As Elle promised, she drank this drink (and the ones following it) slower but the damage was already done. Elle was borderline smashed and Annie was in the room. Only one thing could happen and it did.
Madness ensued.
Therefore, the night included Annie challenging Prentice and Dougal to a team dart competition with Elle being Annie’s partner.
And Elle was hopeless at darts.
In three games she barely hit the dart board no matter how much Annie coached her which was a great deal, all of it misguided and most of it drunken but it was, nevertheless, coaching.
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.