Page 82 of The Bluffing Game

“Oh, no worries. By the way, how is Sage doing?”

“Great. I think she’s doing great. Thanks for asking.”

“And her sister—what was her name again?”

I pause because I know Brett well enough to know he hasn’t forgotten Rosie’s name, but I decide to play with him.

“Whose sister? Sage’s sister?”

“Yeah. Shoot, what’s her name? Was it Becky or Sarah or Daisy or something?”

“Rosie,” I say.

“Oh, yeah. I don’t know how I forgot.”

“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—”