Page 228 of The Nanny and the Beefcake
“Sebastian!”
Raz pulled himself together, then turned to find Oscar Elliott running toward them.
“Will you teach me some Pun-chi yoga moves?” Oscar asked, then observed the six-foot-five man-baby beast of a Cress, ready to burst out into tears. “Oh, hi, Sebastian’s dad! Can Sebastian help me? My dad said I could hang out with him while he was working with a student.”
“Can I, Dad? Can I?” Sebastian chimed.
“Yeah, I’ll take care of the fruit. Let’s see those Pun-chi yoga skills,” he added, his voice thick with emotion.
“Louise wants us to put the cut-up fruit in the bowl. She said one of the volunteers will come and get it.” Sebastian tore off his hairnet, dropped it into a trash can, and ran alongside Oscar to the open area.
“That hairnet suits you,” his granny said, sauntering over and taking a seat at the table as Aug and Madelyn joined her.
“I see the arthritis is better, Granny,” he commented, sensing that something was up. This sage trifecta had set their sights on him.
These three were surely in cahoots.
“Yoga and a roll in the hay can do wonders,” his granny Fin dropped like an atom bomb.
“Roll in the, what? Wait, you and Wobbly Bob?” he shrieked, trying not to picture it and…bloody hell! There it was…granny sex. He shook his head, hoping the motion would dislodge the image.
Finola Cress beamed. “It’s Robert, or Robbie when we’re—”
“I get it,” he interrupted, swallowing back bile. “You and Robert are an item.” He stared at the fruit, needing something else to concentrate on. He shifted in his seat and tugged at his hairnet.
Blooming lunch lady hairnet!
No man should have to wear a hairnet while listening to his granny go on about knocking boots with the local donkey rescuer.
“Just don’t let the twins see me in this hair thing. Knowing them, they’ll snap a picture and never let me live it down.”
“Done and done, Raz-a-ma-taz!” Callista cooed as Calliope snapped a shot on her mobile.
He hung his head. His family would be the death of him. Between his heart jumping into his throat, talking about Mere with his son, and Granny’s revelation, his head might explode.
“Auntie Calliope! Auntie Callista!” Sebastian called, waving over his aunts.
“We’ll be back for more hairnet shots,” Callista warned as the twins joined the boys.
He removed his hairnet, staring at the balled-up material. “I understand why you brought me here, Aug.”
“Do you?”
Raz blew out a tight breath.
How could he make them understand?
“I’m training for Mere. And I’m going to win for her. And to beat Silas Scott, I’ve got to be the best. That’s why I had to…”
“Break Libby’s heart?” Granny Fin supplied.
The woman did have a knack for cutting to the chase.
“Yes,” he answered, unable to lie.
“Your problem isn’t skill, Erasmus,” Aug said, looking him dead in the eyes. “Even if you hadn’t trained a lick these past few months, you’d be better than the Snake, and I’m not just saying that. I’d tell you if you weren’t. I’ve always been honest with you, lad. You’re a fighter. The best I’ve ever seen, but you forgot what you were fighting for. You forgot what it means to win.”
He forgot what it meant to win. What the hell did that mean?
