responsibility.” It might be true and it might not, but you didn’t get anywhere by whinging. He was glad of any chance to wear that black jersey, and whenever he pulled it off for the last time, it would be too soon.
“Right, then,” Gordo said. “Put on your happy face, Jack, and let’s go see the whanau. But tell your kids not to scream this time, Zazza, will you? My head can’t take it.”
Of course, when they walked in the front door, what was the first thing they heard? High-pitched shrieks, probably from the pool, or maybe the trampoline. Surely more shrieking than three kids should have been capable of.
Upstairs to the kitchen, where Jade swiveled on a stool at the benchtop and said, “Hi. Hard luck last night, boys. Oh, Nan’s crook, and for some reason, Skylar’s here making your consolation tea instead. One of your Speed Dates, Zane, wasn’t she? And here you let me think you left the place without a match. Still waters, bro. Still waters.”
18
AND YOU STILL DON’T GET THE GIRL
“Hi,” Gordon said. “I’m Gordon. The handsome, charming one.”
Skylar didn’t say, “Ah, the middle rat—the most competitive one, and the one who pretends he’s not,” but she thought it. “I recognized you,” she said instead. “You did well last night. That was an impressive try.”
He shrugged. “We lost.”
“Well, yes,” she said, “but does that mean that nothing you did counts?”
“No,” Zane said. “It just feels that way. And hi.” He smiled and looked genuinely pleased to see her, which was confusing. Then he put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek while she was peeling kumara, looked into her eyes, smiled again, and said “Hi” once more, as if he’d forgotten he’d already said it. She may have lost her breath a bit.
Jack said, “Excuse me? Introduction? I’m Jack. The one who came off the bench as an impact player to help get the job done. Except we didn’t. Bugger.”
