Unsuitable

“Would you want to take Mia?” It was hard to imagine saying no to anything Reece wanted to do. Oh, this was not good.

“Only if you wanted that. The DVD and download versions of all the kids’ stuff come out so close to the theatre releases now.”

“Yes, she likes to watch things over and over at home.”

“Flip still does that. And if Etta watches The Fault in Our Stars or Dirty Dancing one more time,” he palmed his face, laughing. “Was it a mistake to bring the family? Did Polly say anything to put you off? Did Flip? Maybe that was a mistake?”

He hadn’t made any mistakes. He’d worked harder than any of the other applicants. He’d known he had to.

He was her in reverse.

He cast a quick glance over his shoulder to where Les and Polly stood with his sisters. “I should introduce you to Sky.”

Audrey shook off her dream-like state. “Why is this job so important to you?”

“It’s what I want to do and I like Mia, she’s a sweetheart.”

“She can be an unholy demon who spits fire and vomits catastrophe. She can also be as boring as rocks.”

“She’s not a twin, she’s one kid at one time. And I’m qualified for this. The pay is better than I’ll get working similar hours at a kindy, not that the local kindys are that keen on male staff.” He looked away. “I’ve had trouble getting a permanent child care job since the Flannery boys. I don’t want to lay any more bricks. They’re the real dumb rocks.”

He held his hand out to shake. He wore a resigned expression. And yes, they were done here. It was decision time.

“I’ve done everything I can think of to help you get comfortable with me, Audrey.”

She took his hand, and he didn’t squeeze or pump or make her feel in any way that he was bigger, stronger, better. He made her feel certain.

He smiled, but it was rueful. “I understand if you’d rather hire someone else. But I’m not going to pretend to be happy if you do.”

7: Moving On

Reece walked Audrey, Mia and Les to Audrey’s car. But the conversation was so general and his sense of having hot-wired the situation to blow up so strong, he had a severe case of the shits by the time they drove away.

He’d pushed it too hard when he should’ve played it cool. He’d gone for awe when he’d needed quiet acceptance. What kind of a dickhead brings six people along to their play date interview?

He took his time rejoining the others, not in the mood for their stirring. Life would be easier if he continued in the building trade, or maybe he should go add a year’s study and head for the schoolroom. The world didn’t come to an end if he didn’t get this job. There were always more bricks. And Charlie could get him casual waitstaff work at the hotel. He should be grateful he had options and no pressing need for cash. But he’d have to work on gratitude, because right now he was irritated.

His gender, and yeah, his body, were stopping him from doing what he most wanted to do, and that blew chunks, sucked gas and went against everything Charlie had ever drummed into him and the girls.

They’d been raised to think if you put your head down, worked hard enough, you could stand in line, put your hand up, and you had as good a chance as anyone else of getting what you wanted.

Charlie had worn a school uniform when she was pregnant with him, but she’d finished school at night, cared for a baby with help from his grandparents, and then slowly worked her way from single parent, and then widow, to functions director at one of the city’s biggest hotels. Twins didn’t stop her. Illness didn’t either. And neither did the opinions of people who thought she was trash. She’d faced prejudice and discrimination and she’d rolled over them. He’d be less if he didn’t do the same. Didn’t mean he had to be dancing about it.

Sky was on the court when he got back to the others. Etta had her head in her phone screen. Gin and Flip watched the game. Neev tossed a coin over and over and watched him with I’ve got a chance at a new bedroom eyes. He snatched the coin out of the air and put it in his pocket.

She air-swiped. “Hey. That’s mine. Give it back.”

“He screwed up,” said Etta, without lifting her head.

Gin and Flip made airplane crashing noises.

Polly back-slapped him. “There’ll be another one.”

Polly’s mouth made those words, but the guy couldn’t hide the fact he was a sideline hater. He’d rolled with Reece doing child care at uni while he went to trade school because working in the industry had seemed a long way off, now Reece had chosen child care over bricklaying, Polly had taken the rejection personally. If he mentioned casual building site labouring in the next breath, Reece would ask him where exactly he could get a next breath from while his trachea was being throttled.

“Sky is winning, if you care,” said Etta.

Sky always won. He leaned on the sandstone wall between Etta and Polly and watched her take another point. Sky was as relentless on the volleyball court as she was going after anything else she wanted. He was still amazed she’d agreed to go out with him two years on. He put his hands to his mouth funnel-style and shouted. “Take it, Sky.”