Players, Bumps and Cocktail Sausages Read Online Free PDF Page B

Damn mind-reading sister. There was going to be a lecture. There was always a lecture. I should speak to Abby about it; that’s what she’d say. Of course, she was right, but I wasn’t gonna do it.
    I dressed and grabbed my keys. Abby had left one of her many handbags on the kitchen table – the one the watch was in. We had nothing coming up – not my birthday or an anniversary – so if the watch was gone that meant she took it with her today. To this Brett twat? I backed away, needing to trust her.
     
    Oakley opened her front door as I pulled up. Great, she was ready to preach. She raised her eyebrow as I walked towards her.
    “Don’t start,” I said.
    “I’m not starting. I just don’t get many early morning phone calls from you on a Sunday. Actually, I’ve never received an early morning phone call off you on a Sunday.”
    “Abby’s working for a couple hours, so I thought I’d use to the time to treat my niece.”
    “Abby’s working?”
    “Something about sorting out school trip shit.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I dunno. Everleigh ready?”
    “Cole’s just putting her shoes on. Do you want to talk about it?”
    I glared. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
    Oakley smiled one of her smiles that made me want to throw tomatoes at her.
    “Seriously, it’s fine. If she wants to waste Sunday morning talking about work, that’s her stupid choice.”
    I could see in my sister’s eyes she was thinking but what about spending time with you , blah, blah, blah. Would I prefer to spend time with my wife in the morning, yes, of course, but she had stuff to do. I’d survive.
    “Everleigh,” I shouted past Oakley, ignoring her questioning look. If she kept raising her eyebrows at me, I was going to shave them off.
    “Uncle Jasper!” Everleigh screamed, jumping up and down as she made her way to the front door. “Pancakes! Can I have chocolate?”
    I grinned. “You can have whatever you want.”
    “Yeah,” she cheered, jumping outside in one big leap that made Oakley tense up. “Let’s go, Uncle Jasper.”
    I unlocked my car and she ran to her door, letting herself in. Cole appeared behind Oakley, wrapping his arms around her.
    “No kiss goodbye?” he said to Everleigh. She turned, shook her head, waved and got in the car.
    “Too eager for food. She takes after you,” Oakley said, kissing Cole’s cheek over her shoulder. That was my cue to leave. I didn’t need to be seeing any of that soppy crap right now.
     
    “So what’s wrong, Uncle Jasper?” Everleigh asked, leaning her elbows on the diner table. She barely reached so it looked more like she was just laying her arms out, but I knew the effect she was going for – ‘tell all’.
    “Nothing’s wrong, Noodle. I promise.”
    She sighed and shook her head. “Uncle Jasper, you just told a lie.”
    My three-year-old niece was disappointed in me. Wow.
    “Just grown-up stuff. Nothing for you to worry about.”
    “But I love you.”
    There was nothing that could keep me down when she said that. I smiled like a fat guy locked in a McDonalds overnight. I was suddenly so glad Oakley didn’t have anything planned and let me take Everleigh for a bit. This kid was my antidepressant.
    “I love you too, but you don’t have to worry about me.”
    “Are you sad?”
    “If you ask your dad...”
    She frowned, my joke going over her head.
    “Never mind. I’m not sad.”
    “Is it Aunty Abby? Are you in the dog house?”
    I laughed, my eyebrows shooting up.
    “What?” Where the hell did that come from?
    “Mummy said Daddy was in the dog house when he broke her favourite mug. Did Aunty Abby break your favourite mug?”
    I loved her weird little innocent mind.
    “Yeah, she broke my favourite mug.”
    She nodded. “Don’t worry, Uncle Jasper, I’ll buy you a new one. Ooh, can I have a chocolate milkshake? I promise won’t tell Mummy and Daddy.”
    “Sure. You can have whatever you want.”
    She grinned a face-splitting smile and pushed