Flare by Posy Roberts Page A

bad had happened, Kevin would’ve surely told him about it right away.
    That was their unwritten rule. When something was up with the kids they needed to be on the same page about, they always called or sent a text to let the other know. Hugo certainly didn’t want Kevin walking in the door after a long day at the office to a ticking time bomb of a kid who could so easily be set off by innocuous words or nudges. Many a disaster had been averted this way with Kevin knowing to give Brooke a wide berth if she’d had a particularly trying day. It also allowed Kevin the time to ease Brooke into talking as the night progressed and often ended up with Kevin and Brooke having a heart-to-heart in her room at bedtime. The messages had helped Kevin and Hugo both become closer to the kids. They were also a good tool so no one got stuck in the middle of arguments or felt like they were taken by surprise, not having a clue how to fix things.
    By the time Hugo got called back to the studio, he was worried. He wanted to be back home so he felt like he was back in the loop. While Rowan had been a godsend, and someone they most certainly needed—these last days in particular—Hugo didn’t want Kevin or him to take a less active parenting role. In fact, with the custody scare, Hugo and Kevin had even had a brief conversation about taking more permanent legal steps toward ensuring Hugo could act on the kids’ behalf as their dad. They’d talked about second-parent adoption. It was only in passing, but Hugo couldn’t get the idea out of his head when he thought of the incendiary papers the Clarkes had sent to Kevin.
     
     
    “I T WAS a real pleasure working with you, Hugo,” the director said, shaking his hand warmly. “I think that’s the cleanest anyone’s ever read in all my years of doing this. And I’ve done it a lot of years.” Barry gave him a cocky nod. “I’ll make sure to put in a good word for you.”
    “Thanks. That means a lot. I’m sure I’ll be back sometime in the coming months for pickups. Thanks for all your help.”
    The studio had arranged to have Hugo’s belongings removed from the hotel and brought over, where he got in a car and was driven right to the airport. Hugo had hardly gotten a chance to tell Kevin what was happening because he’d been so busy trying to finish. By the time Kevin responded, it was to tell Hugo the family was already about halfway to the lake. The kids were anxious to get in the water, especially since a heat wave with temps nearing one hundred was already in the area.
    It’s 97 degrees at 7pm , the latest text had said.
    Hugo’s flight was scheduled for sixish LA time. His flight was expected to arrive home just before midnight Minneapolis time, and suddenly he was more than thankful Kevin had insisted on leaving Hugo’s car in the short-term parking ramp at the airport. Hugo had tried to argue, but Kevin refused to get into it, sending him a photo of his orange car parked in the ramp with the text green level 2, just outside the door . Hugo had smiled at the gesture, but not nearly as much as he did when he finally got to the car and saw an envelope on the passenger seat with his name written in Kevin’s neat print.
     
Welcome home. I didn’t want you to have to figure out how to get home in the middle of the night in case that’s when you get here. Come find me. I miss you.
K
     
    He smiled at the note, carefully putting it back in the envelope as he considered what he’d do. It was a solid two hours to get to the lake. Hugo had been awake since Kevin woke up, yet, he wasn’t nearly as tired as he should’ve been. He started his car, paid the ridiculous rates for parking because the car had been there for more than nine hours, and headed toward the lake. He’d make do with the clothes in his suitcase and what he knew Kevin had in the dresser at the lake.
    By the time he pulled into the driveway behind the lake house, it was two fifteen and the only sound he could