Even Ground (Hollywood Kiwis Book 2), page 6
Her lips twitch. “I like that.”
“I don’t know if it’ll teach anyone to be better, but it makes me feel good.”
Hope you’ve got a prenup.
I blow out a breath and shake my head.
“Delaney’s worked hard her whole life, and people say dumb stuff like she’s a gold-digger and they hope Josh has a prenup. If those two ever broke up, Delaney wouldn’t take a cent.” Pania frowns.
Really? You could do so much better than her.
My blood boils reading these comments. And the way Pania makes little growling noises in her throat behind me, tells me she feels the same way.
I hit reply. Are you serious? I’m fucking bitter I couldn’t steal her from him. She could do so much better than Josh Carter.
Pania giggles, and I grin.
“Want to join in?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I don’t use Instagram. Never got it. Delaney ran all the social media for the diner.”
I turn back to the screen.
Leave him and marry me, Delaney.
Pania roars with laughter. “That’ll set Josh off.”
“Nah, he’ll be fine. It’ll annoy the mean girls, though. Losing him is bad enough, but if they think we’ve both fallen for the charms of the lovely Delaney …”
“You’re wicked.”
I drop my phone on the table and lean back on the couch. “Only some of the time.”
Our gazes lock, and Pania’s smile slowly disappears the longer we look at each other. She bites her top lip, and I let out a long breath as that freckle disappears and then turns back up again.
“I should really get some sleep,” she says.
I rub my cheek. “Me too.”
“Don’t forget to drink some water. You’ll feel like shit in the morning if you don’t.” She stretches her legs out before standing.
“Good thinking. I’ll do that.” I push myself to my feet. “Goodnight, Pania. Tonight’s been fun.”
She flicks her hair back behind her ear. “It has been. I’m looking forward to Hawaii.”
I nod, slowly. “Me too. It’ll be great for us all to spend some time together.”
“Goodnight.” She raises her hand and gives me a little wave before turning and walking away.
Tonight’s been the most fun I’ve had in a long time. It’s been good to relax with a woman that I find attractive but also enjoyed just hanging out with.
Pania shares my sense of humour, and her loyalty to Delaney is unquestionable. I admire that because that’s how I’ve always felt about Josh.
I pick up my phone and throw it in my jacket pocket before making my way to the kitchen. Helping myself to a glass of cold water from the fridge door, I gulp it down before refilling and drinking that too.
It’s nice someone cared enough to remind me. I’ve had way too many events where I’ve woken up the next morning feeling like crap.
Walking up the hallway, I pause at Pania’s door. If she were anyone else, I’d be tapping to be let in followed by charming my way into her bed.
But there’s no way I’m pulling my usual shit now.
Instead, I walk a little farther to my room.
Throwing my phone on the mattress, I strip off my clothes and climb into bed, naked.
Sure enough, Delaney’s changed the sheets, and they smell of that lightly scented laundry powder she uses. It feels even more like this is home.
Maybe it’s time to sort out one of my own.
7
Pania
There’s a rat living in my head.
At least that’s how my brain feels, as if it’s being nibbled on from the inside. And that’s after I consumed about half a litre of water before bed.
I grab my phone from the bedside table to check the time, and wince: 11:12 a.m.
Delaney and Josh will be winging their way to Hawaii about now. I close my eyes and pretend just for a moment that I’m lying on a beach, the sun bathing me in its warmth, a soft breeze tickling my skin. The weather’s nice in LA, but Hawaii will be magical.
But that’s next week.
For now, I need to haul my arse out of bed and see how Josh’s parents are doing.
The sooner I’m up and about, the sooner I’ll feel better. I know there are painkillers in the kitchen somewhere, and once I get some into me, along with a decent meal, it’ll make all the difference.
I roll out of bed to get dressed, tugging on a pair of shorts and a tank top before heading toward the bathroom to pee and splash water on my face.
The best part about staying here is the en suite. I don’t have to leave the room until I get hungry. But almost on cue, my stomach grumbles.
Once I’m done, I head out of the bedroom and straight toward the kitchen. A faint smell of toast floats in the air, and again my stomach reminds me it wants food.
I pat it. “Patience, padawan. You’ll be fed soon enough.”
“Pania.” Cal, Josh’s dad, smiles as I walk into the kitchen. “I was just about to leave you and Reece a note.”
I scratch the back of my head and yawn before clamping my hand across my mouth.
He laughs. “Don’t worry. Ros and I figured you two would be sleeping most of the day. Good night?”
I nod. “It was fantastic. Lots of wine.”
“I was impressed this morning at how quickly this place was cleaned up.” He pauses. “We’re heading out with Amelia to the zoo now. Did you want to come with us?”
I shake my head. “Thank you, but I’m not feeling that great after last night. I think I’m going to grab something to eat and head back to bed for a while.”
He chuckles. “That’s fair. You have a good day.”
“You too. I’ll cook dinner tonight.”
Cal nods and turns toward the door. In the doorway, Melly waves at me. “We’re going to the zoo.”
“I know, sweet pea. Have fun.”
She blows me a kiss before heading out with her grandfather. Now left in silence, I close my eyes and let out a long breath.
“Is that hurricane Amelia gone for the day?” Reece’s voice comes seemingly out of nowhere, and I open my eyes to him standing right in front of me. It’s the most casual he’s been dressed—jeans and a tight T-shirt—and I swallow hard at the sight of his rippling muscles through the material.
“They just headed out. Want some breakfast?”
His lips twitch. “I won’t say no.”
“Good. I’ll probably cook way too much for me anyway. I need a lot to conquer this hangover.”
He bows his head slightly. “Did you follow your own advice and drink some water before bed?”
I laugh, giving his shoulder a push. “I sure did. Probably would have felt a lot worse if I hadn’t. My brain feels as if something’s gnawing at it.”
“Mine too. I’m sure there’s a carpenter working in my head, hammering in nails.”
“Let’s get something to eat and take some pills to end our suffering.” I walk around the kitchen bench and look back at him, his smile disappearing from his face, his feet shuffling. “Are you okay?”
Reece looks up. “I’m fine. Want me to make coffee?”
I shake my head. “Just take a seat. I’ll do it.”
He all but collapses on a stool on the other side of the bench. “I’m so glad you said that.”
“Drama queen.” I bite down a smile. “Eggs and bacon?”
His mouth hanging open, Reece seems to be drooling. He makes a sound I can only describe as one of those noises a zombie makes in the movies.
“Are you okay?” I ask again, tilting my head.
“Hungry.” He growls.
“You’re such a clown. Fried eggs or scrambled?”
“However you want them.”
I head to the fridge and grab everything I need before placing it on the bench. By the sink, there’s a fresh loaf of bread, and I pick it up to take a deep breath. There’s nothing better.
“Fried eggs on toast with bacon. The grease will suck up all the alcohol.”
He chuckles. “I’m pretty sure that’s not true.”
“Of course it is. Want a coffee first?”
“I’m not sure there’s enough coffee in the world to get me through today.”
Retrieving a pan from a hook on the wall, I then place it on the cooktop and turn it on. A big, shiny coffee machine sits on the other side of the kitchen on a bench. Delaney’s made the coffee since I’ve been here, and I think she’s in a love affair with the machine. I shake my head; she’s got everything set out just like she did in the diner.
“You look like you know what you’re doing,” he says.
I roll the hair tie that usually resides on my wrist off and scoop my hair into a ponytail. “I was a barista in a former life. I’m so impressed at Delaney’s coffee machine.”
“Josh used to have a much smaller one, but you know what he’s like.”
“I know what Delaney’s like with shiny appliances. How do you take your coffee?”
“Any way you want to make it.”
I laugh and then get to work, heating the pan and adding the eggs to it, and then the bacon. In between checking it’s not burning, I make the coffee and pass Reece a cup before popping some slices of bread in the toaster.
“You make it all look so effortless,” he says. “I would have burned something by now.”
“Try making breakfast with a diner full of customers. This is easy.”
He takes a sip of coffee. “Damn, this is so good.”
“Here we go.” I slide a plate of food in front of him, and then pick up my plate and coffee, walking around the bench and dropping onto a stool next to him.
“This smells amazing. My stomach is churning, but I know it’ll be better once I eat this.”
“Oh, I nearly forgot. Do you want any painkillers? I saw some in a drawer somewhere.”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m just going to eat this, drink my coffee, probably have some more water, and then head back to bed.”
Pushing myself off the stool, I walk back around the bench and start opening drawers, punching the air when I find a packet of Tylenol.
I read the back of the packet and hold it up. “Is this okay for a hangover?”
Reece looks up and nods before returning to his food.
Grabbing a couple of tablets, I go back to my seat, swallow them with my coffee, and get stuck into my food.
Reece’s knife scrapes his plate, and at a glance, it’s already nearly empty.
“Do you want some more?” I ask. “There are plenty of eggs and a ton of bacon in the fridge.”
Reece turns to look at me, and for the first time, I see his eyes are still a little bloodshot. I think he’s right that he needs more sleep. I probably do too.
“No, thanks for the offer. This is really good.”
“Do you cook for yourself? Josh sucks at cooking.”
He chuckles. “I rate myself as slightly better. I can cook a steak, but not much more.”
I shrug. “That’s easily better than Josh.”
Reece scrapes up the last of his food and swallows it down before draining his coffee. “Thank you so much for that. It was great.”
He gets up and walks around the bench, rinsing off his plate and cup in the sink. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’m not sure I’ll be good company today.”
Pushing myself back from the bench, I slip off the stool to stand. “I could do with a nap myself after that. How about we go and do something tomorrow?”
He makes his way back around past me toward the door. “That sounds like a great idea. I’ll take you on a tour.”
I smile. “I’d love that. I’m not sure what time Josh’s parents will be back with Melly, so I’ll cook dinner tonight, too, if you want to make it to the dining room.”
Reece’s eyes light up. “After that breakfast? You bet.”
“See you later, then.”
My heart flutters like he’s my teenage crush.
Reece turns back toward the door. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I open my eyes as my bedroom door creaks, just in time to see a little face peering around it.
“Pania?”
My head’s still heavy, but it’s better than it was earlier.
“Hey, sweet girl. Come and tell me all about the zoo.”
Melly flies across the room and leaps onto the bed.
“Ooof.” I grunt as her knee smacks my leg, then wrinkle my nose when a large piece of fluff tickles it.
“Look what Grandpa bought me.”
The sound of knuckles rapping wood snaps my attention to the door.
“Yes?” I say to whoever is knocking.
“Pania?” Ros pokes her head inside the room. “ I hope Amelia didn’t disturb you.”
“No, she’s fine. It’s time I got out of bed anyway. What’s the time?”
“A little after five. I was about to start cooking dinner.”
I sit up. “Don’t. Go and put your feet up. I’ll do it.”
“Are you sure?” She smiles, and it makes me miss my mum more than anything.
“Absolutely. You’ve been on your feet all day, I’m sure. I’ve just been lazing in bed.” I grab Melly for a hug. “I’ll be out in a minute. Melly’s just showing me what she got today.”
“She’s had a lovely time. But I’m sure she’ll sleep soundly tonight,” Ros says.
“I bet.”
She closes the door, and I turn to look at the toy Melly’s waving around.
It’s a ring-tailed lemur with a long fluffy tail.
“Grandpa found King Julian.” A small v forms between her eyes, her tone so solemn, and it’s hard not to laugh.
“He did. Should we watch Madagascar before I go home? We can sing the song.”
Her eyes light up. “Could we?”
“I’m sure it’s streaming on something. It’s a date, Miss Melly.”
She flings herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I love you.”
I plant a big kiss in her hair. “I love you too. Do you want to help me cook dinner?”
Melly nods.
“Should we put you in the oven for dinner?”
She blinks rapidly. “No. Don’t be silly, Pania.”
“Okay. Maybe not today.” I hug her tight. “Let’s go and see what’s in the kitchen to cook.”
She skips ahead of me all the way to the large freezer in the kitchen.
I swing open the stainless steel doors and scan the shelves. It’s packed with all kinds of things, but organised into sections which I’m grateful for.
“What do you feel like eating?”
Melly squeezes in front of me to take look. “I like it when you make meatballs.”
I ruffle her hair. “That’s easy. If I can find some mince, let’s do that. I’m sure there’ll be some spaghetti in the cupboard.”
Her hand darts in and pulls out a pack. “Mummy makes them for me sometimes.”
I close the doors and take the meat from her. “Good girl. I’ll pop this in some water to defrost and we’ll go watch a cartoon for a while.”
Running some lukewarm water in the sink, I place the meat pack in it and find some dried spaghetti in the pantry before taking Melly’s hand. She leads me into the living room where Cal and Ros are.
“Everything under control?” Ros asks.
“It sure is. I told Melly we could watch a cartoon while the meat defrosts. It won’t take long. And then she’s going to help me make dinner.”
Ros beams. “Just like your mom, Amelia.”
Melly clasps her hands together and twirls. No wonder her mother thinks she’ll follow in her father’s footsteps.
I pick up the TV remote and switch it on. Almost predictably, Nickelodeon comes up on the screen.
“SpongeBob!” Melly yells.
Cal chuckles. “Your father used to love SpongeBob when he was your age, Amelia.”
Her head nearly spins off her shoulders. “Really?”
He nods. “He sure did.”
I flop onto the couch, and Melly jumps up beside me. I hold out my arm and she snuggles into my side.
“Will you help me roll the meatballs once the mince is defrosted?” I ask.
She looks up at me. “I like that job.”
“It’s all yours.”
Two SpongeBob SquarePants episodes later, I head back into the kitchen with my assistant chef.
The mince is defrosted enough, and I turn to Melly. “We need to give our hands a good wash.”
Melly smiles up at me. “Mummy lets me help sometimes. I always have to scrub my hands.”
“So you already know how to do it. Good girl.”
I leave her by the sink while I retrieve a dining room chair for her to stand on.
“Get up there.” I pat the seat.
She clambers up onto the chair, and I turn on the tap then squirt some liquid soap on her hands. I’m not really sure who does the better job as she takes extra care to clean under her finger nails. She’s been taught well.
I scrape the chair along the floor with her still on top of it, careful to hold her steady. I know I probably shouldn’t have, but she shrieks with laughter and holds onto my shoulders as I move her.
“Here we go.” I dump the mince into the bowl.
It only takes a few minutes to find some other ingredients to throw in, and because I know she likes it, I top it all off by grating some cheese into the mix.
“Go on then. Mix it up.”
She leans against me as she digs her hands into the mixing bowl. “I like doing this.”
“Maybe you’ll be a cook like your mum one day.”
She shakes her head. “Mummy says I’ll be an actor like Daddy.”
I bite my inner cheek to stop from laughing. “Either way, you’ll be wonderful at what you do.”
After it’s mixed, I put a large plate next to her. “Now you have to roll them, like this.” I take out a chunk of the mix and roll it into a ball. “Can you do that for me while I cook the spaghetti and make the sauce?”
She gets busy, and I find a saucepan and prepare some water to boil.
“Finished,” she calls out.
I turn around.
