Page 21 of One and Only

Me: It’s fine. We can talk about it later.

Josie: Trust me, I want to feel perfectly okay leaving her. I just don’t know how to do that right now.

Josie: I’m sorry.

She’d have every right to want Olive to go with her to London, even if the process to get there would be messy. Short of taking her to court—which I didn’t want to do—I’d have no choice but to deal with it. Or she’d stay, and I’d still lose my chance to be a full-time dad to Olive. I didn’t want that either. My mind raced—tumbling thoughts and snippets of conversations vying for the top spot.

Greer.

Josie.

Me.

Olive.

Greer’s dad.

Absently, I rubbed at my chest because something was growing underneath my sternum.

An idea.

Something taking root that should be yanked out and ignored.

If I thought on it too long, I’d probably come to regret it.

I knew exactly how I could help Greer with her insane—albeit noble—cause.

And how she could help me with my problem in return.

Chapter4

Greer

“Remember when we were little and Mom and Dad used to make us hug it out and say something nice about each other?”

Parker gave me a brief side-eye, snapping up the ball again to toss it underhand to Olive. “Yeah.”

“I found something I can add to your list someday.”

Olive dropped the ball, twirling in a small circle while her dad picked it up and handed it back to her. Parker set his hands on his hips, determinedly quiet.

I hated when my brothers didn’t take my bait.

“You’re not going to ask what it is?”

“Wasn’t planning to.”

Olive tucked her tongue between her teeth and heaved it back to Parker. With an exaggerated stretch, he caught it, securing it against his stomach and aiming a killer smile in her direction. “Nice throw, Miss Coleman.”

I sighed. It was impossible to be mad at him when he pulled shit like this.

Everyone around us played and laughed and talked and mingled. Had been for a couple of hours. And I hadn’t gotten a single minute of decent conversation with my stepbrother. “Well, I’m going to tell you anyway,” I said. He muttered something under his breath, which I ignored. “You aresovery good at using an innocent young girl as a buffer from being alone with your sister when you don’t want to hear what she has to say.”

His eyes snapped up to mine, and the angry fire was so bright in them, I almost took a step back. But if there was any rule of survival to being in a big family, it was do not show fear to the sibling you’re currently trying to engage. Parker might’ve been six inches taller than me, but dammit, I was older and definitely wiser and that had to count for something.

“Ooh, he doesn’t like that one,” I said. “I wonder why.”

Parker leaned in. “Maybe I don’t like you joking about it when you know this isn’t easy for me, Greer.”

---