Page 17 of A Game of Secrets

"Oh piss off Max, what a joke. Get off your high horse. You think I'm completely oblivious to what you do? Your drug smuggling, big man mafia bullshit. I can see your gun under your jacket from here. I leave my SON with you. Do you think I don't know what you're doing when you're in abusiness meetingfor fuck sake?" I can feel the anger seething inside of me now as I start to pace the room.

"Luce, I would NEVER bring work to my door when Teddy is here. He is always safe with me, I promise and you know that. I would never jeopardize his safety."

"So what's the problem then?” I spit at him, throwing my hands up in annoyance. "Why are you so against having a relationship with Kat? Is it not the same?"

His frustration is clearly evident by this point, I can visibly see the veins fit to burst in his neck. "I'm going to say this only once Lucille so I suggest you take heed," he warns through gritted teeth, "you need to forget this romantic fantasy you have of me and Katrina because it is NEVER going to happen. Now drop it." His jaw rigid and tense, I can feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. I know my brother well enough to know when to stop pushing for now but this isn’t over.

The tension is cut as Teddy hurtles through the kitchen door with Katrina and Isabella close behind him. "Mommy we're ready, can we go for breakfast now please?" he chimes, pulling on my arm.

I narrow my eyes at Max letting him know this isn’t over and turn to Teddy with a smile. "Of course baby, let’s go."

"Are you coming too Uncle Max?" Teddy asks, running over to him.

Max breaks eye contact with me and crouches down to ruffle the top of his hair. "Not today little man, I've got some work to do, promise I'll come next time though." Teddy nods his head as he leans forward to give his uncle a hug then runs off towards the front door singing "breakfast breakfast breakfast" with Isabella by his side. I nod towards Max and turn to leave, Kat watches me suspiciously, I return her gaze with a look that lets her know not to ask, then follow Teddy out towards the car.

After listening to the kids begging for pancakes since they got into the car, we head straight to The Original Pancake House. Sliding into a booth opposite Kat, while Teddy and Isabella pick out their milkshake flavors with the waitress at the counter, she looks at me expectantly. "How much did you hear?" I ask, accepting the inevitable.

"Almost all of it," she sighs, "why did you have to say anything?"

I crease my brow, a flutter of irritation momentarily sweeping over me. "Because he's got his head up his ass and can't see what’s right in front of him. He likes you Kat, I see it everytime you're around him. The way he looks at you, the way he is with Bella. I had to say something." I reach forward and grab her hands in mine. "I'm sorry if I've made anything awkward between the two of you now but I couldn't hold it in any longer."

Kat sighs and drops her head forward onto her arms outstretched towards mine. "I know you had the best intentions, but sometimes your timing is so well off." she mumbles. "You could have at least let me have a taste before you shattered my dreams. He might have been eager if he thought it would just be a good fuck," she moans lifting her head.

I cringe, feeling guilty about denying her the chance of ever sleeping with my brother and sheepishly mouth the words "I'm sorry" as Teddy and Isabella return to the table carrying two large strawberry milkshakes topped with a heap of whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry. "Look Mommy," Isabella says as she slides in besides Kat.

"Wow sweetheart, that looks amazing, can I try some?" she asks before dunking her finger into the cream and sucking it from the tip of her finger.

"Mommyyyyyyy!" Bella moans and pulls her milkshake away causing us all to laugh.

We spend a whole two hours at breakfast, with Kat and I chatting away like we always do, putting the world to rights and having a moan about work and how busy it seems to be lately. It’s almost like people just hurt themselves for the sake of it sometimes.

“You’ll never guess what happened to me on Friday morning!?” Kat says with an excited grin on her face.

“Oh God, what was it? Mr Fitzgerald didn’t come back in with a sore on his backside did he?” I ask, stifling a giggle at the memory of Kat and I having to help restrain a rather large gentleman so another nurse could apply some salve and a dressing onto a Mr Fitzgerald’s back passage after he claimed to have fallen onto a gardening rake.

“No, but that would have made my week if he had come back in with another excuse for shoving something up his ass!” Kat exclaimed, almost making me choke on my forkful of strawberries. “Do you remember that really hot nurse from x-ray, Ethan? Well, it turns out we were wrong, Ethan is in fact not gay, and knows exactly how to prove it,” she chirps winking at me.

My mouth hangs open in complete shock. “You did not!?”

“Oh I did nothing. I let him do all the work,” she smirks at me from behind her coffee.

“You lucky bitch.” I whisper excitedly, making sure the kids don’t overhear. “Tell me everything.”

Kat giggles in response but taps her nose and winks. “You have enough to keep you busy Missy, let me have this one all to myself,” she says, shaking her head and grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh you sly cow Katrina Henderson!” I chide. “Fine, if you want to play it like that. No more kiss and tell from me either.” I joke as we finish our meals. She knows I’d tell her anyway so there’s no point in threatening it.

After switching the conversation to something more child-friendly, we wait for Teddy and Isabella to finish off their milkshakes before leaving, making sure to tip the waitress as we go. Kat gives us a ride back home, then her and Isabella leave to go home too, much to Teddy’s disappointment. He wanted Bella to stay for a playdate but Kat said they had to get home, promising another day soon.

Teddy and I spend the following day playing out in the sun, making pictures out of anything we can find around the communal pool outside of the apartment and using the flowers as makeshift paint brushes to draw patterns on the tiled floor.

"Do you want a drink Tedster? Then we can walk over to the park for a bit before dinner." I call from the double doors leading out onto the patio.

"Yes please Mommy, can I have some lemonade?" he shouts back at me, not even raising his head, still concentrating hard on placing leaves down into the shape of a giant dinosaur on the floor. I turn around and jump at the sight of Max standing in front of me.

"Jesus Christ Max!" I gasp. "You almost gave me a heart attack. What’s wrong with knocking or announcing that you’re here, you dick?" I say between shallow breaths.

"Just proving a point," he replies, glancing over my shoulder towards Teddy outside. "Look, I'm not here to stay, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I want you to understand that with my job, I simply can not get involved." He runs his hand up through his hair, his decision straining his face. "Katrina is worth more than just a quick fuck, okay?" He admits, "I just can't get involved like that."

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