Page 132 of Pelvic Flaws

“Katie, if I have to spend one more night listening to my dad fart and belch through every hour, I’ll go crazy.”

“You could always go home,” I said, arching my brows.

“I don’t think that’s a possibility.” Carl dropped the bag to the floor and kicked it. “Can I just come in for a few minutes, so I can think about what to do?”

Glancing back at the stairs, I nodded and stood back to let him in. “Five minutes. We’re in the middle of dinner.”

He gave me a chin dip and walked toward the lounge.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” I said, wondering where my balls had suddenly appeared from. “Dex is just in the bathroom and we’re spending time all getting to know each other a little better. I don’t want it disrupted by you getting Charlie upset, because he will be if he thinks you’ve got nowhere to go.”

Carl thought for a few seconds and then obviously conceded I was right, as he continue walking to the kitchen. As he reached it, Isaac poked his head through the lounge doorway.

“Oh hey, Dad. You okay?”

“Hi, yes I’m fine thanks. Just wanted to see if I could stay a few days.”

As Carl wandered into the kitchen, Isaac turned to me and looked at me quizzically. I shook my head and walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t tell Charlie he’s here. He’ll worry if he thinks he’s got nowhere to stay.”

“Are you going to let him?”

“He has your grandparents,” was all I replied before following Carl and closing the door.

Carl was sitting at the table and spinning the salt cellar around, when I walked in. He’d removed his jacket and put it on top of his bag, which had been put on one of the chairs opposite to him. Seeing how he’d made himself at home – in my home – made my blood boil.

He had no right to come in and sit at my table, as though he actually did have a right, because he damn well didn’t. We’d sold our four bedroom detached house when we’d divorced, and with my half of the profit, money that Eric, my step-dad, had left me and a small loan from my wonderful brother, I’d bought this house. It was much smaller than we’d all been used to, but it was mine and the kid’s home and it was not Carl’s. He had his own house with Sophie and that was where he should have been.

“You do know you should go back to Sophie,” I said, making it clear with my arms crossed over my chest that I wasn’t happy.

“She threw me out, I doubt she’ll take me back yet. Sophie likes to make a point.”

He continued to play with the salt cellar and it was really annoying me, so I leaned forward and snatched it away from him.

“Well maybe you should try and apologize.” I placed the glass cellar on the counter next to the sink without taking my eyes from Carl. “What did you do anyway?”

Carl rolled his eyes. “Told her to call you and ask for advice on how to stop Jessie sucking her thumb.”

“Please tell me you didn’t,” I groaned.

Carl shrugged. “Annie sucked her thumb, you stopped her and I figured you’d be able to help.”

“Maybe, but asking your wife to call your ex-wife isn’t the right thing to do, you idiot.”

“I’m not an idiot. It was a perfectly reasonable suggestion.”

“You could have asked me and then made it sound like you’d remembered how we did it. Telling Sophie to call me would make her think that you think that I’m the better mother.”

“You’re older and more experienced,” he replied petulantly as he stretched his legs out and linked his hands behind his neck.

God, I wanted to punch him in the nuts.

“Not the point. So get your bag and go home or if you don’t think she’ll accept your apology, go back to your mum and dad’s, but you’re not staying here.”

“Just a couple of nights,” he pleaded.

“No, Carl. I don’t want you here. Dex and Savannah are here and are staying the night and I won’t have you ruining our evening.”

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