Fairytale Come Alive (Ghosts and Reincarnation #4)(71)
Author: Kristen Ashley

“No cookies. Eggs,” Isabella returned, deciding today was not that day and she certainly wouldn’t be the one who would relent.

“Pancakes,” Sally pushed.

“Eggs,” Isabella repeated.

“Pancakes!” Sally shouted.

Isabella turned to her and explained calmly, “Pancakes are weekend food. Tomorrow’s Saturday. Saturday is the weekend. I’ll make you pancakes tomorrow, with blueberries in and everything. But today you get eggs.”

“Okay,” Sally agreed happily.

Prentice burst out laughing.

So focused on Sally, Isabella’s body jerked and her gaze snapped to him. Her mind blanked as she caught sight of his handsome, laughing face.

His handsome, carefree, laughing face.

No tightness around his mouth, no pain in his eyes, his face was relaxed and he was at-ease in his kitchen with her and his children.

This so astonished Isabella, she didn’t react when he snatched her in his arms, gave her a hug and a swift kiss on her neck even though he was still chuckling.

He released her and she stood swaying as he went to the cupboard, pulled down a mug, poured in some coffee, splashed in her milk and brought it to her.

Automatically, her finger hooked the handle as he murmured, “I’d like mine scrambled.” She blinked up at him but he just grinned and turned to the fridge to get Sally some milk. He poured the milk in a glass while walking to Sally but he was speaking to his son, “Jace, get your rucksack ready, mate. We’re running late. We’ll need to leave right after eggs.”

The words “late” and “eggs” made Isabella jolt out of her motionless, befuddled stance, preparing to sort breakfast.

Her body stilled again when she saw Jason, his eyes darting back and forth between Isabella and Prentice like he was viewing a fascinating tennis match. His gaze stuck on Isabella and she watched as he slowly smiled his father’s smile.

Carefree, at-ease, relaxed.

Joy shot through her as fear pierced her soul.

She jolted yet again when she felt Prentice’s hand slide along the small of her back, stopping to give her waist a squeeze.

“Elle, baby, eggs,” he prompted softly, let her go and said to Jason, “I’ll finish the toast, Jace. Rucksack. Go.”

Jason nodded to his father and raced upstairs.

Isabella made eggs.

Prentice made toast and, shockingly, didn’t ruin it.

They ate while Isabella’s thoughts descended into turmoil, happy, sad, elated, sated, content, but most prevalent of all, terrified.

After they finished breakfast, she trailed after Prentice as Jason ran ahead to the door.

She caught his wrist, starting, “Pren –”

He abruptly turned, twisted his wrist and grasped her hand, pulling her to him. Her body hit his at about the same time his lips hit hers.

The terror fled and all good things Prentice were the only things on her mind.

His head lifted and he murmured, “I should make today’s deadline and be home in time for tea. Pick Jace up, will you?”

Without waiting for her to answer, he turned and walked out the door.

Long after it closed, Isabella stared at it.

Then she felt Sally’s little hand slide into hers.

She looked down at the girl.

“We forgot to give Blackie breakfast,” Sally told her, her face full of worry that a half an hour delay in Blackie getting breakfast would cause her new kitten to expire.

Alleviating Sally’s worry obviously took precedence over the fear closing around Isabella’s heart.

Therefore she set the fear aside to deal with later and she and Sally got Blackie some breakfast.

* * * * *

After they got Blackie breakfast, Isabella loaded Sally in the car and they went into town.

They did this partly because there were a few things for dinner that night that Isabella needed to pick up.

They did this mainly because Isabella decided that, although Sally couldn’t have cookies for breakfast, that didn’t mean Sally couldn’t have cookies at all and they needed some ingredients for cookies too.

As she was driving and Sally was chattering, she made up her mind that, after the kids went to bed that night, she and Prentice were going to talk.

She was not going to get dazed and confused.

She was not going to let him touch her, kiss her, make love to her or sleep with her.

She was going to put her foot down and get things straight.

They were going through the market with a cart as Isabella decided exactly what they’d get straight.

She was going to leave Monday. They were going to tell the children tomorrow night. Maybe take them out to dinner or something. Then she’d have Sunday as a farewell day and she’d be gone.

That was as far as she got in her plan.

Isabella had to stop strategizing when she had to stop and explain to Sally that she could pick only one candy bar for her and one candy bar for Jason rather than Sally having one of each on the display.

Then she couldn’t continue her mental planning session because practically everyone she passed in the aisles either smiled at her or said hello and this broke her concentration.

Then she couldn’t continue her mental planning session because, on their way to checkout, Lucy Guthrie (who used to work at the pub where Dougal and Annie, Fiona and Scott and Prentice and Isabella hung out), stopped them. Isabella and Lucy chatted for ten minutes about how Sally was getting on, if they were going to have a mild winter and if Isabella and Prentice had sampled the new Indian place in town.

Somehow shaken by Lucy thinking Isabella and Prentice would sample anything together even though it seemed the entire village (including Prentice) were under the mistaken impression that they were together, Isabella didn’t start her mental planning session again until much later.

It was after they went to the fruit and veg shop so she could get fresh fine greens for dinner and blueberries for pancakes the next morning.

And it was after they ran into Denise MacRae, Debs’s best friend since childhood who spent as much time at Prentice’s Mum’s house back in the day as Isabella did, which meant a lot, and her baby outside the fruit and veg shop.

And also after Denise’s nearly one year old baby charmed Isabella with a smile and then began to flirt with her brazenly (as only one year old baby boys could do), rendering Isabella smitten.

This meant she stood outside giggling with baby Robbie while talking to Denise about all things baby, Sally, Jason, Prentice, school runs and football practices.

And the mental planning session also came after Gordon Taggart, who was walking his dog, stopped to chat with Denise, Sally, Robbie and Isabella. Sally and Isabella fell in love with Gordon’s border collie instantly and they both took turns giving her hugs and cuddles (Sally) and scratches and body rubs (Isabella).