Page 215 of The Bluffing Game

“I don’t know how you forgot either, Brett.”

I start laughing, and he grunts.

“Well, how is she?”

“Yeah, she’s doing great. I think I told you all of them are on that dating app, and I think she’s got a date coming up soon.”

“Huh,” he says. “Really?”

“Yeah, really. So, hopefully, she meets someone who will be cool for her.”

“I don’t know if that would be the word I would use, but it’s none of my business.”

“Yeah. Well, I’ll speak to you later, okay, Brett?”

“Okay.”

We hang up, and I give Toby a grin.

“You know, young man, relationships can be very difficult.”

“What’s a relationship, Daddy?”

I smile. “You’ll know when you hit sixteen.”

“I can’t wait till I’m sixteen. I hope I’m just like you.”

“I hope you’re a better version of me, Toby. Come on. Let’s go.”

We walk down to the beach, and he runs ahead of me, giggling and laughing as he waves his hands in the air.

He stops suddenly and runs back to me. “Daddy, Daddy, guess what!”

“What?”

“Miss Sage, she’s over there with a man.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Should I go and say hi?”

“Oh, I don’t think so, Toby. She’s⁠—”

“I’m going to go. I’m going to go.” And with that, he goes running. “Sage! Miss Sage!”

I hurry behind him because I know what it’s going to look like. It’s going to look like I put him up to it. I can’t see where he’s running, and then I see her sitting on a lounge chair next to Parker, who’s wearing a pair of board shorts, a cap, and glasses. She’s taken by surprise when Toby goes running into her arms.

“There you are, Mommy. Mommy, Mommy, Mommy,” he shouts, and my heart sinks.

Sage looks up in surprise and looks over at me. There’s a glint in her eyes.

I shake my head and mouth, Sorry. I can’t believe this is happening.

“Toby, what are you doing?” I stare at him.

“What? Miss Sage is so pretty. She’s like a mommy.” He beams at me. “Isn’t she, Daddy?”

“I’m so sorry, Sage. I swear I did not tell him to do this.”