Page 82 of Power Play

That overwhelming sense of freedom returned.

Was it possible? Was I a person who could have fun? Or had my dad stolen that from me as well as all my money?

Liam made a big show of tripping on a root in the sand. He cartwheeled onto the sand, reaching out with his arms trying to grab Tess’s feet.

If anyone could show me a good time it was that goofball right there.

I watched as he stripped off his shirt and shook off some of the extra sand, with his back to me, it was impossible to miss. He also had those back dents, right above his butt cheeks. My first thought was, I couldn’t wait to trace my fingers along those dimples.

But my second thought…I shook it off.

It had to be just a coincidence.

Liam

We got ice cream.But only after lunch. We went back to the bookstore.

Because.

That’s what I was told when I suggested we’d already been there.

We stopped by the grocery store so Kit could grab ingredients to make dinner. And because it was vacation, I got a bottle of wine and some beer. When we got back to the beach house Kit poured herself a glass of wine and went to work on something in the kitchen while Tess and I sat down at the chess board.

“Okay,” I said, rubbing my hands together. “I’ve been studying and I won’t make it easy on you.”

“That’s what they all say,” Tess said.

“Is that…” I cocked my head, looking at the five-year-old with her shirt on inside out. “Are you trash-talking me?”

“Maybe.”

“Oh, kid, don’t hand a professional athlete locker room material. It’s on.”

She beat me quickly the first game, but I made her work for it the second game. By the time she finally got my king, Kit was standing in the doorway, hair a frizzy mess around her flushed face.

“Okay. It doesn’t look like Antony’s pictures in the cookbook, but it’s pretty delicious,” she said. “I think.”

We gathered around the table and she put down a platter with what might have been fish? Or maybe chicken?

“It’s tofu,” she said. Tess clapped her hands. I was down for anything that made that girl clap. I could sneak out and get a cheeseburger later if I needed to.

The tofu was covered in herbs and bright pink pickled onions. There were lettuce cups and a bunch of sauces to go with it. She showed us how to make little lettuce tacos and Tess and I took a bite.

“Hey!” I said, pleasantly surprised. “That’s really good.”

“I know, right?” Kit said, each of us had our mouths full.

“It’s yummy,” Tess said, putting more hot sauce on her lettuce and tofu taco.

“You converted me,” I said. “I’m a tofu guy now.”

“Well, Antony Renard did the work.”

“Antony Renard is not here,” I said. “This is all you.”

She blushed like she was delighted but also embarrassed. She wasn’t used to me complimenting her. She was only ever used to me being a dick to her.

That was going to change. Big time.

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