“Don’t ask me,” Belle murmured and Jack looked back at her father.
“Jensen, would you care to elaborate?”
But her father apparently did not care to elaborate because he looked at Mom and remarked, “Is it me or do English dudes speak funny?”
“‘Elaborate’ is hardly a funny word, Jenny,” Lila spoke up.
“Do you say ‘elaborate’?” Dad asked Gram but before Gram could respond, Dad went on, “I don’t say ‘elaborate’. Jesus, I don’t know anyone who says ‘elaborate’. I don’t even know what ‘elaborate’ means.”
“I say elaborate,” Olive put in.
“You don’t count, you’re English,” Dad retorted.
“Jack means explain, Dad,” Belle decided, unusually unwisely, to wade in.
“Well, why doesn’t he just say ‘explain’?” Dad demanded to know.
“Jack’s sitting right there, Jenny, don’t talk about him like he isn’t even here,” Mom scolded. “It’s rude.”
At her mother’s words and the look on her father’s face when he heard them, with lots of experience with this type of situation, Belle’s stomach plummeted and she muttered, “Oh dear.”
At the same time Gram mumbled, “Uh-oh.”
And Jensen Abbot didn’t contradict Gram and Belle’s years of experience.
Therefore, as if he didn’t have an audience, most of whom he’d known less than twenty-four hours. And as if he wasn’t the guest at the rather opulent dining room table in an imposing castle owned by his daughter’s criminally handsome, unbelievably rich, unmistakably famous boyfriend who he also had known for just a hint more than twenty-four hours, Jensen’s voice rose.
“Woman, tell me you didn’t just call me rude.”
Mom as well (and as usual), instantly forgot her audience when she returned, “Jenny, I did because you were.”
“Rachel –” Gram tried to intervene but Dad put his hand up, palm toward Gram, the whole time he did this his head was twisted to Mom.
“I’m not rude. I’m never rude,” Dad told Mom. “That’s the best thing I gave our daughter. Consideration.” Dad moved his glare to Belle. “Isn’t that right, baby girl?”
Before Belle could speak, her mother did. “Jeez, Jenny, Jack’s sitting right there and you went on and on about how he talks and then spoke about him like he wasn’t in the room.”
“Mom –” Belle decided to give it a go, knowing she’d fail but she tried anyway.
“Give your Mom and me a second, girl,” Dad said, as if he hadn’t just, seconds earlier, tried to drag her into the discussion. He was again looking at Rachel when he demanded, “Take it back.”
“Don’t be childish, Jenny,” Mom scoffed and Dad’s face went red.
Gram looked at the ceiling and Belle bit her lip for. They knew this heralded an escalation in hostilities.
“I’m thinking that sex-a-thon should have been longer,” Yasmin muttered to Cassandra and Cassandra laughed quietly.
Clearly not hearing the byplay, Dad shouted, “Don’t call me childish!”
“I’ll call you whatever I want!” Mom shouted back.
“Jensen, Rachel, look at me,” Jack demanded in a way that both their eyes moved to him immediately.
Belle caught a look at her grandmother’s face, Lila was gazing at Jack expectantly and her expression said, “This is going to be good.”
Belle looked back at Jack when he ordered, “Take it somewhere else.”
“But –” Dad started to protest.