She swallowed and then ran the tip of her tongue along her upper lip. His body responded strongly to the sight of her tongue.
More of his low volume of patience ebbed away.
“Elle, I’m tired. I want to wind down after –”
“I have something to show you,” she said quickly, taking two steps into the room before she halted. Then he watched as she visibly lost courage, looked at his whisky and asked, “Can I have one of those?”
Careful to shield his still ebbing patience, he poured her a whisky. They walked toward each other, closing the distance between them and he handed it to her.
She took it and belted back a healthy swig.
Too healthy.
After she swallowed, her mouth dropped open, she sucked in breath as if it burned and tears sprang to her eyes.
“It’s meant to be sipped,” Prentice advised but as he was talking she took another healthy swig.
He stared in surprise.
This was something the crazy Elle who was friends with the mad Annie would do twenty years ago.
They’d get up to anything.
Much like her comment earlier about voting to push Annie off the cliff.
Elle and Annie, twenty years ago, would say practically anything as well (Annie still would), most of it hilarious.
She finished the whisky on a third swig, shut her eyes tight and winced.
When she opened her eyes to look at him, she breathed, “Good stuff.”
God, she was cute when she behaved like this. And he didn’t need cute Elle sleeping under his roof either.
No, he especially didn’t need that.
“Elle –” His patience was running out.
“I have to show you something,” she blurted, interrupting him.
“All right.”
“You’re going to be angry.”
His eyes went to the magazine. Then they returned to hers.
He didn’t speak.
“Likely very angry,” she went on.
He still didn’t speak.
“Probably very, very angry.”
“For Christ’s sake –” he clipped but didn’t finish as she flipped open the magazine and showed him a page.
He couldn’t believe his eyes. On it was a photo of Elle, Jason and him walking into hospital days before.
Jason, he noted with pride, held his body with surprising confidence for a boy his age and, even though he looked worried, he was still a handsome lad.