Unsuitable

“If she asked you to her place, that’s probably what it was.” Audrey groaned. “Her husband is twenty years older. He’s a bigwig in aviation. He’s never around. She’s so terribly lonely and so terribly horny. I’m so sorry, Reece. I’ll tell her to lay off. Unless you’re...in your own time...she’s very attractive...ah.”

Colour rushed into Audrey’s face. There was a timely crash in the other room and Reece stood. Mia had upended the toy box. “I’ll just, um,” he gestured towards the mess. Anything to get out of this conversation.

Audrey groaned. “Gah, give me a work crisis any day.”

He righted the toy box and started to repack it while Mia helped by putting stuff in the box then taking it out again. It was a toss-up as to which of them was quicker.

“Leave it, Reece. I’ll do it. You should get on with your night.”

He got to his feet. Audrey was standing in the doorway. “I wouldn’t with Carrie.”

“If it’s not on my time, it’s none of my business, Reece.”

“All the same. I wouldn’t.”

“You’re serious about Sky.”

He picked up the head of a doll and a block with a piece of rope like a tail and chucked them in the box. “We’re living together.”

“Sounds serious.”

It was different, that’s for sure. Early days, they were still navigating around each other, much like what was going on here, but with more tension, which now he thought about it, was frustrating.

“It must be wonderful.”

He picked up a black and white cow loose from its plastic herd. That’s how he felt, as though he’d wandered away from a relationship he should’ve felt secure in and g

otten lost in the bush. He had drawers and wardrobe space. His Monaro was in the garage, but it didn’t feel like home yet. He was a neat freak and Sky was into minimalism so that should’ve worked, but they were irritating each other. He missed the girls. And he couldn’t tell Sky that, she wouldn’t understand.

“I bet the girls miss you.”

That made him smile. “They’re still fighting over who gets my room. Charlie has threatened to get a boarder.” He glanced at the clock on Audrey’s mantel. He was late. That wasn’t going to play well. “I should go.”

“Right. So same program next week, with the addition of the extra hour on Wednesday night. In two weeks time, on the sixth, I have an overnight. Will you be okay for that?”

He grinned at Audrey. An overnight, that was good. “I’ll put it in my calendar.” He bent to look at Mia, she was stacking coloured blocks. “See you Monday, Mia.” She stayed focused on the block stack, bound to topple any minute. She was tired enough to be deliriously unhappy about that.

Audrey walked him to the front door. “Thank you for this week.”

“No problem.” They heard the blocks scatter then Mia throwing or kicking them.

“And especially for my dinner.”

His face got hot. He hoped it didn’t look red. He gave Audrey a smile and Mia appeared. “Don’t go. Stay wif us.” Her bottom lip was tucked under her top teeth and her chin was crinkled. It might’ve been about the blocks, or bedtime. It might’ve have been about him leaving. Cameron had let him take the bulk of the contact with Mia during her handover so they were already mates.

He went to his knees in front of her. Audrey’s bare feet, her neat legs in his view. He had a sharp vision of running his hand over her instep and cupping her calf and had no idea where that came from; all that talk about Carrie and being propositioned, or his nagging fear he’d done the wrong thing moving in with Sky. Whatever it was, it was a good thing it was in his head and not his hands.

“On Monday we’ll have so much fun. We can build more blocks. But you’ll have fun with Mum too. I’ll see you soon, okay.”

Mia sniffed. “Okay.” She buried her face in Audrey’s hip and Audrey touched his shoulder so lightly, it might’ve been accidental, except it was like Princess Olivia’s clothing—magnetising. He had to stop himself leaning towards her.

“I’m so glad Mia and I found you.”

Sky wasn’t.

He was an hour later than usual. It made for a terse meal. Sky liked people to be prompt and reliable and she had very little tolerance for spontaneity. And that was something he’d only learned in the last month. He was a fool to think he didn’t need to work at this relationship, to think it would be easy, and he’d been coasting on the high of this new phase of his life; the job, getting out of home. He needed to pay more attention to Sky, to where they were going as a couple. Well, that’s what she said, anyway.

He ate ribs seasoned with unreasonable resentment and resolved to do something to make things better before he got Sky’s turned back in bed, and his phone rang.