are we sitting on our butts for? There's no time like the present. Don't go without me. I have to make a pit stop,”Rose said as she headed towards the bathroom.
Dana made her way down the hall only to find Austin leaning lazily against the wall, blocking her way. He smiled at her arrogantly. "If you get tired of playing with little boys, let me know." Since Jack was neither little or, at thirty, hardly a boy, Dana didn't even deign to answer. She tried to brush past him. Austin thrust his arm out, barring her attempt. His eyes were hard but he smiled silkily. "I think you could do better."
An artic chill blew up in Dana's eyes. Coldly, she replied, "I doubt there is anyone better."
Austin leaned into her, further violating her space. "Baby, you don't know what you're missing."
Catching Austin off balance, Dana quickly shoved, pushing her way past him. He stumbled heavily against the wall. "Yes, and I intend to keep it that way."
Growling with irritation, Austin heard chuckling behind him. He swung around angrily. "Mind your own business, you old battle-axe."
"And why don't you go piss up a rope?" Rose replied sweetly. Joining Dana at the top of the stairs, who was trying and failing not to snicker, she muttered, "When it comes to women, that boy don't know his ass from a hole in the ground."
The dining room was empty when they returned save for Josie, who was still trying to wake up with a cup of coffee. "They're all outside" Josie replied to their inquiries. "Jack mentioned that it looked like it might rain and everyone went outside to look." Josie gave an elaborate 'why bother?' shrug. Dana knew what she meant. If it rained, it rained. Why bother to look?
They found Oscar and Henry outside deep into a conversation about, of all things, fishing. "Never been fly-fishing myself,”said Henry. "Looks like a lot of work to me. Put me in a boat with a worm and a hook, and I'm a happy camper."
"Fly-fishing isn't just about catching fish. It's about poetry, artistry and style. It's about skill and concentration melding into relaxation."
Rose rolled her eyes. Oh brother, her eyes said.
"Oscar,”Dana began, but broke off when they all heard a keening sound from around the castle.
"Aaahh!"
A terrified chicken burst into view from around the corner, beating its wings frantically and squawking as if the devil itself was after it. Rounding the corner behind it raced Grace, flapping her arms and screeching at the top of her lungs.
She skidded to a halt at the sight of four sets of mouths hanging open in dumbfounded surprise. "I thought,”Grace panted, "I thought it was another poltergeist."
"No, Grace, that was just our rooster," Oscar said.
"That was your rooster,”said Rose, who was about to fall down laughing. She was clutching Henry's shoulder with one hand and her side with the other. "He's probably halfway to Japan by now. I would be, too, if I saw a crazy woman chasing me, flapping her arms and wagging her tongue."
"I was not wagging my tongue!"
"Sure."
"Well, if all of you are finished having a laugh at my expense,”said Grace, as prim as any schoolmarm, "I think I will go wash up. I feel a little dusty."
As if happy to fulfill a lady's needs, the Sky opened up and delivered the rain it had been promising all morning. Everyone made a dash for the castle, meeting up with Brett and Austin in the front entryway, complete with luggage.
"You'll be hearing from our attorney, Mr. Gaston. There's no treasure here. We consider this false advertising,”sputtered Brett importantly. He cast a look at Austin to make sure he would back him up. Austin simply glared at Dana in silence. "Yes, well, we're leaving."
"So what,”shrugged Rose heartlessly, "we'll all be leaving tomorrow morning anyway. I pity anyone who thought they were just going to waltz in here, find the treasure, if there is one, and waltz back out in a day or two. To me that's just simple-minded."
Oscar pulled himself up to his full imposing height. "If you gentlemen feel the need to try to make trouble by claiming I promised something I couldn't deliver, you'll have a difficult time proving it."
"That's right,”piped up Henry. "We all heard him say there were no guarantees."
Brett looked again at Austin, who still hadn’t said a word. Clearly not liking the look on his face, Brett tried to hurry them out the door into the rain. "Yes, well, goodbye."
Oscar heaved