Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye - Jacquelyn Middleton Page 0,141
against Tarquin, her tiny arms overwhelmed with toys. “I want blue dwess, please!”
“Great choice!” said Leia. “Blue is my sister’s favorite color.”
Tarquin beamed and leaned in, kissing Leia on the temple, his affection igniting a subtle smirk of approval between Fiona and Rupert. Ava was oblivious, babbling full speed ahead in a one-sided conversation with her Tessa doll as the family’s brown border collie, Bert, wandered over, giving her new playmates an approving sniff.
“Leia, it was so sweet of you to sew the tear in Ava’s unicorn,” said Fiona. “Bert got hold of it this morning and had a right ol’ chew.”
“Oh, no problem. I always have a mini sewing kit on me.” She smiled at Tarquin’s niece. “I’m glad I could help.”
“Ava?” Rupert called across the table, cradling a sleepy Poppy sucking on her bottle. “How about two more mouthfuls of dinner?” Russet-haired and slighter in stature than both Tarquin and Nick, the middle Balfour brother wore black eyeglasses and a flush of freckles across his nose and cheeks. His nerdy good looks and family’s connections could’ve landed him on London’s most prestigious catwalks, but his down-to-earth countenance and love of nature had drawn him to Orkney where growing barley, raising prize-winning cattle, and caring for his beautiful young family were his true calling.
“Uncle Talk?” Ava ignored her dad and her half-eaten bowl of hearty beef stew and tugged on Tarquin’s sweater.
“What’s up, Peedie?” He scrunched down and she whispered in his ear, lovingly placing Paddington and Tessa in his lap. “Oh?!” His eyes slid over his empty bowl and curved toward Leia. “Yeah, you’re right.” He smiled. “Ava thinks you look like the princess in the Disney film Brave.”
“Wow, that’s a huge compliment, Ava!” Leia grinned, scratching Bert behind his ears as he sniffed her purse lying on the floor. “Thank you!” Her eyes shifted to Tarquin. “Peedie…such a cute nickname.”
“It’s an Orcadian word, means little.” He helped Ava sit back down on her chair. “How ’bout you eat one more carrot? Or finish your clapshot. You know, Tessa eats all her neeps and tatties. So does Leia.” He winked at his girlfriend.
Her forehead creased. “Neeps and tatties?”
“Swede—sorry, rutabaga—and potatoes,” Tarquin clarified, handing both Paddington Bear and the Tessa doll to Fiona for safe keeping. “The veggies in clapshot.” The Orkney side dish looked like mashed potatoes’ more colorful cousin, its savory, buttery taste gifted with a zingy kick courtesy of onions and a sprinkle of chopped chives and pepper.
“Yep, Uncle Talk is right.” Leia nodded, scooping the last bit of clapshot off her plate. “Vegetables help us twizzle faster!” She happily devoured the spoonful of ‘neeps and tatties’, her new favorite vegetarian dish.
Ava’s eyes widened. With a determined smile, she clutched her spoon and fished for carrots in her stew’s broth.
Rupert mouthed ‘Thank you’ and rested Poppy’s bottle near his own partially eaten meal. He held his youngest firmly against his shoulder over the white burp cloth protecting his plaid flannel shirt. “So, when are you two going sightseeing?” He patted Poppy’s back.
“Might start tomorrow.” Tarquin met Leia’s eyes, warmth in his gaze. “After the baptismal lunch, maybe?”
Really? He’ll cut family time short for me? She nodded, finishing her stew as Tarquin continued.
“It’ll be good to get out, get some sea air.”
Rupert chuckled. “Get away from Mum, more like!”
“Christ, can you blame them?” Fiona winced, weaving her fingers through the ends of her long brown hair. “Kiki is an acquired taste. She scared the crap out of me when I first met her.”
Oh, great. Leia gulped.
“To be fair, Fi, you were seven and scared of everything!” said Rupert.
His wife’s brown eyes widened. “Babe, she was like Cruella de Vil! She swore a blue streak at my Shelties in the middle of Alfred Street! All they did was sniff her boots.”
“I’ve always wondered”—Rupert shook his head—“what the heck was Mum doing in Stromness that day? She rarely leaves the house when she’s here in case she rubs shoulders with Orkney’s great unwashed.”
Tarquin snickered and laid his arm across the back of Leia’s chair. “When Fi met Mum, her hair was dyed half-white, half-black for Equinox Ten. She looked a right state!”
Rupert lifted his hand from little Poppy’s back. “Star-drive to maximum power!’” He mimicked the cult sci-fi show’s iconic salute and resumed burping his baby.
“I’ll have to ask Dad if he and Mom watched it,” said Leia. “Sounds right up their alley.”
“Nick got his first acting role on that show.” Tarquin glanced at his brother. “He would’ve been,