Fairytale Come Alive (58 page)

“You don’t know what?” Mikey asked.

“It’s just…” Fern started then she glanced again at Bella. “I grew up with her, we were in the same year as Prentice at school. She really liked him.”

“What’s not to like?” Mikey enquired then declared, “The man is hot.”

Fern grinned at Mikey. “Aye, well, he always was a fine looking lad. It’s just the
way
Hattie liked him.” She looked at Bella. “It always spooked me.”

Annie and Mikey (and Fiona) leaned forward as Annie asked, “How so?”

Fern shook her head. “I can’t say, can’t put my finger on it. But it was just…” she paused and shivered, “strange.”

“You. Are. Creeping. Me.
Out,
” Mikey stated flatly.

“Sorry,” Fern whispered on a grin to Bella.

“You know, Dougal said something once,” Annie put in softly and everyone turned to her. “Something about how he heard Hattie say something about Fiona. Something very Hattie, just mean. But Dougal said something like, ‘Reckon it’s Prentice, Hattie always hated anyone who caught Prentice’s eye.’ I didn’t think anything of it but it’s true.” Annie looked at Bella. “She barely knows I exist except to be passably nasty but she’s always been actively spiteful to you and I saw her look at Fiona once and it was downright chilling.”

Fiona’s ghostly body shivered just listening to Annie and thinking that Hattie looked at her like she’d caught Hattie looking at Bella just now which, evidently, she had.

“She made a play for him once,” Fern threw in, everyone looked at her and then instantly moved closer. “I only know about it because I overheard Old Lady Kilbride talking about it.” Fern tilted her head to the side and looked at Bella. “Sorry Bella, but it was just after you left.”

Bella gave her a small smile and Fern carried on.

“I, personally, saw the first part but I didn’t know she took it further. See, Prentice was getting pissed at the pub and everyone saw her sidling up to him, even me. It was kind of sad, really because everyone knew Prentice was upset, sorry Bella,” she said again and when Bella shrugged and gave her a small, encouraging smile, Fern forged ahead. “And everyone knows when he’s upset he gets kind of moody and they should leave him alone.”

“You can say that again,” Mikey put in and Fern gave him a grin.

“Apparently,” Fern carried on, “she made her play when he was walking home. I don’t know what happened but Mrs. Kilbride said Hattie was in fits. Mrs. Kilbride heard her from the pavement, shouting the house down over at her Mum’s. Her friend was there, what was her name?” Fern paused. “The one who moved to Dundee?” When no one answered, Fern carried on, “Anyway, she was saying something about Prentice being good enough for toffee-nosed Americans, sorry Bella,” she repeated on an embarrassed grimace and went on, “But not good enough for the local lasses and demanding to know what was wrong with her.”

“I’d need a whole week, twenty-four seven, to detail what’s wrong with her,” Mikey muttered.

“I hardly think Hattie Fennick is worth this kind of intense conversation,” Bella remarked.

“You’ve got to admit, it’s weird,” Annie replied.

“Okay, so she had a crush on Prentice back in the day and, because of her unrequited love, she doesn’t like me and didn’t like Fiona. That’s understandable. We have or had what she wants or wanted. And this is Hattie. It’s can’t be a surprise that she’d be poor loser,” Bella explained.

“This is true,” Annie said.

It
was
true, Fiona thought, but it still was spooky.

And Fiona was on the lookout for spooky.

Because spooky could become dangerous.

Watch out for Hattie Fennick!
Fiona shouted at Bella.

“But, I’ll watch out for Hattie Fennick,” Bella announced and at this dramatic statement everyone looked at her funny so she grinned. “I mean, I wouldn’t want the likes of Hattie Fennick messing up my Scottish fairytale come alive, now would I?”

Mikey slid an arm along her shoulders and tucked her into his side. “Nothing’s going to mess up your Scottish fairytale come alive,
especially
not the likes of Hattie Fennick,” he assured and gave Bella a squeeze.

“All right,” Bella said decisively. “Now, I’ve got a bedroom to decorate. We need new furniture. And bed linens.” She turned to Fern. “Do you deal with that too?”

Fern smiled and replied, “Absolutely.”

Fifteen minutes later, Bella had warmed to her theme and was standing in the store discussing ideas with Fern on how to redecorate the sitting room whilst Annie and Mikey were perusing her wares when the bell over the door rang and Prentice’s sister Debs stormed in.

She was breathing so heavily she was wheezing, her hand held to her throat.

“Debs, what on earth?” Bella asked, hurrying to Debs while Fiona floated along.

“The… you… Mrs. Kilbride…” Debs panted, “said you were here. I ran here the minute I saw it.”

“Saw what?” Bella asked and without another word Debs opened her big bag and pulled out a magazine.

“Oh crap,” Annie breathed as everyone got close.

“I thought they’d gone,” Bella whispered as she looked at the magazine as if it might grow teeth and bite her.

“Apparently, they had, into hiding!” Debs declared and showed Bella the cover.

On the front was a photo of Laurent and his strumpet, a bright yellow jagged line separating them, an announcement above them stating, “It’s over!”

In the bottom corner there was a photo of Bella and Prentice snogging.

Actually
snogging.

Not a peck on the lips but a full on
snog.

The small title by their photo said, “While Isabella Lives Happily Ever After”.

Fiona stared as Bella groaned, “Oh no.”

“Girlie-girl!” Mikey hooted. “They got a picture of you and Mr. Broody-Hot
making out!
Look at that! It’s gorgeous! I love it!”

Bella glared at Mikey while Annie asked, “How on earth did they get that?”

Bella took the magazine from Debs’s hand and started flipping through it.

“Remember a week ago, you, Dougal, Pren and I were at the pub?” Bella asked Annie, still flipping. “Well, Pren kissed me by the car.” Her head came up. “We thought the photographers had all gone.”

“Well they hadn’t,” Mikey commented.

“Yes, Mikey, I can see that,” Bella snapped.

“Oh, wow, hey Mikey. You’re here,” Debs smiled at him in belated greeting and Mikey returned her smile.

“Why are
you
so happy about this?” Annie asked Mikey with narrowed eyes.

“Because Bella’s making out with a handsome man, living the life of her dreams and that ass is alone, as he should be. And there isn’t any way he can escape this, he’ll see it and I love it. I think it’s brilliant!” Mikey answered.

“Well, Pren isn’t going to think it’s brilliant. Look!” Bella exclaimed and turned the magazine around for everyone to look.

They closed in and Fiona floated above them to have a look.

There was a spread, mostly Laurent and his floozy but also photos of Bella and Prentice. Photos taken recently, more shots of them snogging by Prentice’s Rover and the inside shots were far more intimate. They were really going at it, Prentice even had a hand cupped tight on Bella’s ass. And there were also pictures of Bella dropping the kids off at school.

“Yeesh, did you two do it in the Rover or what?” Annie asked.

“No! We didn’t do it in the Rover! Still, this is, it’s…” Bella paused and finished with, “Oh. My.
God!
”

Annie got close and slid an arm around Bella’s waist. “Prentice doesn’t care about this stuff, sweetie.”

“Yes, well he’s never had pictures of him making out published yet,” Bella returned. “Look at it Annie!” She shook the magazine at her friend. “He’s got his hand on my ass!”

“Mm, that’s my favorite part,” Mikey murmured.

Debs took the magazine out of Bella’s hands and examined it while muttering, “He’s my brother and I still think he looks fit.”

“Sick,” Fern giggled and Debs giggled with her.

“This isn’t funny!” Bella shouted as her handbag rang; she dug into it, pulled out her mobile and stared at the display in horror. Then she looked at her audience with an expression that could only be described as dire, hit a button, put it to her ear and said, “Hey Pren.”

There were collective giggles (including Fiona’s) and Bella glared daggers at them as she wandered away. Fiona wandered with her and got close to listen in.

“Are you at Fern’s?” Prentice asked.

“Yes,” Bella answered.

“While you’re with her, talk about the sitting room,” Prentice ordered, sounding distracted.

“We already did.” She hesitated. “Listen, Pren –”

“Sorry, baby, I’ve got a staff meeting in five minutes and we’re breaking ground in the New Year on that job. There’s loads of shit to sort.”

Bella sucked in breath. Prentice heard it.

“Elle?”

“Um…” she began.

“Elle,” he cut in, “are you with Annie?”

Bella’s shoulders went straight and she snapped, “Yes, and would you
stop
asking if I’m with Annie when you think we’re misbehaving?”

“Oh crap,” Annie mumbled in the background.

Prentice obviously didn’t appreciate her tone of voice and Fiona knew this by
his
tone of voice when he answered.

“Were you with Annie two weeks ago when the police pulled you over for drag racing?” he countered.

Fiona giggled to herself because she thought that Bella drag racing was funny, especially Prentice’s reaction to it when Fergus called and told him it happened. Bella didn’t get in trouble, only a warning but the whole village had heard about it and thought it was a scream.

“We weren’t
drag racing,
” Bella replied. “I just got my new car and we were testing it out.”

“By racing each other in the streets?”

“Well –”

Prentice interrupted her, “And last week at the pub when you two challenged the rugby team to a game of quarters.”

“Quarters is like riding a bike, you never forget how to do it and Annie and I are good at quarters. The rugby team was smashed and we were only a little tipsy,” Bella defended.

“You play quarters when you’re in uni,” Prentice returned.

“And when your forty and having fun!” Bella snapped.

“I don’t have time for this,” he ground out, sounding like his patience was at an end.

“All right, fine. Just so you know, that night at the pub with the rugby team?” she informed him. “Later, when we were necking in the parking lot, there was a photographer. There’s, like, five pictures in a gossip rag of us going at it. Have a good staff meeting.” Then Bella pressed a button on her phone, turned to the group and announced, “Honestly, it’s like he’s an old man.”

“Actually, it seems to me it’s like twenty years haven’t passed,” Debs whispered, Annie, Fern and Mikey grinned at her and Bella’s phone rang again.

She answered without greeting, simply reminding him, “Pren. Staff meeting?”

Prentice didn’t greet Bella either.

Instead, he demanded, “Don’t put the phone down on me.”

“I… what?”

“Don’t
ever
put the phone down on me.”

Bella went still at the tone of his voice. So did Fiona’s spectral body.

He sounded serious and he sounded
angry.
Not Bella-and-Prentice-having-a-tiff angry.

Something else entirely.

Bella turned her back to her spectators and started, “Prentice, I –”

Prentice interrupted her.

“You could get in a car wreck, I could get in a car wreck and the last thing you did was put the phone down on me.” Fiona saw Bella’s face pale as Prentice continued, “When you’re done speaking, no matter how frustrated you are, you fucking tell me good-bye.”

“I’m not going to get in a car wreck,” Bella assured quietly.

He ignored her. “We fight, it’s what we do and as fucking daft as it makes me, I love that about us. But when you’re separated from me and I’m talking to you on the fucking phone, no matter if we’re talking or fighting, you say good-bye.”

“Pren –”

“Twenty years ago, I walked out of a room and neither of us said good-bye.”

Bella pulled in breath and her eyes squeezed tight.

“People who care about each other always say good-bye,” Prentice finished.

She opened her eyes and replied softly, “All right, Pren, I’ll say good-bye.”

“Always, Elle,” he demanded.

“Always,” she whispered.

“Now, I’m late. Don’t, for the love of Christ, get into trouble with Annie.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

He expelled an audible breath, his voice got soft and he said, “Love you, baby.”

Bella’s face got soft when she heard it; she started to say something and then her body jerked.