“Gon’ ruin her for me, lasses,” Gordon said on a smile, his eyes moved over Isabella’s shoulder and then his smile turned sour.
Isabella’s heart skipped a beat as the older man moved with a strange aggression around both Isabella and Sally.
She stared at him wondering if there was a magical spell over the village making the villagers be nice to her and the spell had suddenly been broken.
Or maybe villagers turned bad.
“Bella, luv, there’s a photographer coming this way. Get Sally to your car,” he warned, Isabella looked around him and saw that there was, indeed, a photographer coming, already shooting pictures even though Gordon was doing his best to shield them.
Then she realized that Gordon was doing his best to shield them and she wanted to kiss him.
Instead, she gave him a grateful look with an added, whispered, “Thanks, Gordon.”
She grabbed Sally’s good hand, touching Robbie’s nose (to which he giggled at her), smiling at Denise and she and Sally walked as quickly as they could without appearing to be running away.
Isabella only resumed her mental planning session when Sally was painstakingly but happily stirring the thick cookie batter left-handed.
Her conversation with Sally that morning had given Isabella an idea.
What she was going to be to the children was like a fairy godmother but a modern, real kind.
She’d explain to Prentice that she’d like to stay in their lives, talk to them on the phone, send them things when the spirit moved her and maybe even come visit once in awhile. And, when they got older, the children could come and visit her.
She’d also explain to Prentice that he and she couldn’t carry on like they were. They were confusing the children and confusing themselves.
She’d explain that it felt lovely (more than lovely, so much more than lovely it wasn’t funny, though she wasn’t going to explain it like that) that they’d had this time together to heal after what had happened between them. But he had to be lonely after losing his wife and she was always lonely (though Isabella wasn’t certain she was going to share that) and they shouldn’t mistake what they had for something more and they certainly shouldn’t drag the children in it.
And she’d explain that all of it, the sex, the kisses, the touching, everything, had to stop.
Immediately.
Lastly, she decided, since this was all very rational and logical, Prentice would see her reasoning was sound and agree with her.
What Isabella didn’t do was think how much this plan would hurt, not only to explain to Prentice but also to carry through.
Well, she tried not to think about it and failed.
So she decided she’d worry about that later, when she was at home in Chicago, back to her existence.
When the cookies were in the oven, she called Annie thinking it was high time to share all that had happened between her and Prentice, something she had been uncharacteristically keeping from her friend and then tell Annie what she intended to do.
When Annie answered, she sounded distracted and told Isabella she was busy with something and asked if she could call back in an hour.
Isabella agreed, she and Sally finished the cookies; she made Sally lunch and, after lunch, read to her on the couch until Sally fell into a nap.
Then she decided to do some laundry.
While gathering towels in the bathrooms to put in the laundry, she decided to clean the bathrooms.
While cleaning Jason and Sally’s bathroom, she decided to clean Prentice’s which she hadn’t touched yet.
After cleaning Prentice’s bathroom, she saw four whisky glasses sitting on the railing of his balcony, three of which looked like they’d been out there for awhile.
She thought this was strange but she gathered them, put them to soak in the sink, threw in another load of laundry and Sally woke.
It wasn’t until after she picked up Jason that she realized Annie never returned her call.
Seeing as Jason mixed with Sally somehow created a vacuum that sucked time out of earth’s vortex, she had taught Jason a few more chords on the guitar, settled a fight between them when Sally wanted to confiscate the guitar and learn herself, did another load of laundry, ironed all Prentice’s work shirts and Jason’s school shirts and put them away and was making hamburger patties when Prentice arrived home.
Annie never called.
Throughout her afternoon activities, she coached herself on how to be warm and friendly with Prentice while still keeping control of the situation.
Therefore she was certain by the time she heard the door opening heralding the fact that Prentice was home, she was prepared and he wouldn’t take her off-guard.
The minute he walked in that pleasant feeling that she’d had the night before when he had arrived home hit her again, all her coaching vanished and she went instantly off-guard.
He dropped his jacket on the armchair, walked behind the couch mussing Jason’s hair as he did so and bent low to pick up Sally when she ran to him, screaming his name.
Holding his daughter in his arms, her little girl legs wrapped around his waist and her little girl arms wrapped around his neck, he gave Sally his devoted attention while he continued walking to the kitchen.
“We’re having American cheeseburgers with homemade American fries for dinner!” Sally announced.
“Sounds good,” Prentice murmured, smiling at his daughter.
“Today, we went into town and to the market. We got some candy bars and potatoes and we met a real live baby on the pavement. And I’ve decide I want a collie next,” Sally kept the information flowing.
“Why don’t we get used to Blackie first,” Prentice suggested.
“Okay,” Sally agreed unusually easily then again, she was likely sated by afternoon cookies then she shouted, “Oh! And Elle and I made cookies today!”
There it was, the cookies.
Prentice’s eyes went to Isabella, Isabella’s guard slid into the vacuum that sucked time because his eyes were still smiling and they were filled with warmth when he enquired, “Why am I not surprised?”
“I don’t know. Why aren’t you?” Sally asked.
His gaze went back to his daughter, he chuckled and replied, “No reason, baby.”
Then he kissed Sally’s nose and put her down.
Then he got close to Isabella and with her hands filled with hamburger meat over a bowl she couldn’t move away. Not in a warm and friendly (but controlled) way.
In fact, not in any way.
Then he leaned around to her front and kissed her nose.
If she’d managed to get back on guard (which she hadn’t while watching Prentice come home and cuddle Sally), it would have slipped again.