Something Else Entirely

32 - Just a bit of healthy competition.

"I'm going to go say hi to your mum," she said, with another full body, cocked eyebrow scan of my body, setting every inch of it on fire.

She didn't come back, and I heard their two feminine voices deep in conversation carrying around the side of the house as Dad and I shrugged at each other and got back to work, guessing that they weren't going to let up anytime soon.

We found them sitting side by side on the twin lounges out on the back deck, drinking iced coffee, laughing together and pouring over a stack of books. The whole scene looked so natural, and Dad obviously noticed it too, nudging me and throwing me a smile as he lent down to kiss Sadie before heading inside to shower.

Madden jumped into Sadie's lap and looked over to Logan, deep in reading the blurb of one of Sadie's books. "Are you a nerd like my mother?"

"I guess I am, if by nerd you mean appreciator of well-crafted words printed on paper," she smiled at him and put the book down beside her. Of course she was, because her perfection couldn't get any more uncanny, now could it?

"She even has an Austen tattoo, Jetty," said Sadie, beaming up at me around Madden in her lap. I never knew Dad and Sadie's opinions of tattoos, but even if it was negative—not that I imagine it would have been—there's no way Sadie could approve more of whatever this particular tattoo was. "A Persuasion tattoo," she added pointedly, barely able to contain her excitement.

I just smiled, appreciating how much Sadie must be enjoying this.

"Oh, damn! That's Mum's favourite," Madden said, holding out his hand to high-five Logan. "Jetty, that's Mum's favourite."

"I'm well aware, little bro," I said, looking at Logan. "Are you sticking around for a while? I was going to run inside and have a quick shower, but it can wait if you're going soon."

Any excuse to remain topless around her . . .

"I have no plans," she replied with a smile. I half-expected her to tell me that Sadie had roped her into watching the six-hour long BBC version of Pride and Prejudice given our recent discovery of Logan being an avid reader like her and her aunt Kendall, who I assume I have to thank for her love of classic literature and photography both, it would seem.

"I'll be right back then," I said, catching Sadie winking at me before I turned to walk back inside.

"The hot, sweaty, hard-at-work-doing-manual-labour version isn't so bad either, hey, Logan?" said Sadie just loud enough that I could hear as I opened the back door.

"Absolutely," Logan giggled.

- - -

"So, why aren't you studying for your exams?" I asked, sitting down next to Logan after my shower. I didn't think it right to attempt the shirtlessness again after I was clean and showered, so was wearing my footy shorts and a clean t-shirt. I didn't miss that she looked disappointed when I sat down beside her, passing her a drink I'd carried for her from inside.

"I can go if you want me to," she said, jokingly getting up to leave, though not really meaning to go anywhere. Still, I reached for her hand and held her there to keep her from moving any further away from me.

"I don't ever want you to go," I said honestly, rubbing my thumb over the back of her hand and watching her smile down at the gesture as she slowly lowered herself back in her seat.

"I can't open the drink with one hand, Jet," she said, waving the drink I'd brought her back and forth in the hand not still being held by me.

"So, you'll be thirsty."