As an escape, it sounded fabulous.
The superintendent stormed into the kitchen.“They want another bottle of champagne,” she said with a toss of her head, then proceeded out to the garden, no doubt to camp inside the van they had tucked around the far side of the spa.
“Merde!”Gerard, who had gone to one of the two refrigerators to get the champagne, turned a stricken face toward Mace.“I forgot to pick up the salmon!It has to marinade overnight, and should be soaking now.I’ll run to the shop and pray they still have it.Merde, merde, merde!”
As Gerard snatched up his car keys and dashed out of the kitchen, one of the police team poked his head into the kitchen to announce, “Your downstairs loo is broken.It won’t stop running.”
Mace slumped for a few seconds before squaring his shoulders.“So much for escape.Onward!”
SEVEN
Seriously???
EMILY
August 17th
“Wedding eve is closing not with a bang, but a whimper,” I told my mother.
Holly and Marla tittered at the unintentional double entendre.
“Focus, ladies,” I told them, glancing over my shoulder at them.“Mom is ripped, and we have to get her to her room before she melts into nothing.”
“I object to being treated as if I’m incapable of moving.I’m mildly intoxicated, not flat-out snockered.Your father is another issue.Where is he?”
“Devon insisted on taking Fang to the local, despite them hitting a few pubs earlier in the day, and Brother went along to keep an eye on them, or so he said.Iain, Corbin, Amy, and Kathie all decided to accompany them.”
“A pub?”Mom asked, wobbling as she made a vague gesture.“We already had champagne.Perhaps I should call him....”
“It’ll be fine.The others won’t let him go crazy any more than they would Fang,” I said in my Mom-soothing voice, which, oddly enough, was the same tone I used when trying to lure the Eltons back into their pasture.“Not that I’m worried about Fang, because he won’t have more than a pint, and I can’t see Brother doing anything to jeopardize his big tour and tea tomorrow.”
Mom stopped halfway up the stairs to the floor with our rooms.“Emily, I have to ask.I know you said it doesn’t matter, but I want you to think hard—”
“There’s no need,” I interrupted here, and with a little push got her moving upward again.“I swear to anything you like that I’m not in the least bit bothered about Brother not being at the ceremony.Now come on, let’s get you poured into bed so you can be a radiant mom of the bride.”
“Pour,” Mom said with a snort that had her wobbling again.I clutched her arm and gave her another little push.“What?Oh.Where did that step come from?Very well.Tallyho and up we go!”
