This so astonished Isabella, she didn’t react when he snatched her in his arms, gave her a hug and a swift kiss on her neck even though he was still chuckling.
He released her and she stood swaying as he went to the cupboard, pulled down a mug, poured in some coffee, splashed in her milk and brought it to her.
Automatically, her finger hooked the handle as he murmured, “I’d like mine scrambled.” She blinked up at him but he just grinned and turned to the fridge to get Sally some milk. He poured the milk in a glass while walking to Sally but he was speaking to his son, “Jace, get your rucksack ready, mate. We’re running late. We’ll need to leave right after eggs.”
The words “late” and “eggs” made Isabella jolt out of her motionless, befuddled stance, preparing to sort breakfast.
Her body stilled again when she saw Jason, his eyes darting back and forth between Isabella and Prentice like he was viewing a fascinating tennis match. His gaze stuck on Isabella and she watched as he slowly smiled his father’s smile.
Carefree, at-ease, relaxed.
Joy shot through her as fear pierced her soul.
She jolted yet again when she felt Prentice’s hand slide along the small of her back, stopping to give her waist a squeeze.
“Elle, baby, eggs,” he prompted softly, let her go and said to Jason, “I’ll finish the toast, Jace. Rucksack. Go.”
Jason nodded to his father and raced upstairs.
Isabella made eggs.
Prentice made toast and, shockingly, didn’t ruin it.
They ate while Isabella’s thoughts descended into turmoil, happy, sad, elated, sated, content, but most prevalent of all, terrified.
After they finished breakfast, she trailed after Prentice as Jason ran ahead to the door.
She caught his wrist, starting, “Pren –”
He abruptly turned, twisted his wrist and grasped her hand, pulling her to him. Her body hit his at about the same time his lips hit hers.
The terror fled and all good things Prentice were the only things on her mind.
His head lifted and he murmured, “I should make today’s deadline and be home in time for tea. Pick Jace up, will you?”
Without waiting for her to answer, he turned and walked out the door.
Long after it closed, Isabella stared at it.
Then she felt Sally’s little hand slide into hers.
She looked down at the girl.
“We forgot to give Blackie breakfast,” Sally told her, her face full of worry that a half an hour delay in Blackie getting breakfast would cause her new kitten to expire.
Alleviating Sally’s worry obviously took precedence over the fear closing around Isabella’s heart.
Therefore she set the fear aside to deal with later and she and Sally got Blackie some breakfast.
* * * * *
After they got Blackie breakfast, Isabella loaded Sally in the car and they went into town.
They did this partly because there were a few things for dinner that night that Isabella needed to pick up.
They did this mainly because Isabella decided that, although Sally couldn’t have cookies for breakfast, that didn’t mean Sally couldn’t have cookies at all and they needed some ingredients for cookies too.
As she was driving and Sally was chattering, she made up her mind that, after the kids went to bed that night, she and Prentice were going to talk.
She was not going to get dazed and confused.
She was not going to let him touch her, kiss her, make love to her or sleep with her.
She was going to put her foot down and get things straight.
They were going through the market with a cart as Isabella decided exactly what they’d get straight.
She was going to leave Monday. They were going to tell the children tomorrow night. Maybe take them out to dinner or something. Then she’d have Sunday as a farewell day and she’d be gone.
That was as far as she got in her plan.
Isabella had to stop strategizing when she had to stop and explain to Sally that she could pick only one candy bar for her and one candy bar for Jason rather than Sally having one of each on the display.
Then she couldn’t continue her mental planning session because practically everyone she passed in the aisles either smiled at her or said hello and this broke her concentration.
Then she couldn’t continue her mental planning session because, on their way to checkout, Lucy Guthrie (who used to work at the pub where Dougal and Annie, Fiona and Scott and Prentice and Isabella hung out), stopped them. Isabella and Lucy chatted for ten minutes about how Sally was getting on, if they were going to have a mild winter and if Isabella and Prentice had sampled the new Indian place in town.
Somehow shaken by Lucy thinking Isabella and Prentice would sample anything together even though it seemed the entire village (including Prentice) were under the mistaken impression that they were together, Isabella didn’t start her mental planning session again until much later.
It was after they went to the fruit and veg shop so she could get fresh fine greens for dinner and blueberries for pancakes the next morning.
And it was after they ran into Denise MacRae, Debs’s best friend since childhood who spent as much time at Prentice’s Mum’s house back in the day as Isabella did, which meant a lot, and her baby outside the fruit and veg shop.
And also after Denise’s nearly one year old baby charmed Isabella with a smile and then began to flirt with her brazenly (as only one year old baby boys could do), rendering Isabella smitten.
This meant she stood outside giggling with baby Robbie while talking to Denise about all things baby, Sally, Jason, Prentice, school runs and football practices.
And the mental planning session also came after Gordon Taggart, who was walking his dog, stopped to chat with Denise, Sally, Robbie and Isabella. Sally and Isabella fell in love with Gordon’s border collie instantly and they both took turns giving her hugs and cuddles (Sally) and scratches and body rubs (Isabella).
“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 happene
d 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.
Unfortunately, since she hadn’t and her guard was whirling in the vacuum toward some black hole, instead of slipping her guard exploded in the vacuum, completely obliterated and irretrievable, and thus would need to be regenerated.
Thinking all of this meant she wasn’t prepared for Prentice to go still at her side. Nor was she prepared for his eyes suddenly to slice to his son, brows drawn.
Isabella was watching Prentice and her thoughts of black holes flew away as worry invaded.
Prentice leaned a hand into the counter at her side and addressed Jason, “Jace, have you been studying Elle’s book?”
Jason stopped strumming and answered, “No, Elle’s taught me a few chords.”
At these words, Isabella went still.
She couldn’t imagine what Prentice would think of Isabella teaching his son guitar on his dead wife’s guitar. A guitar Fiona had for decades and carried with her everywhere. A guitar she would probably have taught Jason on herself had she lived.
Although she couldn’t imagine what he would think, she could imagine, whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good.
Isabella concentrated on the hamburger patty in her hand as if it would be judged for form and presentation and, if found lacking, the sentence was death.
This was difficult to do considering she felt the heat of Prentice’s eyes on her.
“You play?” he asked.
Without taking her eyes from the hamburger, she opened her mouth to speak but Jason got there before her, feeling in the mood to take over for Sally in keeping the information flowing.
“Aye, Dad. You should hear her. She’s good. She says she learned to play because of Mum.”
Prentice’s voice grew quiet when he queried, “You learned because of Fee?”
He called Fiona “Fee”.
That was sweet.
It was also sad.
Her throat blocked and she decided the best she could do was nod.
Which she did.
At the hamburger patty.
Then she set it aside and grabbed more meat.
“The book’s okay,” Jason went on as he went back to strumming. “But Elle’s better at teaching me. I looked at the book last night and –”
Strange vibes started emanating from Prentice and Isabella thought it unfortunate her hands were filled with meat because she really needed to fist them.
Prentice interrupted his son, “You had the guitar last night?”
“Aye,” Jason answered distractedly, concentrating on his finger work. “We started last night. Elle showed me more when I got home from school.”
Jason hadn’t finished speaking when Isabella felt Prentice’s hand at the small of her back and his lips at her ear.
“Put the mince down, Elle,” he ordered in a whisper.
Oh dear.
She licked her lips and then, screwing up her courage, she looked at him. His face was carefully blank. She didn’t think this was a good sign.
“Okay,” she whispered back, dropped the meat, went to the sink, washed her hands and was still toweling them off (slowly) when Prentice closed in.
He pulled the towel from her hands, tossed it aside and, hands to her hips, he part guided, part shoved her into his study
where he closed the doors behind them.
She turned and decided to do what she could to defuse the situation.
Which meant apologize and quick.
“Prentice, I –”
He cut her off, “You call me Pren.”
She blinked, confused at what he said and also confused at his voice which was thick to the point of being hoarse.
It hit her he was holding back emotion.
Her heart broke and she felt her eyes sting.
“Pren,” she whispered.
“You’re a fucking miracle worker.”
Her body locked, all except her eyes which she blinked again.
“What?” she breathed.
“Jace hasn’t touched that guitar, not once since his Mum got sick, without him having one of his nightmares. Last night, you worked with him on it and he didn’t have a nightmare,” Prentice explained, Isabella stared at him in shock at his words and he walked to her, put his hands to her jaws and repeated, “You’re a miracle worker.”
“I –” Isabella started then stopped, not having any earthly clue what to say.
No one had ever called her a miracle worker.
Because, in her life, miracles didn’t occur.
Except in this magical little village.
Something flashed in his eyes, his face dipped close and his fingers flexed at her jaw. “Has it occurred to you that if you’d been shown a little love and compassion, the nightmares you’ve had for thirty-two years would have gone away?”
No.
That had never occurred to her because in her life she hadn’t been shown a great deal of love and compassion.
Except in this magical little village.
“No,” she whispered.
He used his hands on her jaw to tip her face so her lips were against his and he muttered, “We’ll have to work on that.”
For a split second, her chest seized.
After that, his words made her mind, heart and soul unconsciously relax, as did her body, melting into his.
His arms stole around her and he kissed her softly.
It was one of the sweetest kisses she’d ever received (and all of the others had been from Prentice too).
When their mouths disengaged, she murmured, “Pren.”