Fairytale Come Alive (34 page)

Thoughts of Elle staring into the pasta as she stirred it when Mikey explained how she’d taken Annie’s abuse and patiently forced her friend to heal.

Thoughts of Elle clenching her fists tightly when she became anxious.

Thoughts of Elle on her hands and knees after her father struck her.

Thoughts of Elle lying on the couch last night, her body trembling violently, the terrified noises she made scoring his heart.

Thoughts he’d refused to let himself think, not now, not yesterday, not five days ago and not in the weeks after she got in her rental car and drove away from him without looking back.

Instead, he focused on something else.

He pulled on the rest of his clothes and found her handbag. Digging through it, he located her passport in a travel purse, pulled it out, shoved the travel purse back into her bag and slid the passport in the back pocket of his jeans.

Then he walked to the wardrobe and found her two pieces of empty luggage neatly stowed. He grabbed them both and took them out to his Range Rover, tossing them in the back.

Then he went back inside and made coffee.

He went to his rooms and took a shower, dressed and woke the children with a word of warning that Elle was still sleeping and they needed to be quiet so as not to wake her.

Even Sally complied with his command.

As he made his children porridge, he thought of the three days since they had their scene in his study.

He’d seen her frequently. At breakfast. During dinner. In the evenings.

He’d spoken to her infrequently.

Their picture in a gossip magazine had whetted the villagers’ appetites. The house was treated to the constant comings and goings of friends and acquaintances who said they wanted to see how Sally was doing (and they likely did). Mostly, however, they wanted to see what was going on with Prentice and Isabella after their very quick, very public and very short reconciliation ended in an unexplained three week absence that put Prentice (and Jason) in very bad moods.

They were disappointed. Elle was a gracious hostess but her focus was the children, Sally’s health, Jason’s studies, their dinner, their scheduled bedtimes.

So focused was she, she had no time to focus on Prentice.

As for Prentice, he had a deadline to make and the doorbell going every fifteen minutes didn’t help.

Yesterday, he’d called Isabella and left a voicemail on her mobile telling her that he needed to work late.

She’d called him back but he’d missed the call. When he checked his voicemail, he heard her voice.

Something about hearing her voice leaving a message made him lose concentration. He didn’t hear a fucking word she said.

He just listened to the sound of her voice leaving him a voicemail like she did it every day.

That warmth hit his gut and this time it was far stronger, nearly enough to knock him to his knees.

After he got over acting like a fifteen year old boy with a fucking crush, he replayed the message and listened to her speak.

“Prentice? It’s Isabella. I got your message. Listen, I’m sorry but there was a photographer in the village today. He took photos of me and Sally. I got away as quickly as I could. I…” She hesitated then rushed on, “I just thought you’d want to know. See you later.”

Unfortunately, if he wanted to feed his children that “later” needed to be much later for, as much as he wanted to be home and not only eat her food but see her in his kitchen cooking it, he had to work.

He’d come home to a light outside, a light in the vestibule and a lamp lit in the great room, all indicating that Elle had again illuminated his way.

When he had them all off and the house secured for the night (something he never did, until he saw his son’s photograph in a gossip magazine, they lived remote at the end of a winding one lane road you’d have to really want to drive up), he’d seen the dim light and heard the hushed sounds of the television in Elle’s rooms.

He thought she was awake, watching television.

And he knew he shouldn’t go to her.

He was fucking overjoyed he went.

“Why’s Miss Bella asleep?” Sally asked on a loud whisper as Prentice put her bowl of porridge in front of her.

“Because she’s tired?” Jason replied to his sister sarcastically.

“Jason,” Prentice warned.

“But she’s always awake,” Sally countered, ignoring Prentice and unaffected as ever by her brother’s sarcasm.

“She needs her sleep, baby,” Prentice said. “She’s been very busy and she’s very tired.”

“Tired like spending the day at the beach tired?” Sally asked.

“Even more,” Prentice answered.

Sally’s eyes got big and she breathed, “That’s
tired
.”

He smiled at his daughter before he said, “This morning you’re coming to work with me. We’ll let Elle sleep in. I’ll bring you back later.”

Sally tucked into her porridge and replied brightly, “Okay.”

Prentice watched his daughter and wished his life was that simple.

Unfortunately, it was
not
.

Jason made a noise and Prentice’s eyes moved to his son. When they did, he noted immediately that Jason had something weighty on his mind.

Uncharacteristically, Jason didn’t delay in sharing what was weighing on his mind.

“How long is Miss Bella staying this time?” Jason asked his porridge.

Clear evidence that his life was not simple.

Prentice made a decision.

“You can call her Elle,” he told Jason and Jason’s head shot up.

“Hurrah!” Sally cheered.

“Be quiet, baby,” Prentice gently admonished his daughter.

“Hurrah,” Sally whispered, grinning huge.

Prentice looked at his son. His head was bent to his porridge.

But he was also grinning.

Looking at his son, Prentice changed his mind.

Maybe life
was
that simple.

All of It I Carry Safe

Fiona

Fiona floated behind Bella as Bella paced the great room.

And as Fiona floated, she giggled.

Bella was cross.

Very cross.

Fiona thought it was hilarious.

After Prentice came home last night and headed to the guest suite, Fiona followed him.

The minute he crossed the threshold to the room and Fiona would have floated after him, she’d popped right back to her tent by the stream.

She knew what
that
meant.

At the current stage in Prentice and Bella’s game, Fiona found this surprising (and heartbreaking, but only for Fiona, still, she didn’t go there).

Nevertheless, after she had a good night’s sleep, the next morning she was wandering down to the stream when she popped back into the bedroom of the guest suite.

It was morning. Bella was sleeping in bed.

Prentice was standing beside it, wearing just his jeans, watching her.

Then Fiona watched Prentice get dressed, go to Bella’s handbag, pocket her passport, then go to her wardrobe and grab her luggage. She floated after him as he carried it out to the Range Rover. After tossing it in, he walked back into the house.

Fiona stayed outside, staring at Bella’s empty luggage in the back of Prentice’s 4x4. Then she burst out laughing.

Prentice got the kids ready and out of the house and Fiona went to Bella’s room, wiling the morning away reading the rest of her journals.

By the time she was done, she was shedding ghostly tears again.

Seriously, Bella’s father was a tosser.

And that ex-husband of hers? There were no words to describe what
he
was.

She was still holding the journal when Bella moved.

Quickly putting the journal back and arranging it in Bella’s exacting way, she looked to the bed.

Bella was sitting up in bed covers held to her naked chest, head turned away from Fiona, staring in horror at the clock saying it was twelve after eleven.

Then she was a flurry of motion.

She threw back the covers, catapulted out of bed, snatched up her discarded clothes from the night before and threw them on.

Then she went directly to the wardrobe. Tugging the doors open, she even leaned in to grab her suitcases before she realized they weren’t there.

She stared at the empty space.

Fiona giggled at Bella.

She couldn’t help it; Bella’s face was just
too
funny.

“What on –?” Bella started to say, stopped then searched the room.

Then she searched the house.

Thoroughly.

Finally, she saw Prentice’s note propped up against the coffeemaker.

Fiona stood behind her, reading over her shoulder as Bella read it.

E,

S is with me so you can sleep in. Call me when you wake up and I’ll bring her home.

P

PS: The coffee’s made, just add cinnamon and flip the switch.

Fiona floated to Bella’s side and saw her face was the picture of shock, her eyes wide, her mouth had dropped open.

Fiona started giggling again. Really, she was hilarious.

Fiona glided behind her as Bella ran to the guest suite.

Grabbing her bag, she started digging. She pulled out an elegant, rich leather, designer travel purse, snapped it open and stared inside. Her brows drew together and her fingers sifted through its contents. Not locating her passport, her face grew pale and she started to shake the travel purse as if shaking it would make her passport magically float to the surface.

She gave up, dropped the travel purse and started digging in her bag. Then she started
frantically
digging through her bag. Then she dumped the contents of her bag on the couch and pawed through them.

Then she stood, face still pale, staring at the contents of her handbag scattered on the couch. Contents that no longer included her passport.

Her hands were clenched and Fiona bit her ghostly lip.

Fiona watched the expressions cross Bella’s face and Fiona knew Bella made the decision not to be anxious but instead to be angry when Bella unclenched her fists and her eyes flashed.

Fiona stopped biting her lip and grinned.

This was going to be good.

Then Bella snatched up her phone and dialed Prentice.

Fiona got as close to her as possible without getting into shivering distance.

With super-ghost hearing, she listened to their conversation.

“Elle,” Prentice said in greeting.

“Pren –” Bella started.

“You’re awake,” Prentice cut her off.

“Yes,” Bella said curtly. “Prentice, I can’t –”

He interrupted her again, “I’ll bring Sally home. We’ll leave in fifteen minutes. Be home soon.”

“Prentice, I –” Bella began but Prentice had rung off.

Bella took her phone from her ear and stared at it with that wide-eyed, mouth open look.

Fiona started giggling again.

Then she watched Bella dial again.

Fiona got close. Bella got voicemail.

Fiona started giggling (yes, again!).

Bella pressed a button with her thumb angrily and she threw her mobile on the couch.

Then she took a shower, got dressed and was in the great room, hair wet, face murderous, feet pacing when Prentice and Sally walked in.

“
Elle!
” Sally screeched the minute she saw her.

Fiona’s daughter ran direct to Bella, throwing her arms around Bella’s legs as if she hadn’t seen her in years rather than hours.

The anger in Bella’s face instantly melted away and it got that soft look it got every time Sally hugged her.

Fiona watched as Bella placed a hand to Sally’s hair.

Fiona really liked it when Bella touched Sally’s hair for, she suspected, Sally really liked it too.

Then Bella’s eyes drifted to Prentice as he got close and the soft look vanished.

She opened her mouth to speak but his hand shot out, fingers curling around the back of her head, he leaned into her over Sally, pulling her to him at the same time.

He kissed her, hard but fast.

Fiona could have done without seeing
that
.

Luckily, it was short.

With his hand still in her hair, faces close, he murmured, “Can you pick Jason up from school?”

Mutely, eyes glazed, lips parted, Bella nodded.

His hand slid to her jaw, his thumb stroking her cheekbone, his gaze roving her face, Fiona registered that he was pleased with what he saw.