Neville Connolly looked genuinely surprised. "I''m Marvin Connolly''s father. Isn''t it perfectly reasonable for a father to want to see his own son? How could that possibly be inappropriate?"


    Haynes O''Brien was momentarily at a loss for words, his retort dying on his lips. Watching the exchange, Ste Cameron felt a headache brewing.


    She turned to Haynes and said, "Why don''t you head back for now? I''ll take Keen out today-it''ll be fine."


    Haynes shot Neville a frosty nce. "Oh? So you''re nning to take my son out and let him bond with another man?"


    Ste frowned. "Do you have to be so unpleasant?"


    Haynes replied coolly, "The truth''s never easy to hear."


    Ste was about to argue when Keen O''Brien tugged on her sleeve, looking up at her with wide, pleading eyes.


    "Mom, Dad cleared his whole schedule today just to find you with me... Maybe Dad coulde with us too?"


    The truth was, Haynes had rearranged his work just to spend the day with Ste and Keen, hoping for a rare family outing. He hadn''t expected Neville and Marvin to beat him to it.


    Ste hesitated. She was fine with taking Keen out by herself, but bringing Haynes along too? That was another story.


    Neville seemed to sense her dilemma. "Since Mr. O''Brien is already here, why not all go together?"


    Ste nced at him, uncertain. "You want him toe too?"


    Neville smiled faintly. "If you don''t, I doubt anyone''s going anywhere today."


    Haynes shot Neville a sidelong look. "How very self-aware of you, Mr. Connolly."


    Neville shrugged. "When you''ve dealt with enough shameless people, you learn a thing or two."


    Haynes let out a coldugh. "Maybe it takes one to know one?"


    Neville arched a brow. "You seem to know quite a bit about it, Mr. O''Brien. Sounds like you''re speaking from experience."


    Haynes looked ready to fire back,


    but Ste cut them off, rubbing.


    temples. "Enough. It''s getting el?


    MS


    She had to admit, Neville was right: if she didn''t let Haynese along,


    his


    ruin


    s would prop


    the entire outing. Conto


    A few minutester, they all piled into Haynes''s car.


    Neville made a show of being gracious-he didn''t care whose car they took.


    Both Keen and Marvin wanted to sit with Ste, so they all squeezed into one vehicle.


    Haynes took the driver''s seat, Neville settled in up front, and Ste sat in the back between the two boys.


    The car rolled smoothly toward the amusement park.


    Neville looked over with a smile. "We''ll really be putting you out today, Mr. O''Brien -ying chauffeur for us all."


    The implication was clear: Haynes was being treated like the hired help.


    Haynes wasn''t one for verbal sparring. He said nothing, his face stony as he pressed down on the gas.


    Neville, meanwhile, made himselffortable, ncing around the car''s interior as if taking stock.


    Suddenly, he grinned. "This seat must usually belong to Miss Rachel Pearce, doesn''t it?"


    The pointed remark made Haynes''s expression even darker.


    "It''s just a car seat," Haynes replied tersely. "No one has exclusive rights to it."


    Neville let out a soft chuckle. Then, as if


    s struck by a sudden thought, he


    reached under his seat and puffed out a tube of lipstick.


    "As far as I know, Mr. O''Brien hasn''t given Star any giftstely. So if this isn''t Miss


    Pearce''s, whose could it be?"


    He held it up, feigning confusion.


    “Unless... Mr. O''Brien has another girlfriend I don''t know about? My apologies— seems I misunderstood."