Page 113 of Green Flag
“For racing?”
He inhaled. “Yeah.”
He was lying.
“I’ve been a bit stressed,” he amended, stopping down the hallway. “But it’s Christmas! So no time for stress, only time for chocolate, pigs in blankets and pressies!”
My two younger brothers, Kade and Reid, came running around the corner at any mention of presents and hugged Luca. They’d met him a few months ago at the track before I worked there.
And they’d probably met him before through Alv, seeing as he was often in our home.
“Pressies?” Reid cried. “You got us presents?”
Kade looked up, eyes wide, his hands balls of excited energy.
“I did! But let’s talk to your mum first before getting too carried away and opening them.”
He put the bags — all eight of them — down on the side. “Now, let’s say hello properly,” he said to me as the boys went running to the kitchen. He hugged me close and kissed my head. “How has your mini break been?”
“You know how it’s been,” I told him. We’d messaged every day. “How’s yours been, sneaking around and messaging my stepmother?”
He laughed, planting another kiss.
“Just a couple of meters further…” Fia said, gesturing us forward, curling her hand. “Yep, a couple more steps…”
Luca frowned but walked us forward, saying hello to Fia.
She didn’t give a greeting back. “Stop! Now, look up!”
Above our heads was mistletoe.
“Zsófia Bacque!”
My dad had adopted her, so he only had to shout one last name when scolding. He was very good at it.
“No kissing in front of me,” he grumbled, snatching the mistletoe from the doorway and looking Luca over. “I heard you were coming.”
Was this a part of the test?
“Thank you for having me,” Luca said.
Dad glanced between us and his arm around my waist. “Yes, well, you’re always welcome, Luca. And you’re also welcome to remove your hands from my daughter while I can see you both.”
A flashback to Luca impersonating him at our first meeting made me laugh aloud. I stepped away from him before bashing my pinky into his.
“What did you get me?” I asked, turning to him. “I only got you something small.”
“I don’t need you to get me anything,” he said with a frown.
Dad made retching noises to Fia’s amusement, but she was scrolling through her phone again. As Dad walked away, he threw the softest smile over his shoulder.
“Mum says we can open them after dinner!” Reid practically bellowed, deep from his chest as he stood at the end of the hallway, legs shoulder width apart, drumming his fists on his chest. “Presents!”
Luca’s eyes grew wide and as my brother ran off, he laughed, taken by surprise.
We were quickly called to our dinner, which Luca ate without inhaling, barely having enough breath to answer the interview questions Marina asked him. The boys engulfed their food nearly as fast as Luca, knowing there were presents to be opened.
Fia ate painfully slowly, glaring at our brothers with narrowed eyes.
