Fiona couldn’t believe her ears.
Alice was the administrator at his offices. She was a sweet young thing, efficient and organized and had been with Prentice since he started his firm. Fiona had never heard Prentice speak to her like that.
And Hattie was in the picture.
What had that cow done now?
Bella edged closer and asked, “Prentice, why are you calling Hattie?”
Prentice tore his hand through his hair as his gaze cut to the magazines Debs, Annie and Mikey were all flicking through, their faces tight and angry.
Then his gaze came back to Bella. “Davey Fennick came into school today with half a dozen gossip rags, all of them with stories and pictures of us which he shared, apparently gleefully, with Jason.”
“But,” Bella replied, “he’s seen us and even himself in magazines.”
“No’ the ones which talk about how we were together twenty years ago,” Prentice returned, light dawned and Bella grew pale.
Fiona wished she had figured out her magic so she could go zap Hattie Fennick a good one.
“Oh my God,” Bella whispered and her hands clenched into fists.
Prentice noticed it instantly and in an effort to control his rage his jaw tightened so much a muscle ticked there.
But his hands came to hers, he forced them open and laced their fingers. “Elle, he’s upset but he isn’t upset about that.”
Bella stared up at him. “What’s he upset about?”
“Davey didn’t only bring the magazines, he also brought stories, likely heard at home, about you and me and Fiona.”
Bella’s brows drew together and Fiona glided so much closer she nearly drifted into Bella.
“What stories about you and me and Fiona?” Bella asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Prentice replied.
“I do want to know,” Bella returned.
I want to know too! Fiona shouted.
“Elle –” Prentice began.
Her fingers tightened in his and she gave his hands a gentle jerk. “Tell me, Pren.”
Prentice sighed, dropped one of her hands and pulled his fingers through his hair again as he brought Bella closer.
“Davey told Jason I never loved Fiona. Davey told Jason I only ever loved you. Davey also told Jason that if I had to choose between you and Jason and Sally, I’d choose you because I love you more than I love them. And lastly, Davey told Jason that Fiona knew this and it’s what made her sick, it was why she died.”
Bella gasped.
Fiona did too.
They both stared at Prentice in horror.
Then Bella’s face got red.
Then she opened her mouth.
And then she shouted, very, very loudly, “I’m going to fucking wring Hattie Fennick’s neck!”
Prentice’s body jerked and his face went blank before he realized he wasn’t dealing with Isabella Austin Evangahlala.
He was dealing with Elle Austin and Elle was a whole lot less predictable than Isabella.
“Elle –” Prentice tried to pull her even closer but she snatched her hand away and paced into the kitchen while everyone watched her.
She halted in a jerky way and whirled to Prentice.
And she shouted (again) and (again) it was very loud, “That insufferable bitch! I’m going to conk her on the head and shove her over a cliff!”
Prentice moved toward her saying, “Elle, calm down.”
“Calm!” she yelled, scooting away from him and pacing, her hands moving around angrily. “Calm! I can’t be calm! Hattie Fennick is a malicious bitch and,” she stopped, twirled and glared at Prentice, “apparently, her son is a little snot!”
“Baby –” Prentice came at her again, she tried to avoid him but he caught her with an arm around her waist and pulled them together front to front then he repeated, “Calm down.”
“I will not be calm!” Bella was still shouting. “Anyone who had a brain in their head knew you loved Fiona! What is Hattie thinking, filling her son’s mind with that garbage!”
“Elle –” he started but Bella kept right on ranting.
“I was gone, you didn’t know I would ever come back. You went on with your life. Of course you loved her. She was Fiona! Everyone loved her! You thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with her. And you can’t get a brain tumor from thinking bad thoughts! Hattie Fennick! What a bitch! And her son, repeating it, even if he is ten years old, what a little snot!” Her body jerked and her eyebrows snapped together. “What did the Headmaster say?”
“Due to the circumstances, he’s being lenient with Jason,” Prentice answered.
“He better be.” Then she snapped, “Is he being lenient with the Fennick boy?”
“They think both boys learned their lesson and –”
Bella cut him off by announcing firmly, “Davey Fennick should be expelled.”
“Elle, Jason hit Davey. What Davey did was wrong but Jason knows better.”
“That may be so,” Bella clipped, “but I don’t care. I’m glad he hit him, I only hope he hit him hard!” Bella yelled.
Annie giggled.
Mikey chuckled.
Debs was grinning, huge.
Fiona was with Annie, she was giggling herself silly.
Even Prentice’s mouth was twitching. Gone was the anger, he looked like he was trying hard not to laugh.
It was then Fiona felt it and her eyes went to the top of the stairs.
Both Sally and Jason were sitting on the top step watching the show. Sally looked confused and maybe a little worried. Jason’s face was red but this was not anger or upset, he was nearly choking himself from holding back laughter.
Bella swung her gaze around the lot of them and snapped, “I see nothing funny about this.”
It was at that Jason lost his battle with his hilarity and snorted.
Everyone’s eyes moved to the stairs.
Prentice won his battle and with a firm voice, he ordered, “Rooms.”
Jason and Sally scampered.
Bella pulled back in Prentice’s arms and jerked her extended hand across her neck, declaring, “I’ve had it up to here with Hattie Fennick.”
Prentice’s eyes cut to her and they narrowed just as his body grew tense.
“What else has she done?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” she replied dryly. “She came into Fern’s today, said a few choice things and they were vile. And Annie told me she gave Fiona dirty looks. And I’ll remind you, she sold our story to a magazine for money.” Bella threw her arm out. “Now she’s got her son causing trouble for Jason at school!”
“I’ll talk to her,” Prentice replied.
“No, when you get her number, I’ll talk to her,” Bella shot back.
“Elle –”
“No, Pren. I don’t like the idea of her talking to you. Now she’s creeping me out with all this venom. This is all because she has a screaming crush on you. She has since you were in school,” Bella announced. “Fern said so.”
Prentice blinked.
Then he asked, “I’m sorry?”
“Fern told us she’s liked you since forever,” Annie chimed in.
“And, looking back, she totally has,” Debs added.
“Which, I don’t blame her,” Mikey declared. “But there’s a fine line between being forlorn at unrequited love and being, well, her.”
Prentice released Bella and turned to his audience, announcing, “Hattie Fennick doesn’t have a crush on me.”