Jason went to get the door.
Isabella was wiping her hands on a tea towel when Dougal, Annie and Fergus walked in.
“Ready, mate?” Dougal asked before Isabella could call out a greeting at their surprise visit.
“Aye,” Prentice answered, indicating from his ready response that for him this was not a surprise visit. With hands on Isabella’s hips, he steered her toward the hallway. “Get your bag, baby.”
Isabella glanced over her shoulder at him, confused.
Yes.
Confused.
Again!
“What’s going on?” she asked, stopping Prentice’s steering by halting while she looked around at the assemblage.
“We’re going to the pub,” Annie announced, scooping up Blackie and giving the kitty a cuddle. “Dad’s going to watch the kids.”
“Hurrah!” Sally shouted. “Fergus tells stories in funny voices!”
Isabella continued to look around realizing that her plans for the evening which she spent all day getting sorted, which included calmly, warmly, in a friendly, controlled manner, telling Prentice she was soon to be leaving and that their current (she couldn’t even think in her head what to call it but she settled on the word “situation”), situation could not continue, were being dashed.
“I didn’t know we were going out,” Isabella remarked.
“Forgot to mention it,” Prentice said with a gentle shove at the small of her back then repeated, “Get your bag.”
“But I –” she started.
Prentice interrupted her, “Bag, baby.”
It occurred to Isabella that Annie hadn’t returned her phone call. And Prentice “forgot to mention” he’d made plans for them to go to a pub, including arranging a babysitter who happened to be Annie’s father.
Then it occurred to Isabella that she was being played.
She slowly turned and glared at Annie who was trying to look innocent but who never was. Then she looked at Fergus who smiled. Then she looked at Dougal who didn’t look back, instead he studied his boots.
Yes, she was so, very being played.
Then she looked at Prentice and announced, “I don’t feel like going to the pub tonight.”
The hand Prentice had in the small of her back became an arm curved around her waist which he used to curl her into him, front-to-front.
“You will once you’re out,” he said. “Go and get your bag.”
Now, she wasn’t sure, but she was thinking she might be getting angry.
“No, I don’t think I’ll feel like it once I’m out,” she said slowly, looking up at Prentice. “I think I’ll stay in and listen to Fergus telling stories in funny voices.”
“Hurrah! Elle’s staying with us,” Sally shouted.
Prentice grinned.
Now she was pretty sure she was getting angry.
“Elle, baby –” Prentice coaxed.
Isabella opened her mouth to say something but didn’t get the chance.