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 f**ked.
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.
He liked it a great deal.
His hand, curled at her waist, drifted up her side, bringing her closer.
“All right, baby, you can take Sally to Harrods,” he said softly.
Her arms shot up in the air and she shouted, “Hurrah!”
Her exuberance was intoxicating, so much so he decided the night was over.
His other arm circled her and he brought her closer.
“Finish your drink, Elle,” he ordered.
Her hands came to rest on his shoulders, her head tipped to the side and she asked, “Why?”
“Because it’s time to go home.”
She rested her body against his, her br**sts pressed against his chest, her face close enough to kiss and she asked, “It is?”
God, she was cute.
“Definitely,” he said firmly.
Her eyes moved over his face then they warmed as her body relaxed into his.
Then she whispered, “Okay.”
She pulled away and turned, announcing to Annie and Dougal as she reached for her drink, “Prentice says it’s time to go home.”
“I bet he does,” Annie mumbled through a chuckle.
“Dougal says it’s time to go home, too,” Dougal declared as he curled Annie closer.
Annie tilted her head back and looked at her new husband.
Then she murmured, “Mm.”
Prentice watched his friend touch his mouth to his wife’s.
Then he watched his friend’s eyes turn to catch his.
That was when Prentice realized life’s path took him and Dougal full circle, through a lot of beautiful landscape with a side trip to hell (for Prentice) and just a lot of wandering through hell (for Dougal).