1
Lily
* * *
“Cade King, if you don’t come here right now, I’m texting Santa to let him know he shouldn’t bring you a present this year!”
Zara rests her elbows on the kitchen counter between us and arches her brows at me. “Your stress levels have at least doubled since I saw you yesterday, Mum. What’s going on?”
I widen my eyes in exasperation. Not at Zara, because she’s the only one in my family not contributing to my stress, but rather at life in general. “My list is long. You really want me to detail it for you?”
She grins. “Your list is always long. King makes sure of that.”
I throw the tea towel onto the counter and reach for the glass of cold water she poured me a minute ago. After I guzzle half, I take a deep breath and say, “It’s this damn heat. And the kids. And the fact I’m nowhere near ready for our family dinner tonight or the barbecue tomorrow. And that I still don’t know exactly how many are coming tomorrow afternoon, which makes catering for it hard. And that I still need to get the new swing set picked up. And well”—I widen my eyes some more—“at this point, I’m not even sure it’ll get built in time for tomorrow.” I rake my fingers through my hair, pushing it off my forehead where it’s sticking from the bloody heat. “And don’t even get me started on King. That man is testing me right now, and when he gets home, if he ever gets home, I have so many words for him that he won’t know what hit him.”
Zara’s grin disappears and concern fills her features. “Okay, let’s start at the beginning. The heat. Why haven’t you gotten the air conditioning fixed in here? It’s been out for two days and it’s nearly forty degrees, which is—”
“King told me he’d be home yesterday and that he’d fix it, but now that he can’t give me a confirmed ETA, I’ve called the air conditioning guy that Kree recommended.” I throw my hands up in the air. “The only problem is, everyone and their dog in Sydney is having issues with their air conditioning, so God knows when he’ll make it here.”
She pulls out her phone and starts tapping away on it. “I’ll get Fury to come take a look today.” When she finishes texting, she meets my gaze again. “He’s close by so he’s coming now. I also asked him if he’d pick up your swing set, and we’ll stay after dinner tonight and put it together for you if King isn’t home by then. Now, as for tomorrow, if you give me a list of who hasn’t RSVP’d yet, I’ll ring around and find out so you can sort out the food you need.”
I stare at my daughter. I swear she didn’t come from me; nothing seems to ruffle her in the way it does me. “Whatever superpower pills you’re on, I need some.”
“Yeah, a chill pill wouldn’t go astray, but I get it; this heat is enough to send anyone crazy and on top of that, you’ve got King doing a good job of it already.”
I look around the kitchen wondering why my son isn’t here yet. “Not to mention these kids! The heat is bringing out their worst behaviour. And your brother is about to learn that Santa isn’t coming to him this year.”
Zara reaches for me as I turn to leave the kitchen in search of Cade. “Let me go find him. And calm down about Santa. We both know there’s no way you’re really going to punish him in that way so don’t make threats you won’t keep.” As she’s exiting the room, she throws over her shoulder, “Make that list of who you need me to call. And then maybe guzzle some wine.”
Wine at 10:00 a.m.?
Maybe a little early.
Maybe freaking not.
Not when King hasn’t called for over twelve hours or replied to my calls or texts. Not when I have no idea when he’ll be home from Melbourne or if he’ll even make it in time for Christmas.
That bloody man.
A knock on my front door cuts through my thoughts. “Lil, can you help me? I’ve got meat for you,” T
atum calls out.
I meet her at the door and take trays of steak and sausages from her. “Why are you bringing me meat?” We’re holding a Christmas Day barbecue here tomorrow afternoon for the club, and King is covering the cost of all the food. He’s also supposed to be collecting the meat from the butcher this afternoon, but I’m not even thinking about that right now because it may send my blood pressure through the roof.
“Nitro picked it up from the butcher for King this morning and asked me to bring it over.”