“Yes, honey, he is.” Jim sighed, suddenly less mad as he remembered her age and inexperience.
“Are you mad at me?” she asked warily.
“About the diet thing? Yes. But I need to remember you are young, naïve and not familiar with the people you are now mixing with.” He moved to the opposite side of the desk and perched on the edge of it in front of her. “Which is why you need to trust me and talk to me about these things because I am neither naïve nor unfamiliar with these people.”
“Nor young?” She arched a brow, that one move full of mischief.
“Funny baby, real funny.” He fixed her with a steely gaze again.
“So what did Mickie say?”
“She denied any involvement initially, but I have known Mickie a long time and know when she’s lying, so she eventually admitted that she may have got Alan to plant that particular seed in your mind.”
“What a nasty bitch!” spat Tasha instinctively.
“Is this you trying not to shout or swear, Natasha?”
“Sorry, carry on please.”
“Then I asked her why she was paying Michael Rose, the private investigator to dig dirt on you?” revealed Jim to a dumbstruck Tasha. She opened her mouth and closed it without speaking several times before Jim said, “Now that really is a first. Natasha Winters lost for words.”
“But—she—why—?” Was as near as Tasha got to stringing a sentence together on the subject.
Jim pulled her to her feet and opened his legs to tug her between them.
“Because she thought if she could dig up some juicy dirt and reveal it to me then I would drop you like a hot potato. She told me that, eventually.” Jim cupped her face in his hands.
Tasha rested her head against his chest and inhaled his scent deeply. “You know all of my juicy dirt.” She sighed.
“I know, baby, but Mickie didn’t and she would never dream of being as honest as you are with me. However, if she is capable of doing that to you, the woman I love, my lucky number seven, then I don’t want anything to do with her and that is what I told her.”
“How did she take that?” asked Tasha sourly.
“Not good, but I did explain that it was all her own doing, not yours, however she did have a couple of surprises in her arsenal,” he said cryptically as Philip knocked on the open door.
“Sorry to interrupt but Juan and I are heading home for a while and Lizzie is getting showered and changed before we go to Mom’s at six.”
“Okay. Thanks for this afternoon and for taking Lizzie to dinner tonight,” said Jim looking at his son proudly.
“Hey, don’t sweat it. I know what you two are like and Mom has missed Lizzie, so everyone’s happy.” He grinned as he headed for the front door with Juan and called as they headed through the door, “See you all later. Lizzie, be ready.”
Tasha and Jim laughed, knowing the chances of Lizzie being ready on time were slim.
“So what were these surprises in Mickie’s arsenal?” asked Tasha.
“Not now, Tasha, later. We can also talk about Jake and Gerry then and your idea of a diet, but we should go back to the kids.” Jim was already leading her out into the hall.
****
Tasha was more relaxed after dinner when she could see that Dan and Pippa were more at ease in Jim’s company. They were on their second game of bowling and at Pippa’s suggestion they had paired into two teams; the oldest and youngest in age were one team, her and Jim and then the two middle ones, Tasha and Dan. Jim and Pippa, who Pippa had now named ‘Team Jippa’ had won the first game with ease, but as Dan was on his third consecutive strike, with just one more turn each they were assured of victory this time.
“Shall we have a decider then?” asked Pippa. “We need clear winners,” she declared as Jim nodded his head in clear agreement.
“You are my kind of girl, Pippa. I like to have clear victories and for my opponents to be clear that they have lost,” he told Pippa, grinning and relaxed.
“Cool. Team Dasha prepare to lose to Team Jippa!” she cried as she enthusiastically high fived Jim to Tasha’s amusement as she had never seen either of them high fiving.
“I do hope Team Jippa don’t cry too much when they get their arses kicked,” said Tasha as she went off to pay for another game.
