Page 56 of The Rebound
“Maybe we should wait until everyone’s finished,” I suggest, and Luke starts to nod when Andrew catches sight of us.
“And it looks likesomepeople got a little too caught up in all the excitement.” He gestures toward us and our muddied clothes, throwing a knowing look at the adults in the crowd. “Took a little trip off the trail, did we?”
I turn to Luke. “Or maybe—”
“On it.”
He holds up the golden egg and a child in front of us gasps like it’s the holy grail. Silence falls over the crowd as everyone stares at us.
“This is weird,” I mutter.
Luke starts toward Andrew, who’s now openly glaring at us. “Yep.”
“You found the egg,” he says. He does not sound pleased.
“We did.” Luke holds it up again for effect and I grin as a man nearby starts to clap. It’s not even that impressive up close. Made of cheap plastic and painted gold for effect. Still, I guess it’s the symbol that counts.
“We’ll take that prize now,” Luke says as Andrew’s face goes white. “In cash.”
“Abby!”
I leave Andrew to his disappointed grumbling as Louise winds her way through the crowd.
“What did you do to yourself? You’re filthy.”
My smile drops at her disapproving tone. “Well done on winning the grand prize, Abby.”
“I only meant—”
“The victors!” Tomasz swoops in to hug me only to immediately let go when his hands come away covered in dirt.
Louise stands back, still eyeing my clothes as though calculating how many laundry pods it will take to get them clean.
“It was all Abby,” Luke says, joining us. “I just tagged along for the ride.” He hands me an envelope. “That’s your share. I better get back to Beth.” He pauses, momentarily awkward. “I’ll see you around?”
“Definitely,” I say, a little too quickly, and he smiles at me.
“Your share of what?” Louise asks as he leaves.
“Of my winnings. I entered on your behalf.” I hold out the prize but she’s already shaking her head.
“I can’t take that. It’s yours.”
“I won it for you.”
“I don’t—”
“I’ll take it.” Tomasz grabs the envelope and forces it into Louise’s hands. “Thank you for your kind donation, Abby.”
“No problem,” I mutter as Louise’s frown deepens.
Well, that didn’t go as planned.
With the main event of the day over, the crowd around us starts to disperse and we head back to pack up. Louise keeps fiddling with the edge of the envelope but says nothing to me. She says nothing to anyone, pretending to be busy counting signups and soon even Tomasz gives up trying to deal with her, disappearing off to get the car.
“Can we talk?” I ask when we’re alone.
She doesn’t look up from the calculator on her phone, even when I sit beside her. “I guess.”
