Page 58 of Endurance
“Ouch! What the bloody hell for this time?” I rub the spot where she cracked me, smarting over how such a tiny person can hit so hard.
“You couldn’t think to invite Belle to dinner tonight?” She throws her hands on her hips, looking scarily like Vi.
“Tanner!” Vi exclaims, pulling a roasted chicken out of the oven and setting it down. She rubs her belly in small circles like she’s trying to soothe the baby inside of her. “What’s wrong with you?”
My eyes fly wide as I look back and forth between the two of them. “Why would I invite her?”
“Because you two are dating!” Indie replies.
“Fake dating!” I exclaim, my voice raising to a strange pitch in response to the urgency in her face.
“But you knew I’d come with Camden and she’d be home alone. It’s mean, Tanner.” Indie’s face is softer now, which only makes me feel worse.
“So mean,” Vi punctuates.
They are like a couple of footballers practicing their passing game.
I slide a hand through my hair. “How is it mean? I’ve just spent the whole weekend with her.”
“So what’s another meal?” Indie asks.
“She doesn’t need to come witness all of this.” I gesture out through the patio door to the garden where Gareth, Booker, and Hayden are standing.
Gareth actually made better time getting to London than Belle and I did today. Taking the train with him would have been a lot easier than the awkward silence in Belle’s car during our journey back, that’s for sure.
“Just look at them!” I exclaim. Gareth currently has Booker’s shirt pulled over his head and has him gripped in a headlock. Hayden is standing off to the side laughing his arse off and tossing a stick for Vi’s dog, Bruce.
Indie’s eyes fill with disappointment and it guts me almost as badly as Vi’s. She turns to walk away.
“Indie…” I move to stand up, but she waves her hand like she can’t hear another word and goes to join the guys outside.
Camden shifts awkwardly in the doorway.
“You had nothing to say there?” I ask.
His eyes fly wide. “What was I going to do?”
“Defend me! Tell your woman what this is between Belle and me. I told Indie not to get any bright ideas. She’s so bloody soft.”
Cam shakes his head. “Belle’s awesome. You’re an arse.” And then he leaves me, too.
Vi frowns at me and, without another word, walks outside to join everyone else.
“Well, what the fuck?” I mumble to myself.
Dad comes striding in next from somewhere outside. “What did you do this time, Tanner? Indie looks like she’s about to release the red-headed kraken.” He laughs at his stupid joke.
“Dad, I did nothing! Literally nothing! I didn’t invite Belle out here for dinner and now that makes me the worst kind of human. What the bloody hell? This is a fake relationship. It’s not real. Everybody needs to get that through their stubborn skulls.”
I reach out and pluck an apple from the fruit basket on the counter, shoving a frustrated finger into it until it bruises. It makes me feel better.
He looks at me and shakes his head. “Who are you trying to convince, Tan?”
I pound the apple on the counter. “What do you mean?”
His eyes grow wide. “I’ve seen the coverage of you two. Santino sends me everything. It doesn’t look fake. It looks…natural. It reminds me of…” He pauses and swallows hard. “It reminds me of how I looked at your mother when we first started dating. And well, you see how that turned out.” He looks out at Gareth like he has “whoopsie child” printed on his forehead.
The words strike me straight through the heart. Dad rarely talks about Mum and the one time he does, he compares her to Belle? I can’t take it. I’m going to explode.
