He was dealing with Elle Austin and Elle was a whole lot less predictable than Isabella.
“Elle –” Prentice tried to pull her even closer but she snatched her hand away and paced into the kitchen while everyone watched her.
She halted in a jerky way and whirled to Prentice.
And she shouted (again) and (again) it was very loud, “That insufferable bitch! I’m going to conk her on the head and shove her over a cliff!”
Prentice moved toward her saying, “Elle, calm down.”
“Calm!” she yelled, scooting away from him and pacing, her hands moving around angrily. “Calm! I can’t be calm! Hattie Fennick is a malicious bitch and,” she stopped, twirled and glared at Prentice, “apparently, her son is a little snot!”
“Baby –” Prentice came at her again, she tried to avoid him but he caught her with an arm around her waist and pulled them together front to front then he repeated, “Calm down.”
“I will not be calm!” Bella was still shouting. “Anyone who had a brain in their head knew you loved Fiona! What is Hattie thinking, filling her son’s mind with that garbage!”
“Elle –” he started but Bella kept right on ranting.
“I was gone, you didn’t know I would ever come back. You went on with your life. Of course you loved her. She was Fiona! Everyone loved her! You thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with her. And you can’t get a brain tumor from thinking bad thoughts! Hattie Fennick! What a bitch! And her son, repeating it, even if he is ten years old, what a little snot!” Her body jerked and her eyebrows snapped together. “What did the Headmaster say?”
“Due to the circumstances, he’s being lenient with Jason,” Prentice answered.
“He better be.” Then she snapped, “Is he being lenient with the Fennick boy?”
“They think both boys learned their lesson and –”
Bella cut him off by announcing firmly, “Davey Fennick should be expelled.”
“Elle, Jason hit Davey. What Davey did was wrong but Jason knows better.”
“That may be so,” Bella clipped, “but I don’t care. I’m glad he hit him, I only hope he hit him hard!” Bella yelled.
Annie giggled.
Mikey chuckled.
Debs was grinning, huge.
Fiona was with Annie, she was giggling herself silly.
Even Prentice’s mouth was twitching. Gone was the anger, he looked like he was trying hard not to laugh.
It was then Fiona felt it and her eyes went to the top of the stairs.
Both Sally and Jason were sitting on the top step watching the show. Sally looked confused and maybe a little worried. Jason’s face was red but this was not anger or upset, he was nearly choking himself from holding back laughter.
Bella swung her gaze around the lot of them and snapped, “I see nothing funny about this.”
It was at that Jason lost his battle with his hilarity and snorted.
Everyone’s eyes moved to the stairs.
Prentice won his battle and with a firm voice, he ordered, “Rooms.”
Jason and Sally scampered.
Bella pulled back in Prentice’s arms and jerked her extended hand across her neck, declaring, “I’ve had it up to here with Hattie Fennick.”
Prentice’s eyes cut to her and they narrowed just as his body grew tense.
“What else has she done?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she replied dryly. “She came into Fern’s today, said a few choice things and they were vile. And Annie told me she gave Fiona dirty looks. And I’ll remind you, she sold our story to a magazine for money.” Bella threw her arm out. “Now she’s got her son causing trouble for Jason at school!”
“I’ll talk to her,” Prentice replied.
“No, when you get her number, I’ll talk to her,” Bella shot back.
“Elle –”
“No, Pren. I don’t like the idea of her talking to you. Now she’s creeping me out with all this venom. This is all because she has a screaming crush on you. She has since you were in school,” Bella announced. “Fern said so.”
Prentice blinked.
Then he asked, “I’m sorry?”
“Fern told us she’s liked you since forever,” Annie chimed in.
“And, looking back, she totally has,” Debs added.
“Which, I don’t blame her,” Mikey declared. “But there’s a fine line between being forlorn at unrequited love and being, well, her.”
Prentice released Bella and turned to his audience, announcing, “Hattie Fennick doesn’t have a crush on me.”
Bella crossed her arms on her chest and demanded, “Did she or did she not make a play for you when you were walking home from the pub after I left twenty years ago?”
Prentice’s head turned to Bella and he opened his mouth to speak.
Then he closed it.
Then he muttered, “Fuck.”
Bella looked at Mikey, Debs and Annie and nodded sharply, stating, “She did.” She looked back at Prentice and demanded, “I’m talking to her. Hattie Fennick and I are getting a few things straight.”
Prentice turned to face Bella fully. “Elle, you aren’t saying a word to that woman. Neither am I. I’ll talk to Nigel.”
“Nigel can’t control her, never could,” Debs put in.
Prentice turned to his sister and leveled his very, very serious gaze on her, replying, “He’s going to have to learn.”
Annie made a face at Mikey, her eyes rounding and her bottom lip curving down in a non-verbal, “Eek!”
Bella still had her arms crossed on her chest and she was glaring at Prentice.
Prentice turned to Bella and asked, “Are we agreed?”
Bella nodded her head jerkily but said, “She messes with Jason again or her son does or if Sally enters this mix, she and I are going to have words. No!” Her hand came up, index finger extended to the ceiling. “I’m going to have words. She’s said quite enough.”
Prentice gazed at her a moment then he grinned then his arm shot out and hooked her around the waist, pulling her to his body right before his mouth came down on hers hard.
“They do this a lot,” Annie whispered to Mikey, her face tender.
“Aye, it’s relentless,” Debs muttered, her face smiling.
Mikey just watched the couple, his face soft and he didn’t say a thing.
Prentice’s head came up and he looked at the group, completely unembarrassed about semi-snogging Bella in front of them but he didn’t let Bella go.
Bella curled into him, putting her head on his shoulder as she looked at the crowd.
Bella’s face was happy.
“Who’s staying for dinner?” Prentice asked.
Chapter Twenty
Princess Castle
Elle
It was ten thirty Christmas Eve, the kids were upstairs in bed (hopefully sleeping) and Prentice and Mikey were in the television room assembling Santa’s present for Sally, a four story, mini-princess castle.
Elle was rushing around in the great room stuffing stockings, unearthing presents from Santa she’d hidden that she’d bought and wrapped while the kids were at school, arranging them under the tree and pulling together her potato, cheese, sausage casserole that she would pour the scrambled egg over and toss in the oven first thing in the morning for breakfast.
Fergus, Annie and Dougal had been over for dinner that night and tomorrow they were to have Christmas morning at the house but head to Fiona’s parents’ for Christmas dinner before leaving there and going to Prentice’s parents’ house to spend the evening with them.
This was Elle’s idea and she’d been hesitant in suggesting it to Prentice, not wanting to mention Fiona and her family in his mood but feeling the need to do so, at least for the kids (as well as Fiona’s family). But she wasn’t hesitant after she’d actually suggested it.
The minute it came out of her mouth, he stared at her a moment then both his hands shot out, grasped her at the hips and the
n he pulled her so forcefully into his arms that her breath left her on a wheeze. He shoved his face in her neck and held on tight.
Her arms slid around him too and she whispered in his ear, “Pren.”
“I want them to have their grandchildren, I want my children to have their grandparents and, on Christmas especially, I want them to have something of their mother,” he whispered into the skin of her neck. “What I didn’t want to do was upset you your first Christmas with us by asking that of you.”
Well, there it was, the reason Prentice was on edge.
Elle had closed her eyes and she held on tighter too.
Then she said softly, “Honey, Fiona is our family.”
Her words made his arms get tighter, Elle pulled in breath then she felt him kiss her neck, his arms loosened and his head came up so he could say in his sweet voice, “Fuck, but I love you.”
Then, before she could return the sentiment, he’d kissed her and after he was done kissing her she was too dazed to remember to return it.
After their short conversation, Prentice had relaxed and so did Elle and they finally started enjoying the holiday full force without his tenseness invading.
Now she was covering the casserole with foil before she slid it in the fridge which would herald the end of her chores so she could go in and help Prentice and Mikey then, finally, go to bed and tomorrow… Christmas.
Christmas.
She couldn’t wait.
Prentice had warned her not to spoil the kids, he didn’t want to raise their expectations which could get out-of-control with her efforts to top herself year to year considering they had a woman in their lives who had the means to make even their wildest dreams come true.
But that didn’t mean Santa didn’t bring Sally her princess castle and a princess dress with shoes and a fairy outfit with wings so she could have a choice if she wanted to be a princess or a fairy and use all the fairy things Elle had sent her from Chicago. Jason, who still practiced on Fiona’s guitar daily, sometimes for hours, was getting an electric guitar with amplifier just in case he wanted to branch out. He also was getting a PlayStation.
Prentice had okayed these purchases mostly because he’d also paid for them, not allowing Elle to do it. So Elle was going to add her own gift, a trip to Disneyworld their next holiday and she’d informed Prentice of her intent the day before.
Prentice had, at first, not okayed that. Words were exchanged, they got heated but Elle didn’t give in and eventually, after a fair amount of (annoying, Elle thought) effort, she talked him around.
So Sally and Jason were going to be a wee bit spoiled, it wasn’t the end of the world. And this was how she’d convinced Prentice.
Or she told herself that.
What she had a strong idea was the real reason he gave in was because he saw how excited she was to give his children a special Christmas. Some days before, in bed in the dark, Prentice had shared with her that the last one was, for understandable reasons, really not that great. Princess castles, electric guitars and the promise of Disneyworld was not going to bring back their mother, but it would bring smiles to their faces and happy expectation for months of what was to come and that was something, something good and something good was always better than nothing.
So Elle was looking forward to seeing their faces when they opened their gifts and learned of the upcoming holiday.
She couldn’t wait.
And she couldn’t remember one single Christmas, not in her life, that she couldn’t wait for the morning to come. Even when she was young, before her mother died, the atmosphere in the Austin household was too heavy to be conducive to Christmas cheer.
But the last several days, with Mikey there, Prentice relaxed, Christmas cookies, Christmas music, Christmas decorations, Christmas wrapping, friends and family all around, it had been a blast and Elle could not wait for the big day.
And, incidentally, having shared all this with Prentice, she didn’t know that was the real reason why he gave in on a wee bit of spoiling.
She slid the casserole in the fridge, a smile playing at her mouth and was closing the fridge when she heard a knock at the front door.
Her eyes went to it as the smile left her face.
Who could that be at ten thirty at night on Christmas Eve?
Deciding it was likely Annie left something behind, but wondering why she didn’t just call, Elle moved to the door. The outside light wasn’t on therefore, as Elle made it to the door, she switched on the light and then stopped dead when, through the window at the side of the door, she saw who was on her doorstep.
She blinked slowly, hoping he’d go away, so focused on making this happen she didn’t hear Prentice’s boots on the floorboards behind her.
When her eyes opened again, he was still there.
He was looking at the door, probably thinking it would open considering the light had gone on but when it didn’t, he looked to the side and caught her eyes the instant Prentice asked from behind her, “Who is it, baby?”
Elle didn’t answer, she just held the familiar blue eyes holding hers.
“Elle?” Prentice called and he was closer, she knew it, she heard it. She also knew instantly when Prentice saw him because he bit out, “Fucking hell you have to be fucking joking.”
Then she was moved aside, Prentice twisted the locks, opened the door and immediately lifted a hand and planted it in Laurent Evangelista’s chest, shoving him back.
Laurent’s eyes never left Elle until he suddenly found himself flying back and he snapped, “What on –?”
“Get off my land,” Prentice growled, up came the hand again and he shoved Laurent back another step but this time the shove was angrier, more forceful and Laurent didn’t fly back two steps, he flew back six, arms reeling. He controlled his forced retreat, his body tightened and grew alert.
“Do not put your hand on me again,” he warned, straightening, his eyes now glued to Prentice.
“Won’t say it again, mate, get off my fucking land,” Prentice clipped.
“What’s happ… oh my Lord,” Mikey breathed from behind Elle who was standing, silent and stunned to immobility, in the door.
Laurent didn’t tear his eyes from Prentice who’d stopped, blocking the front walk and planting his fists on his hips.
“I wish to speak to Isabella,” he announced.
Elle stared at her ex-husband who she hadn’t seen in person in ages.
Tall, though not as tall as Prentice, very lean to the point of almost being too thin, he carried it off and made it attractively lanky due to broad shoulders and consistent workouts through playing tennis and polo that did not bulk out his body but nevertheless kept it fit and athletic. Dark blond hair. Deep blue eyes. Chiseled features which were almost feminine but not quite, the constant sardonic expression he wore coupled with the world-weary sophistication he emanated adding to his allure.
Women the world over thought he was unbelievably handsome.
Elle, knowing him all too well, absolutely did not.
“I’m afraid that’s no’ a Christmas wish that’ll come true, Evangelista,” Prentice returned, his voice low, vibrating and rough with anger. “Now, again, get the fuck off my land.”
Laurent glared at Prentice then his eyes shifted to Elle and she watched with surprise as he shifted his features to go soft, coaxing, a look she’d seen often however it was one she hadn’t seen in a very long time.
It was the look he’d assume in the early days of their marriage when he’d approach her about moving on from Paris to Gstaad from Gstaad to Rome from Rome to Istanbul from Istanbul to wherever. He knew she didn’t want to go to the next party, the next villa, the next yacht and, in the beginning, he’d take the time to cajole her, to try and convince her it would be fun, to remind her of all their fabulous friends who weren’t her friends but his and they were so vain and superior and surprisingly, with all their money, expensive education and travel, uninteresting that she didn’t miss even one of them w
hen they were gone. And when he tried to coax her, he would assume that look.
In the end, he didn’t bother. He’d simply drop the tickets in her lap and tell her to get packed.
And seeing that look on his face, she knew. She knew everything.
She knew he knew she was with Prentice (he couldn’t not know with all the magazines they’d featured in). She knew he knew who Prentice was. She knew he knew she was happy. She knew he thought she couldn’t ever be happy in the wilds of Scotland with an award-winning architect and his two beautiful children, not when she could have the world laid at her feet. She knew she spent years trying to convince him she didn’t want the world laid at her feet and he’d never, not once, listened. She knew he was competitive and it was eating at him that he was bested by a man like Prentice, so much more of a man than Laurent it wasn’t funny but that was also something Laurent would never understand.
And lastly, she knew that he’d asked her father how to find her and her father had told him. In fact, it was highly likely Carver Austin sent Laurent here.
And instead of feeling beaten, tired or defeated at another indication that life just would not give her her happily ever after, she felt something else.
She felt fury.
“Isabella, darling, please, allow me to –” Laurent started, Prentice’s body shifted as if to advance but Elle spoke.
“He told you, didn’t he?” she asked, her voice so cold, icicles formed on each word and Prentice’s body shifted a different way, to look back at her while Elle felt Mikey’s hand settle on the small of her back.
But Elle’s eyes didn’t move from Laurent.
“I don’t know what you –” Laurent began but Elle let him say no more.
“My father, he told you where I was,” she declared, watched Laurent suck in a breath to deny through a lie but she went on before he could speak. “It’s Christmas Eve, tomorrow is a big day, a joyful day, there are children in this house, I’m with my family, it’s late and you show up on the doorstep knowing I hate you, knowing that seeing your face could conceivably ruin my day or even my whole Christmas and thinking that’s a perfectly all right thing to do.” Losing her composure, she leaned in and asked on a hiss, “What’s the matter with you?”
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