Page 10 of Even Ground

“Always. I thought you knew me better than that.” Delaney laughs. “Might help if you answer your Skype calls more often.”

Pania shakes her head. “What else haven’t you been telling me?”

Delaney puts down her cutlery and taps her index fingers together. “Well, I am secretly already married to Ryan Reynolds. One flick of those hips as Deadpool, and—"

“Delaney.” Josh growls.

She blows him a kiss. “You know you’re really my favourite Canadian.”

I look between the two of them. There’s some private joke there that I’ve not asked Josh about, and the lovesick look in his eyes when she says it stops me from asking yet again.

“Are you two still going on about that?” Pania asks.

Delaney meets Josh’s gaze across the table. “It’s our thing.”

“It’s pathetic, that’s what it is.” Pania rolls her eyes.

I meet her gaze and shoot her a look that I hope conveys the question: what the fuck?

“I thought you would have known about it. Josh, here, made the mistake of thinking Delaney was Australian when they met. So she calls him her favourite Canadian,” she explains. “I think they usually do it in private.”

“No, I guess I missed that. But then I didn’t meet Delaney the first time around. That makes sense.” Delaney and Josh are still locked in some gaze competition, and I stab my fork into my food and scoop out a mouthful.

“To be fair, I made the wrong guess after she said two words,” Josh says, swivelling his gaze to me.

“Big mistake to make, though, bro.” Pania shakes her head. “I don’t think Australians like being confused for New Zealanders either. You were probably screwed either way.”

Josh’s lips twitch. “Well … I was screwed. Pretty spectacularly too. If you know what I mean.”

Delaney throws a napkin across the table at him. “Joshua Carter.”

“You sound like my mother.” Josh screws up his face and takes a bite of his meal. “Did I tell you just how much I love your cooking, Delaney?”

“Oh it’s way too late to kiss my arse now.”

I’m used to their banter, but Pania’s contribution adds a whole new dimension. And for the first time since I met Delaney, I’m feeling a little out of it.

Delaney smiles at me. “Would you like some more food, Reece? You’re still in my good books.”

“I’m fine right now, but thanks.” I grin.

Josh’s left eyebrow arches. “You can cut that out too.”

“Cut what out?”

“The flirting.”

I hold up my palms. “I literally just said thank you.”

“With you, that’s flirting.” He smiles smugly at his fiancée, and she glances at Pania before they both dissolve into laughter.

I smile to myself and scoop more of my dinner into my mouth.

That’s better.

* * *

I could have gone home last night, but after dinner, I was so tired, I crashed in my room. Before I left for Georgia, I’d started staying over here so much that Delaney allocated me a bedroom. And even though Pania staying here doesn’t impact that, it still feels odd that there’s another person staying in the house.

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