“Those are the only options for my future? Cats and bombs? Fan-bloody-tastic. And for your information, moron, this shoebox is top of the line. I have everything I need at my fingertips. And when I get fed up with the scenery, or the people”—he pointed at his brother—“I can drive off and park somewhere more interesting.”
Harry didn’t acknowledge the dig. He rarely did. “Aren’t you supposed to be building a house? Shouldn’t you talk to an architect or something?”
“I will as soon as I get rid of the film crew.” Although he had to admit the idea didn’t have the same appeal it’d had when he’d first bought the land from Abby. “Right now, I have other things to do. I need to hire someone to put in a pool.”
Harry’s eyebrows shot up into his unkempt hair. “You’re putting in a pool before the house? Not sure that’s going to help your new image, bro.”
“Bro? Where are we? The hood?” Flynn shook his head at Harry’s grin. “It’s not for me. It’s for Katy. I was thinking I’d get her one of the blow-up ones, like the one Abby destroyed, then I thought about the fact you can’t really swim in them. If you’re going to have a pool, you should be able to swim in it, right? If I get a decent-sized proper pool we can do laps.”
Harry sat forward, ran his fingers through his hair and stared at Flynn as though he’d lost his mind. “I don’t even know where to start with this.”
Flynn had no idea what he was talking about, so he ignored Harry and took the few steps between his chair and the fridge. He pulled out two bottles of Belgian beer and handed one to his brother. By the time he’d dragged himself back to his chair, Harry’s brain had formulated a reply. For a guy with a genius IQ, it often took a long time for Harry to have a conversation with mere mortals.
“Okay, first, you’re building a pool for Katy? I didn’t even think you noticed the kid, let alone liked her enough to buy her a pool. Second, does Abby know about this? Is she okay with it? Third, what do you mean when you say ‘we can do laps’? You don’t plan to share the pool, do you?”
Flynn wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “You offend me. Of course I notice the kid. She’s always here, poking her tiny nose into my business. She negotiates like a shark. You can’t get anything past her.” He grinned with pride when he remembered her skills. He liked to think he’d played a part in helping her develop them. “She negotiated for the pool. It’s a bribe to make her behave while Abby’s family is around.” He took another swig from the icy bottle. “Plus, she needs to pretend we get on. Trust me, the pool is the least of it. She wants a pony as well. At least Abby knows about the pool. I’m not sure how to break the news that I’ve ordered a pony. Maybe after her sister leaves.”
Without a word, Harry got up, opened the cupboard above the sink that held Flynn’s medication and proceeded to put the bottles of pills onto the counter.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Harry cocked an eyebrow at him, a move he’d obviously stolen from Lake. “I’m checking your meds. Either you’re overmedicating or something here is reacting badly with something else, because everything you just said was insane.” He started counting pills.
Flynn let out a sigh. “Knock yourself out.” He’d only find there were more pills than there should be. Flynn was trying to cut back on the pain meds. He didn’t like the fuzzy way they made him feel. They impaired his thought process, and he couldn’t help thinking they were at least in part to blame for all the things he’d let slide recently. Only partly to blame, though. The rest of the blame for his poor decision making was all on him.
“Okay.” Harry finished counting. “It isn’t the pills. What’s going on, for real?”
“For real.” Flynn made no attempt to hide the fact he was fast losing patience. “I’m bribing the kid next door to help her mother, because I feel bad about causing problems for Abby. And I thought while I’m forking out for this bribe, I may as well go the whole hog, make it a decent-sized pool, put it along the fence we share so we can share the pool too. It isn’t rocket science, although you might have grasped it a whole lot faster if it was. It’s no big deal. You wanted me to grow up.” He spread his arms wide. “Well, welcome to the grownup version of your big brother.”
Harry did a great impersonation of a fish. “This is you being a grownup?” He stared at Flynn for a minute or two before he burst out laughing.
Flynn flipped him off before opening his laptop to Google pool builders. Pool diggers? Pool providers? He’d figure it out.
He was deep into his search by the time Harry stopped laughing. Flynn looked over to see his red-faced brother wiping his eyes. And that was when the duck quacked. Flynn stared at the screen, hoping Harry didn’t notice.
“Was that a duck?”
Come on, Flynn demanded skyward, give me a break here. I’m trying!
“It’s nothing. Probably some ducks under the van again. It happens. I live beside a stream.” Flynn kept on typing, two-fingered, at his keyboard. There was another quack.
“Sounds like it’s coming from inside.” Harry headed towards the back of the van, where Flynn’s bedroom and bathroom were situated.
“Just leave it,” Flynn called after him. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”
Too late. Harry opened the bathroom door. Flynn could do nothing but watch as Harry stared into his bathroom. It took his brother a minute to process. Then, eyes gleaming, grin wide, he turned back to Flynn. He pointed into the bathroom.
“There’s a duck in your shower. She’s floating in a baby bath with the cutest little bandage on her wing.” Harry started to laugh again. “Friend of yours, bro? You holding out on me? I thought you said you weren’t seeing anyone?” He doubled over in hysterics.
Flynn did his best to ignore him, while he picked out the perfect pool to share with Abby and the kid.
14
“Football is a simple game; twenty-two men chase a ball for ninety minutes, and at the end, the Germans win.”
Gary Lineker, former player for England’s national team
Abby was making animal-shaped pancakes for breakfast when a huge rumble shook the house. For a second she panicked, thinking there was another problem with the mine. The last time the earth shook, the mine had collapsed—taking her business with it. She rushed to the front door, threw it open and tripped over her feet at the sight.
There were trucks, diggers and an assortment of equipment heading to the spot in her garden that lay beside Flynn’s land. And standing beside their shared fence was Flynn. Arms waving directions to the trucks. A guy in work gear stood beside him holding a large sheet of paper and a clipboard. Another guy was pinning little sticks into the ground and stringing a line between them.
Abby felt steam come out of her ears as she stalked towards them, with Katy on her heels.
“What’s going on?” she demanded as soon as she was within speaking distance. “Who are these people? Why are they on my property? What are you up to?”
“Surprise!” Flynn threw his arms wide.
He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt in army green, over a pair of grey cargo shorts that came to his knees. The shirt was tight across his chest, which was more than a little distracting. It was criminal he could look so good while being so unreasonable. Everything—his intense eyes, sexy grin and broad shoulders—made her mouth water. And distracted her from her anger towards him. She narrowed her eyes at him. Did he know he had such power over her? Oh my goodness, she hoped not. The man would be a devil with it.
“Surprise?” She stopped in front of him, put her hands on her hips and glared.
“Yes. Surprise?” Katy copied her action while standing at her side. In her tiger onesie and bunny slippers, she managed to undermine Abby’s dramatic gesture. As confirmed by the chuckles of the watching men.
“I’m giving you a pool, remember?” Flynn pointed to the guy measuring out the area. “Ta-da.”
Abby started to count to ten. One, two… Oh, to hell with it. “You’re doing what?
” Yes, it was a shriek. She wasn’t proud of it, but there was no way she could have stopped it. “I thought the pool comment was a joke.” Was he out of his mind? “Are you out of your mind? You can’t give a kid a pool. Especially not without talking to her mother about it first. And this is Scotland.” She pointed at the ground. “That’s an outdoor pool, which means the weather will be warm enough for it to be used maybe four days a year.” Okay, she was shouting now. She needed to calm down.
“It’s top of the line,” the idiot said. “It’s heated. There’s a Jacuzzi section. An automatic cover. The whole shebang. We’ll be able to use it year round.”
“In the rain? The snow? Have you thought about this at all?”
He glanced at the guy beside him. “Bob here says it’ll be fine. He’s the expert.”
“Bob probably just wants the business.” She gave the man a tight smile and pretended she hadn’t just called him a liar. “No offence, Bob.”
He didn’t seem offended. From his smile, he seemed to be entertained.
“Maybe we should build an indoor pool?” Flynn said to Bob.
Abby wanted to scream. “Not on my property, you aren’t. Who’s going to pay the huge monthly bills for heating and maintaining a top of the line pool?”
He actually had to think about it. Honestly!
“I guess I’ll take care of the running costs, since it’s my gift to the kid.”
Enough of this. She folded her arms. “Send them away. Stop this now. You can’t give a child a pool. I’m putting my foot down. Enough is enough.”
“Abby, Abby, Abby,” Flynn said with a shake of his head. “Any parent worth their salt knows you don’t make promises to kids unless you intend to keep them. Otherwise it breaks their wee hearts and sets them up for a lifetime of dealing with trust issues. Do you want that for your child? Now, tell me honestly, do you?” He actually batted his eyelashes at her, while a smile quirked at his lips. “I need to give the kid her pool. I promised.”
Was it wrong that she wanted to superglue those damn eyes shut? And maybe his mouth too? Definitely his mouth. His mouth was the part of him that caused the most trouble.
“Yay, I’m getting a pool! I can’t believe I’m getting a pool,” the traitor at her side yelled—as though she hadn’t arranged the whole thing. She squealed loudly and did an excited dance.
“I don’t know why you sound surprised, kid.” Flynn seemed genuinely perplexed. “You were the one who demanded a pool.”
“I didn’t think you’d give me one.” Katy rolled her eyes but couldn’t contain her glee. “I thought if you did I’d get one of those kids’ pools. Not this. This is gonna be a real pool. Isn’t it?” She looked up at him, suddenly uncertain. “Is it going to be a real pool, Flynn?”
Abby watched as Flynn’s eyes warmed before he rolled them dramatically, in an imitation of Katy. He awkwardly patted her head, the way someone else would pat a strange dog.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a real pool, you numpty. We can’t swim in a kids’ pool. And by we, I mean us separately. You swim at your time. I’ll swim at mine. You can swim, right?” Flynn looked up at Abby. “Can she swim? Is she old enough? How old are kids when they learn to swim?”
Abby shook her head. “Yes, she can swim. No, she shouldn’t be around a pool unsupervised. That’s not the point. The point is, I don’t want a pool.” She turned to Bob. “We can’t accept this. I’m sorry, but you have to leave. I don’t give you permission to put in a pool.”
The guy looked unsure. His eyes shifted to Flynn.
“Give me a minute, Bob,” Flynn said.
He walked the few steps to Abby, threw his arm around her shoulders and led her away from the work crew. As though this was his property and he had a say in what happened on it.
“Abby, sugar, give the kid her pool.” He spoke softly against her ear.
“Not going to happen, Flynn. Make them pack up. This is worse than the money you gave her. You can’t give a five-year-old a pool just because she asked for one.”
Flynn’s thumb caressed her shoulder, momentarily distracting her. “I’m not giving her a pool. This isn’t a gift. It’s a deal. With a miniature terrorist organisation.” He leaned into her, the heat of his body having a strange effect on her ability to breathe. “This is the cost of her help. The kid has been through a lot. All she wants is a pool. Give the kid a pool, Abby.”
For a moment she swayed towards him, her focus on those luscious lips of his before she caught herself. What was she doing? His insanity was contagious. She pushed away from him and folded her arms over her navy twinset. Yes. Twinset. She didn’t care what it said about her, she liked wearing them.
“I’m not bribing my daughter with a pool, Flynn.”
“It will be great. We can all use it.”
“You want a pool, put one on your property. And make sure it’s properly fenced. And has a roof to keep out the snow. But there is no way you’re giving my five-year-old a pool. I don’t care what deal you made with her. She’s five. She can’t even tie her own shoelaces, let alone understand what she’s asking for. This is not happening.”
Flynn studied her face for a moment before nodding. She must have looked as immovable on the topic as she felt, because he caved. She didn’t know whether to sigh with relief of pump the air with joy. He nodded once before walking back to the men.
“Change of plans. We’re moving the pool over the fence. Same size, just a few feet that-a-way.” He pointed at his land. “And we’re going to make it an indoor pool. Make sure there’s a door on this side for Abby and her daughter. They’ll need their own private entrance, as I have no problem sharing my pool with them.” He grinned at her.
She narrowed her eyes.
The men set about moving their equipment to the other side of the fence as Katy ran up to Flynn. “If you put it over there it won’t be my pool. And you promised me a pool.”
“You didn’t specify where the pool would be. It could be anywhere. This is still your pool. It will just sit on the other side of the fence. We’ll make a sign. We’ll call it Katy’s Pool. Good enough for you, kid?”
Katy tapped her finger to her chin as she considered his offer. “Can the pool building be pink?”
“No.”
“Can the pool be pink?”
“No.”
“What about some pink blow-up stuff to put in the pool?”
“That we can do.”
“Then it’s okay for the pool to move,” Katy said solemnly.
Abby felt a headache start. She stepped towards her neighbour. “This isn’t what I meant. I told you I didn’t want a pool. I told you that you can’t give Katy a pool.”
“And I’m doing exactly what you said. It’s my pool, on my property and I’m calling it Katy’s Pool.” He reached out and high-fived Katy, who was still jumping up and down with excitement.
The noise of a car roaring up the drive stopped the argument. Her heart sank when she saw it was her sister, back for another round of Prove Abby is a Terrible Mother. She didn’t have enough brain space to deal with all of this.
“You’re undermining me, Flynn Boyle, and I’m not happy about it. We’re going to have a long talk about this later.” She made the words a threat.
He seemed unaffected. “Looking forward to it, sugar.”
“Abby.” Victoria’s icy voice preceded her as she strode towards them. “What’s this?”
Abby sighed—quietly, she hoped.
“I’m putting in a pool,” Flynn said. “For physio. Nothing better than swimming to recover from an injury. The water takes the strain off the joints.”
Victoria’s cold gaze made Abby squirm, even when it was directed at Flynn. “And this pool of yours is going to be in Abby’s garden?”
“Bit of a mix-up with the work crew.” Flynn smiled. “It’s all sorted now.” He dismissed Victoria with a nod before winking at Abby. “Catch you later, sugar.”
“Flynn,” Katy shouted as she ra
n up to them. “Don’t forget my bedtime story. You promised.”
Abby gaped at her daughter. Katy’s lips were set in a determined pout. And from the pained look on Flynn’s face, there was no way he wanted to read to her at bedtime. She almost grinned. Let him suffer. He deserved it.
“You promised you’d do it every night this week and you haven’t even read to me once,” Katy pointed out.
“Yes, Flynn.” Abby couldn’t resist. “We both know how important it is to keep our promises to children. We wouldn’t want her to grow up with trust issues, now would we?”
Flynn growled at Abby. “Fine. But I’m picking the book. We’re having none of that pink princess rubbish.”
With one last frown, he strode away, barely limping, which told her his leg wasn’t so bad today. He really should use his crutches more. Abby shook away the thought. He was a grown man. He could take care of himself. She bit her lip. Maybe. She sighed. He most definitely couldn’t look after himself. She made a mental note to talk to him about the crutches when she next saw him. If the man wanted to recover, he’d better use the things.
“Abby?” Victoria’s voice made her realise she was staring at Flynn’s rear.
She blushed as she turned to her sister. “Tea?” she said lightly.
Without waiting for Victoria’s answer, she called for Katy and headed to her house.
Flynn wished there was an AA-type group for guys who were trying to behave. He could see it now, him at the front of a room: “Hi, my name is Flynn. It’s been forty-eight hours since I last behaved like an asshole.” And then they’d all shout, “Hello, Flynn.” Yeah, he definitely needed a support group. He was trying hard here. Being good was exhausting—and boring. Plus, he felt he wasn’t getting enough credit. Actually, any credit.
He’d hired a cleaning crew to sort the place out. He’d started buttoning his shirts. He was showering every day. He’d sent everyone away, except the camera crew that he couldn’t get rid of no matter what he did. He’d sat down for a very serious interview with a magazine, where he answered dumb questions like: “What do you find most attractive in a woman?” He’d made sure his answer was mature and politically correct, even though what he wanted to do was sneer and say a talent with her tongue. Because, seriously, would it hurt someone to ask him a decent bloody question?
Bad Boy (Invertary Book 5) Page 11
