Say Hello, Kiss Goodbye - Jacquelyn Middleton Page 0,145
You never know how far the ripples will travel.
Nick pressed a cold beer into Tarquin’s palm.
“Cheers.” Tarquin nodded. “At least your drama keeps Mum off my arse.”
“For now.” Nick pointed his beer at Tarquin’s. “I figured you’d need something strong, considering Dad’s on top form.”
Tarquin swooned over the bottle’s logo, a menacing Viking with long blond locks, bushy facial hair, and biceps capable of snapping a man in half. “Yeah, today feels like a Skull Splitter day, all right!” He smiled at Leia. “I’ll just have the one.”
Nick studied the busy room as his baby brother took a long pull on his beer. “So, what do you think, Ley?”
His casual use of her nickname roused a full-on smile. “I like it here! Everyone is lovely and so welcoming.”
Tarquin lowered his beer, his eyes narrowing, sizing up something or someone across the restaurant.
“Hmm. Wait till you meet Mum,” said Nick. “She’s doing my head in. Thank fuck she’s flying back to London tonight.”
Says her favorite son. No hope for the rest of us, then. Leia exhaled heavily and sipped her water.
Their mom? Leia’s eyes darted over her glass, but the raven-haired woman in the Victoria Beckham trouser suit from the cathedral evaded her gaze.
“Where?!” Nick gaped over his shoulder, searching. “So help me, if you’re taking the piss…”
“She’s talking to Fi’s gran.” Tarquin nodded toward the left side of the restaurant. “Near the buffet.”
Craning her neck, Leia glimpsed a pretty brunette hugging an elderly lady by the bere bannocks and farmhouse cheeses. Phew! Not Kiki! The realization calmed the drum solo thrashing in her chest. She watched as the two women ended their embrace and, with a friendly wave, the younger guest slipped away.
Nick’s face lit up.
“Go on, mate!” Tarquin smacked him on the back. “Give it a bit more welly!”
“Cheers, bro! Don’t wait up for me.”
Leia blinked into a semi-confused smile as Nick bombed through the crush. “I’m almost afraid to ask—what’s welly? And why does Nick have to give more of it?”
Tarquin chuckled. “It means to put in more effort, try harder.”
“With his ex-wife?”
“No. Evie, an old girlfriend—the one who got away.” Tarquin raised his beer, but the bottle stalled below his mouth. “Bugger.” He cleared his throat. “Kiki incoming.”
Okay, it’s showtime. Leia blew out a breath as the drums returned.
“We don’t have to do this,” he whispered in her ear, setting his bottle on a table. “Wanna make a break for it?”
Tempting! Leia’s muscles tensed. But if I want to see this side of Tarquin, see how they interact…
“No, I want to meet her.” Licking her lips, Leia abandoned her glass beside Tarquin’s beer and fussed with the skirt of her dress. What’s that saying? Expect the worst, hope for the best?
Tarquin gathered her hand in his and smiled lovingly. “Leia, no matter what, it’s you and me, okay? Mum’s opinion means fuck all.” He stepped closer, pressing a kiss in her hair. “If she’s too much, squeeze my hand and we’re off.”
“Got it.” She nodded. But really, how bad can Kiki be?
A pack of hungry farmers enjoying second helpings of lunch shifted, gifting Leia a clear view. Hollywood thin with a dewy, youthful complexion defying her fifty-plus years, the London-born diva sashayed with purpose through the obstacle course of guests, tables, and chairs like a Best Actress winner at the Golden Globes. A shimmery black evening gown and a matching fascinator of bowing feathers had replaced her designer trouser suit from earlier, but Rupert and Fiona’s friends clearly weren’t impressed. Shaking their heads, all rubbernecking stopped as they fell back into conversation, ignoring Kiki’s unwelcome cameo.
“Tarquin, darling!” Kiki beamed, lowering the half-empty champagne flute in her grip as she leaned in. Her quick air kisses—left, then right—spared his cheeks from her goopy glossy lips. “Don’t tell me…” With a flutter of her thick false lashes, she appraised Leia from head to toe. “This must be Lee!”
Close. Leia smiled politely. Just go with it. Correct her later. It wasn’t the first time someone botched her name. “Hi, Mrs. Balfour. Lovely to meet you.”
Tarquin wasn’t as forgiving. “Mum, I told you—her name’s Leia.”
“Oh, yes, of course! The Star Wars princess! You had all the posters, didn’t you Quinzie?”
Quinzie? Leia stole a sidelong glance at Tarquin mid-cringe and sucked back a giggle.
“Remember the one with the bikini?” Kiki gulped her fizz and pointed at her youngest son with her phone. “You loved that one!”