“You still cross with me?” he asked softly.
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
“Are you having fun?” he went on.
“Yes,” she answered, again without hesitation.
“Then why are you cross?”
“Because you and Annie played me.”
“Aye, we did,” he agreed with total honesty. “Regardless, the result is you having fun so why are you cross?”
Her face grew serious and it was such a departure from her adorable irritation that Prentice braced.
Her voice was as serious as her face when she answered, “Because I wanted to talk to you tonight.”
He realized then that she had all day without him. Even with the children around, she had plenty of time to twist that head of hers into making ridiculous decisions. And, from the look on her face, she’d made some ridiculous decision she was going to impart on him that night.
He was fucking thrilled he’d come up with the idea of taking her to the pub with Annie and Dougal.
He made a mental note, until he’d bested his challenge, not to give Elle the time to twist that head of hers into making ridiculous decisions.
But, for the moment, he had to stall.
“We’ll talk later,” he lied.
“When?” she asked.
“Later,” he repeated.
“Tomorrow?” she pressed.
No way in fucking hell.
“Maybe,” he lied again.
She watched his face. Then she smiled a heartbreaking, sad smile.
His eyes dropped to her heartbreaking, sad smile and he determined that the answer was really no.
No way in fucking hell were they talking tomorrow.
Finally, she whispered, “Okay.”
With some regret he transferred her sweet ass out of his lap into the booth beside him saying, “I’ll get your drink.”
Then he bought her a drink.
When he did so it was not lost on him that their intimate conversation had been watched by avid eyes, most especially Hattie who was still gazing at him openly, that sour expression on her face even though her husband Nigel was speaking to her.
By the time he returned from the bar, Elle had forgiven Annie and the night began.
As Elle promised, she drank this drink (and the ones following it) slower but the damage was already done. Elle was borderline smashed and Annie was in the room. Only one thing could happen and it did.
Madness ensued.
Therefore, the night included Annie challenging Prentice and Dougal to a team dart competition with Elle being Annie’s partner.
And Elle was hopeless at darts.
In three games she barely hit the dart board no matter how much Annie coached her which was a great deal, all of it misguided and most of it drunken but it was, nevertheless, coaching.
Annie and Elle found Elle’s ineptitude screamingly funny and spent most of their time in fits of laughter, doubled over, their arms wrapped around their middles. Whilst they did this, Prentice and Dougal stood grinning at them, coaxing them to get on with the game or assuring other patrons that neither Elle nor Annie was under the influence of illegal substances.
After one throw where Elle took five minutes to line up her shot, the tip of her tongue at the side of her mouth, her eye squinting down the dart, her mouth eventually assuring Annie with mistaken confidence, “I think I’ve got it this time,” (and then she embedded the dart in the wall beside the board) that Annie laughed so hard she fell into Elle who fell into Dougal who managed, miraculously (since he was also laughing), to keep them all standing.
After the dart game and another vodka, lemon and lime for Elle and some very animated but completely incomprehensible discussion between Annie and Elle about “recycling outfits”, the night also included Elle suddenly and bizarrely shouting across the pub, “You are my new favorite person!” when Gordon Taggart walked in.
She then hurried across the pub (under the watchful, interested eyes of most of the patrons) and gave Gordon a huge hug.
When Prentice sauntered to them and extricated the astonished Gordon from Elle’s tight embrace, she explained to Prentice, “Gordon tried to save Sally and me from the big, bad paparazzi today.”
This was news to him and not good news.
Therefore, Prentice turned his now unamused gaze to Elle. “You didn’t tell me you saw photographers today.”
She took in his expression, bit her lip and then leaned into Gordon and whispered loudly, “Whoops.”
In turn, Gordon leaned into Elle and advised, “Probably should tell him when the vultures are circling, lass.”
Gazing at Gordon as if he was a renown sage, Elle nodded before she shared, “I got caught up in cookie baking, ironing and hamburger meat and I forgot.”
Gordon smiled at Prentice but replied to Elle, “That happens.”
“I just had an idea!” Elle cried suddenly and latched onto Gordon’s arm. “You need to come over for hamburgers!”
Gordon chuckled before he replied, “I’d like that.”
“Okay!” she agreed eagerly and put her hand to her ear, thumb and forefinger extended like a phone, the finger of her other hand pointing back and forth between her and Gordon as Prentice (now back to amused) pulled her away and she assured, “I’ll call you.”
Gordon smiled at Prentice but spoke to Elle, “Look forward to it, lass.”
Elle turned and let Prentice guide her to their table as she said, “He has a cute dog.”
“The collie Sally mentioned,” Prentice guessed.
“You betcha,” Elle replied, threw herself into the booth, grabbed her drink, sucked a healthy sip through her straw, slammed her glass back down and turned to Prentice who’d seated himself beside her. She slapped a hand on his chest and leaned close, declaring, “Sally needs a dog.”
Prentice slid his arm along her waist and smiled before he replied, “Sally does no’ need a dog.”
“She so needs a dog,” Elle returned.
“She’s no’ getting a dog,” Prentice stated.
Elle turned her head to Annie but left her body leaned close to Prentice and called in reinforcements, “Annie! Does Sally need a dog?”
Immediately, head bobbing wildly, Annie concurred with her friend, “Sally so needs a dog.”
Dougal grinned at Prentice.
Prentice sighed.
Then he repeated, “She’s no’ getting a dog.”
Elle’s head twisted back to face him. “But she wants a dog.”
“She wants a horse, a trip to Harrods and to be a princess too.”
He watched as Elle’s eyes drifted over his shoulder and she whispered, “I could do that.”
And she could.
Christ, he was fucked.
His arm gave her a squeeze as his voice gave her a warning, “Elle –”
Her eyes came back to his. “All except the princess part.”
“You aren’t buying her a horse.”
“Okay,” she relented. “Maybe not the horse. You live on a cliff. Horses don’t do cliffs.” Her eyes went unfocused and she finished on a mutter, “I don’t think.” Then she turned to Annie again and called, “Hey Annie, do horses do cliffs?”
Annie was cuddling against Dougal watching Prentice and Elle but, at Elle’s question, her eyes slid to the side as if contemplating this question.
Then she looked back at Elle and answered, “Nope.”
Elle turned to Prentice and declared, “Okay. The horse idea is out.”
Prentice wanted to laugh. He really did. However there were more pressing things to attend to.
“You aren’t taking her to Harrods either,” he stated.
“Why not?”
Prentice found he had no answer to that. He also found he liked the idea of Elle granting his daughter’s wish.