Page 43 of The Grump I Loathe
“Everything is a competition,” I said, racing to set up my juice and granola bars as team purple came barreling toward the rest tent.
“I haven’t been provided the rules on what constitutes competition,” he said, hurrying to catch up with me.
“I just told you. Everything.”
“This feels like cheating, Edith.”
“You just don’t like losing, Lord LockMill.”
“How can I be losing at something thatisn’t a competition?” he said, exasperated.
I tossed a granola bar at his pile, knocking them off his table. He groaned, diving after them as team purple descended on the tent, bringing with it a sweaty whirlwind of chaos.
“More juice, Eddie!” Alannah cried. “We need more juice. We’re fighting for our lives out there!”
I hurried across the tent for another crate of juice just as team green came barreling into the tent. A second before I reached the juice boxes, a hand reached out, snatching the crate out from under me. “Hey!”
Connor gave me his shit-eating grin as he started doling them out to his team. “Look who’s taking the lead now?”
I caught myself smiling so wide it hurt. And what the freaking hell? This was Connor Lockhart, the bore to beat all bores. Not someone I should be flirting with. But he was also the guy who’d gotten real with me after Alannah’s suspension and who’d pressed his body against mine in the club and who’d spent an entire afternoon slaving over the Juni Protocol as a surprise for his daughter. Truth was, there was a guy underneath his usual mask that Iwantedto get to know.
“Hey, hey, hey!” I heard as I crashed back to reality in time to hear Alannah and Grace shouting at each other.
I raced over to them, but Connor had beaten me to it, latching onto Grace and hustling her over to the other side of the tent. He nodded in Alannah’s direction, where she sat alone while the rest of the teamfinished their snacks. I went to her, sitting down and throwing my arm around her shoulder. “Hey, what’s going on?”
She glared in Grace’s direction. “Tell them to mind their own business!”
“What happened?”
“Team purple was talking about our summer plans,” she said, screwing up her little face.
“Yeah?” June was just around the corner, and the kids would be free for two months of summer. “What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal is Grace started talking about how she’s going to visit her mom for a whole week over the summer. And then she talked about all the fun plans she has with her dad for the rest of the holiday.”
“Okay?”
“She’s not even team purple! We weren’t talking to her!”
“I get that, but…Why does it matter if she talks about her plans?”
“Because it’s not fair!” Alannah cried. “Because I know Mom and Dad want to divorce. And if theydoget divorced, I’m never going to see Dad again! I won’t get to have any fun plans with him if I never get to spend any time with him.” Her voice grew small. “I barely get to spend time with him as it is. He’s always working.”
I blew out a heavy breath. This was a conversation I hadn’t expected to tackle during field day. “I know the fighting has been bad lately. But that doesn’t mean?—”
“I’m not stupid,” she said, shrugging out of my grip. “I’ve heard them talking about it. Mom’s always saying she’s going to take me and leave.”
“I…Okay, you’re right. You’re not stupid. I know you notice things.” And she wasn’t wrong about that marriage falling apart, either. A divorce was likely, and I wouldn’t be doing her any favors if I pretended that wasn’t the case. I wanted to tell her she’d still see Dad a ton. But the only reason my own parents had ended up with split custody was because my Mom insisted on it, not because Dad fought for time with me.
Truth was, I had to admire what a dedicated dad Connor was. It was clear Grace knew he’d always show up for her. There was no doubt in her mind that she was his priority. I’d never had that security. And now, my sister didn’t have it either. I swallowed hard, feeling even worse for Alannah.
Maybe things would be different this time around, but I couldn’t be sure. And if Dad didn’t fight for partial custody, were there even summer visits in Alannah’s future?
“I wish I had something comforting to tell you, Lana. But I’ve been where you are, and all I can say is that absolutelynoneof this is your fault. It’s not on you to fix your parents’ marriage, and it’s not on you to figure out what comes next.”
She scowled at the ground and nodded.
“The only thing in your control is what you choose to do.” She looked up at me, eyes glazed, and I pulled her close. “Right now, we’re here with your friends. And we’re having the best time. Summer break starts in a week, and regardless of what goes on with Dad and Valentina, I’m gonna be here for you, no matter what, okay? So how about we go back out there and crush this field day?”
