“You’re really just calling yourself,” Archie says sagely.
“Can we play Frisbee now, Holly?” Archie asks around a mouthful of sausage roll.
Griffin declines an invitation to play Frisbee in favour of stretching out on the blanket with his glass of champagne. I kick off my flip-flops before leading Archie and Hugh to the meadow grass, where we stand in a triangle and begin our fun but sedate game. Isn’t that usually how Frisbee starts out? Nice, easy glides of the disc, aiming for each other’s hands. But before long, squeals and giggles are rising through the air, the boys’ throws becoming longer and increasingly sillier, leaving us diving in the long grass and pulling the disc out from tree branches and flower beds. I can’t say it’s all at the boys’ instigation. Though I blame the champagne for my poor aim. I kept popping back to the blanket for a sip. It’s thirsty work!
“Time out!” I shout, sliding the Frisbee under my arm. “Don’t you know the aim isn’t to try to chop off your opponent’s head?”
“But it makes it much more fun,” Hugh retorts with a grin a mile wide.
“I think it’s time for refreshments.”
“Your champagne is getting warm,” Griffin calls.
“You mean my magic glass of champagne that never seems to fall an inch below the rim?”
Griffin is completely unabashed as I lower myself to the other side of the blanket. “It must be the magic of this place,” he offers.
“It is pretty magical, isn’t it?” I reply, ignoring the way his eyes roam over me. For a minute, I thought we had an affinity for the setting, not that he was being his usual suggestive self.
“It’d be even more magical if you were over here.” He pats the space next to him. “Come over and let me top up your glass.”
“Oh, I think you’ve topped it up enough already.” I already feel pleasantly buzzed, which is enough warning to make me change to water. “Besides, this is where the cookies are . . . were? My gaze slides to the most obvious culprit. Archie had returned to the blanket almost as many times as I did to my glass. A girl’s got to keep hydrated. “Who ate all the chocolate chip cookies, I wonder?”
“Ninjas,” Archie replies, as quick as a whip.
“I didn’t see ninjas about.”
“Of course you didn’t. They’re ninjas. You’re not supposed to see them.”
“Here,” Hugh says, proffering another bamboo tub. “Have one of these instead.”
“These look like Oreos.” I examine the sandwich cookie that both smells and looks better than the real thing. But I guess homemade always wins, especially when you have your own in-house chef. “Taste pretty good, too.”
“Dougal made them.” Archie’s eyes gleam a little mischievously as Hugh offers the container to Griffin.
“Well, I helped,” his big brother answers. “Would you like one, Uncle Griffin?” he asks in a tone much sweeter than I’m used to hearing from him. “Dougal only made a few of them, so there’s only one each.”
“Sure.” Griffin reaches into the container as I take another bite of mine. “Thanks,” he says before stuffing it into his mouth. Whole.
“Gofdefek!” Griffin heaves to his side and begins spitting out his Oreo with a hacking kind of cough. Meanwhile, the boys are rolling around with laughter.
“What did you two do?” I ask, trying to use my serious teacher voice.
“We just made Oreos with Dougal,” Hugh playfully protests.
“Yes!” agrees Archie. “Then we licked the filling out and filled it with toothpaste!”
“Bleuk!” Griffin hurriedly reaches for his glass. I think he might mutter something uncomplimentary, but it’s hard to tell with all that white foam coming from his mouth.
“Toothpaste doesn’t foam.”
No,” agrees Hugh between guffaws, “but it does if you mix a bit of Alka Seltzer in.”
Griffin eventually stops foaming. And fuming. And after the least sincere apology ever, he settles back into a somewhat easy-going mood. Though that might be the hip flask of whisky he’s brought along.
“It’s a little early, isn’t it?”
“It’s always five o’clock somewhere in the world.” Legs bent in front of him, he rests his elbows on his knees. He offers me the flask in a negligent fashion.
I shake my head. “Are you okay?” I ask, thinking back to the phone call I’d overheard and his dejected tone. Despite the porn-worthy moans, I don’t think it’s girlfriend trouble.
“I’ve got a spot of trouble at work,” he replies, not meeting my eye. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
A slow grin grows across his face.
“Yeah, anything but that.”
“This is seeming very one-sided, Holly. I’m meeting my side of this bargain, but you’re not doing as we agreed.”
“What exactly did we agree?” I fix my attention on the boys currently kicking a soccer ball around.
“That you would be open to my attentions. To my wooing of you.”
“Woo?” My head swings back, my reply a touch incredulous. “I mean, have you started? I guess I must’ve missed it.”
“I didn’t realise you were expecting grand overtures.”
I clamp my lips together because my first instinct is to tell him he’d never best the master of overtures. Of gambits. Of smouldering looks. Of exquisite touches.
“I obviously need to up my game.”
“I never said I’d be open to anything. I’m leaving soon, remember?”
“I’m not after your hand in marriage, love. Just your knickers in my hand when I leave your room.”
“I never said—”
“Whoa! Hold your horses. I’m not the villain here.” He chuckles, pressing his right hand over his heart. “I wasn’t expecting you to lie back and grit your teeth as a form of payback. I’m not that desperate,” he adds witheringly. “I just expected you to be a little more open to the attraction between us.”
“Griffin—”
“Or what the hell am I doing this for?”
“To annoy your brother, I guess. To get one up on him.”
“Oh, Holly.” He presses his palms behind him, leaning back and tipping his head to the sky. “Do you really think he believes our little charade?” He turns his head and opens one eye. “If anything, I just look like a bigger prick than usual to him right now.”
“If you think I’m the kind of woman who’ll sleep with brothers—”
“You wouldn’t be the first.”
“It’d be a first time for me!” I protest.
“But not for Alexander,” he seems to mutter.
“Is that what this is between you two?” I ask suddenly. “Did he sleep with a girlfriend of yours? Is that where the atmosphere comes from?”
“No.” He tilts his head to the sky again with a deep exhalation. “Forget I said anything.”
“May I have some juice, Holly?” Archie settles himself next to me and shoots Griffin a wary smile.