Page 83 of The King Contract
I spin around to face a petite, athletic young woman, who’s bending to pat Winston. She’s wearing cut-off denim shorts and a cropped shirt, exposing her toned midriff. Her smile is as wide as Noah’s and her bright eyes match her brother’s interms of green, but they’re more almond-shaped. She’s drop-dead gorgeous.
“Winston is perfect,” she purrs, letting him lick the side of her face.
I smile, holding out my hand. “You must be Gabrielle.”
“Gabby, please.” She stands and ignores my hand, pulling me in for a hug. “And I’m a hugger, not a shaker. I know that makes lots of people uncomfortable, but I don’t care. Merry Christmas.”
I laugh as she stands back. “Merry Christmas. I appreciate your honesty.”
“You’re welcome. I was grabbing more pool towels when I saw your car. Everyone’s out back.”
Gabby leads Winston and me inside, her high, sun-streaked ponytail bouncing with as much pep as her step. Noah told me their whole family surfs, but I’d have guessed that about Gabby with her tan and toned limbs alone.
Soothing, cold air-conditioned air hits my skin as we enter the house, the scents of coconut and cinnamon wafting into my nostrils. The inside of the house is more homely than I imagined, and my heart warms at how much it looks lived in. Framed photos pepper the cream walls, handmade decorations cover the wonky Christmas tree in the living room and the mismatched furniture gives the house so much character.
“Noah and Jared are in the middle of some world-saving game of pool basketball,” Gabby tells me over her shoulder. She grabs a stack of towels from a side table. “You can drop your stuff here for now.”
I place my bags on the tiled floor, holding onto my welcome gift (a bottle of Noah’s mum’s favourite white wine) as Gabby motions for me to follow her through a sitting room, littered with children’s toys. My lips part when the enormous, rustic kitchen comes into view, complete with a twelve-ring gas stove and a fridge quadruple the size of mine. The ceilings are high,and doorways lead off to multiple hallways, making me wonder how big this place is, and how rich Noah and his family are.
My parents were renting a place when they passed away. Dad was still an apprentice mechanic and mum was a substitute teacher. Money wasn’t something we had a lot of. When they died and Donna took me in, Ellis and I shared a room until Ellis turned thirteen and Donna converted the office into my new room. Ellis and I are living in the same tiny house Donna raised us in.
The open fold-out doors overlook the sparkling swimming pool, currently hosting several people shrieking and splashing. Noah is one of them, a ball held over his head and the man I recognise from photos as Jared tackles him, taking them both under the water.
“Like I said,” Gabby says dryly. “World-saving.”
“I’ve come to learn that about Noah,” I reply. “Not only is he passionate about surfing, but he’s passionate about winning.”
“Winning comes before everything.” Gabby nods her agreement. “What are you drinking? You should have something in hand to take the edge off the daunting meet-the-parents moment. We have beer, seltzers and wine.”
“A beer would be great, thanks.”
Gabby grabs one from the enormous fridge and pops it open for me, slapping it into my hand. “Don’t be nervous. They already love you. Noah hasn’t shut up about you.”
I take a refreshing sip to hide behind as we head back out into the blazing sun, Winston trotting loyally by my side, almost as if he can sense my nerves. As we walk down the steps and onto the grass to the pool fence, I hazard a guess the man fetching drinks from the bar fridge is Noah’s dad, and the woman with dark sunglasses watching from a chair is Noah’s mother. When she spots Gabby and me approaching, she launches out of her chair, arms waving.
“Oh, Millie! I’m so glad you’re here! Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas!” I hold my beer up in a cheers gesture and my gaze settles on Noah. His torso glistens from specks of water and he lifts his mouth into his gorgeous half smile at the sound of my voice, before Jared tackles him from behind again.
We enter the pool area and Noah’s mother drops her sunglasses, pulling me in for a bone-crushing hug. “Noah’s told us so much about you. It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I’m Joan.”
Joan oozes happiness. Her blue eyes sparkle almost as much as the gold jewellery dripping from her fingers. Her round face donning a kind and inviting smile. In contrast to the rest of the family, her cropped hair is mahogany, and she wears a vibrant red lipstick to match.
“Noah has told me so much about you, too. Thank you so much for having me and Winston.” I hold out the gift bag. “This is for you.”
She smiles in delight as she takes the bag, pulling the bottle out. “Oh, it’s my favourite! How did you know?”
“Call it a hunch.”
We laugh and she introduces me to Rick, Noah’s father, who is the definition of a silver fox. Salt and pepper hair, tan skin and the fittest rig I’ve seen on a man in his fifties in a long time. Rick shakes my hand with a big smile before turning his attention to Winston, who’s patiently waiting for any bit of food to drop from the sky.
“Can he have a bite?” Rick asks, holding a cube of cheese.
“Sure, but fair warning, he will be your shadow if you feed him.”
Rick beams at Winston and gives him the cheese. Winston’s going to love it here.
“Hey, Maelstrom.” I turn to see Noah’s bright smile. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were here.”
