as she waited to be introduced.
Gabe glanced around the table like a watchful lion sizing up the enemy. His gaze came to rest on Marla just as her mother delivered a sharp kick to her shins to make her stand up.
‘Gabe. This is a surprise.’ She placed her menu down slowly and stood begrudgingly next to her mother. ‘This is my mother, Cecilia.’
Her ingrained good manners demanded that she make introductions at the very least.
‘Mom, this is Gabriel Ryan. He runs the funeral parlour. You know, the one right next door to the chapel.’
She shot her mother a warning look and Cecilia frowned for a second. She’d heard enough about the High Street battle to be aware that Gabe and Marla were not the best of friends.
Please don’t say anything ridiculous, Mom. Just say Hi and let them return to their table.
‘Oooh. I’ve heard a lot about you, and all bad, you naughty young man!’ Cecilia’s eyes danced as they always did in the presence of an attractive man. Marla should have known better than to hope family loyalty would trump good looks.
‘Come on over here and let me fraternise with the enemy!’ Cecilia’s laughter tinkled as she threw out her arms to beckon him closer.
Naughty young man? Fraternise with the enemy? Marla was instantly transported back twenty years to schoolyard fights. Her mother had never fought her corner then either, especially if the kid in question had a good-looking dad. But Marla was all grown up these days, and she was going to kill her mother for this. She’d let Brynn stuff her too, for good measure.
Gabe’s smile couldn’t have been more awkward as he made his way around the table and kissed Cecilia’s overly powdered cheek.
Marla watched in horrified fascination as her mother fluttered her false lashes and swooned under Gabe’s attention. The fact that this particular good-looking man was trying to wreck her daughter’s life was clearly not reason enough to refrain from flirting.
‘Good to meet you, Cecilia. Marla tells me you’re to be married soon?’
Marla’s toes curled as she peeped at Rupert through her fringe. She hadn’t talked about her mom with Rupert before this visit, so her obvious confidence in Gabe was not likely to go down well. Oh dear. He was purple-in-the-face kind of angry. Please don’t make a scene, Rupert.
‘But then he’s never asked you about your family either, has he?’ the little devil on her shoulder prompted.
‘Please, come join us. We’re having a bit of a party,’ Cecilia asked.
‘We’d love to, thank you,’ Melanie piped up and beamed at Marla’s mother.
‘We would?’ Gabe shot her a quizzical look.
Melanie leaned in and cupped her hand around Gabe’s ear for privacy.
‘There’s been a bit of a hitch with the others, they went to the wrong restaurant,’ she whispered.
It was a toss up for who looked more mortified, Marla or Gabe. Shock robbed them both of the power of speech for a crucial moment, and Cecilia jumped in and beckoned the waiter over and organise two extra chairs next to her own.
‘And who is this delightful creature?’ Cecilia enquired, her eyes on Melanie.
Delightful? Marla reached the end of her tether. ‘This is Melanie, mom. She’s the one who killed Bluey.’
Melanie blanched beneath her make-up and Rupert coughed nervously.
‘Marla, darling, that’s umm, not...’ he flicked a glance between Marla and Melanie. ‘Well, not strictly fair.’
Why. Thank. You. Rupert. His lack of public support stung like a slap.
Tom raised his glass again, merry as a mad monk on too much wine and not enough food. ‘A toast.’ He paused until everyone had quietened down to listen. ‘To Bluey.’
‘Who’s Bluey?’ Brynn hissed to no one in particular as everyone reached for their glass.
‘Marla’s Great Dane. Melanie ran him over.’ Emily supplied as she topped up her wine glass with more water.
‘Lovely big boy he was,’ Dora said, her lip quivering so much Brynn was moved to upend the wine bottle into her glass and pushed it towards her.
Ivan nodded and pointed a crooked index finger at Brynn. ‘I’ll tell you something. He’d have given your bull a run for his money. Huge todger. Spotted it when he piddled on my roses.’
Brynn clapped his hands in delight and looked over at Gabe with hopeful eyes.
‘You haven’t still got him in the deep freeze have you, Gabriel?’
‘No, he bloody well hasn’t!’ Marla banged her glass down on the table. With as much control as she could muster, she shot out of her chair to make a break for the sanctuary