7. Martin #3
"Come on, man," Jake looked at his best friend, rolling his eyes. "There is no way you're going to be single by the time you get to be as old as them."
"Thanks, man," Toby said, offering a small salute with his fork. "Though if you stay single through college, I'd be very surprised."
"Will you two please stop blowing your own trumpets?" Sophia hissed, rolling her eyes dramatically at the boys' sudden boasting.
Taking advantage of the brief sibling distraction, Martin leaned slightly forward, keeping his voice dangerously low as he whispered to Penny.
"I completely blame Tom and Lila for this.
They started all of this madness by falling in love, and now the relationships are starting to drop like a domino effect. "
"It looks that way," Penny agreed.
"As we are very clearly being set up here," Martin pointed out. "Would you..."
"So, Martin," Lily interrupted him. "You never answered us about Carrie... was it?"
"Oh, right," Martin said. "Lily, as you very well know, Carrie and I ended things over four months ago. We were not suited."
"So that means you're single again," Sophia said, dreamily. "If I was a LOT older, you'd be my type, Martin."
Well, that made him feel young and happy, he thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Thank you, Sophia," he said gallantly. "Yes, I'm single."
"There's also a lot of that going around," Emma chimed in. "You know, breaking up, divorce..."
"But as we said, a lot of romance too," Sophia pointed out.
"Yeah, and it seems to be catchy," Lily gave Martin and then Penny a sweet smile.
They finished eating then started clearing the table, packing the dishwasher, then settled in the living room to watch a movie.
Once again, when Martin and Penny walked into the room, other than the floor, there were only two spaces together on the sofa for them to sit.
"Oh..." Lily looked up at them. She was on the very end of the sofa where only two seating spots remained. Her long legs stretched out, not giving Martin and Penny much room. "Sorry. I just needed to stretch out a bit." Another angelic smile, and she pulled her legs beneath her.
"So, what are we going to watch?" Penny asked, grabbing the remote before anyone else could, in a sheer act of taking back control of this situation.
"Oh, you and Martin decide," Sophia told them.
"Yeah, we'll watch what you do," Jake told them, and the rest of the kids agreed.
While flipping through the channels the kids chatted about the lake games competition in a few days' time.
Penny asked what that was, and the kids took turns to tell her how they have these water obstacles, and you have to complete the obstacle race as a team, and there are individual races. Canoe races and games alongside the lake banks.
"That does sound like fun," Penny said. "I think I'd like to do that."
"Really?" the kids chorused.
"Then could you and Martin take us?" Sophia asked. "No one else can." Her eyes darkened and became sad. "We're not sure what's going on but everyone is so tense."
"We think it's got something to do with Uncle George's accident," Lily said. "And the hotel being in trouble."
"So we just let it go and weren't going to go," Emma added. "We need an adult with us."
"As there are five of us, it's always best for there to be two adults," Sophia explained.
"I'll take you," Martin sighed. He'd been suckered into doing this last year.
Heck, he probably still had a few bruises from competing.
If he was honest. He'd really enjoyed it, but he wouldn't let on that he did.
He glanced at Penny. "What do you say? We can borrow the small mini bus and all head over there? "
"I'm in," Penny said with enthusiasm.
They had just chosen a movie and it was about to start when suddenly Jake and Toby stood up.
"I think we're going to go get some sleep," Jake told them.
"Yeah, we have to be up early to go help Owen with the dig," Toby explained.
"Maybe we could come to your house and help you in the afternoon?" Jake looked really excited about the idea.
"Sure," Penny said.
The boys started to head for the stairs.
"Don't forget to brush your teeth," Penny called after them.
"We won't," came the reply.
As they disappeared Sophia was suddenly yawning. "Oh, dear, it's been such a long day." Her eyes looked droopy. "I think I'm going to go to bed as well."
"Yeah, me too." Emma stood with Sophia.
"I'm heading up as well," Lily said.
The girls walked to the door and turned.
"Thank you for coming to sit with us, Penny," Sophia said. "We really enjoyed spending time with you."
"And thank you, Martin, for bringing the food," Lily told him.
"Goodnight," they called and left Martin and Penny in the dark living room with the only light shining from the television.
They were sitting so close Martin could feel the warmth from her side pressed against his, could smell her perfume, and neither of them made any effort to move.
"How about this movie?" Martin asked, not really paying attention to what he'd picked; all he knew in that moment was that he wasn't ready for the night to end.