“You appear to be missing your fiancée.” Bobby smirked and seeing his brother’s stoic expression, he laughed.
“You think?” Jim smiled at his brother’s amusement.
“Was it your pre-nup that drove her away?” Bobby laughed, amused by himself. “Or the appearance of The Carter women in the building?”
Jim stepped closer. “The pre-nup is yet to be signed, by me, and we agreed to talk through it after Tasha tired of the legal talk and just signed the thing.”
“Oh my God! You’re kidding me? I bet Bryce loved that.” He chuckled with a shake of his head.
“Oh yes, but her attorney was far from pleased. I thought she was going to have a stroke or a seizure, so I said I would send it back, but I think we should discuss it when Dan and Pippa have gone home.”
“And the Carters, how did she take them?” Bobby sounded genuinely interested, but still amused.
“Badly. Especially when Sally asked why I hadn’t called her after she’d left her number. We went for lunch afterwards and she ate nothing, but managed to swear and shout before getting up to leave,” Jim told his brother making him laugh.
“I hope you reprimanded that degree of public display.” Bobby’s wolfish grin seemed fixed to his face.
“It got better when we got home. She defended that Dylan boy, Lizzie’s boyfriend.” Jim shuddered. “And then she compared his crazy dreams of being a racing driver to Lizzie’s dreams, oh and referred to Lizzie asthat slutty girland all of that was before she informed me that she wants to be known as Natasha Winters after we’re married.”
Bobby laughed loudly now and drew the others’ attention as he whispered to his brother, “You are going to have to rein her in little brother if you don’t want her to run rings around you. She is hot as hell, but that will just make other people want to make allowances for her, hoping to get some of that and then she’ll expect it from you if you haven’t been firm from the start.”
“You know she’s not a puppy I’m training, don’t you?”
“Maybe, but lines need drawing.”
“Since when did you become such an expert on women and specifically Tasha?” asked Jim, amused rather than irritated by his brother’s words and inferences.
“I’m not, but I’m an expert on you and I really think Tasha could be the only wife you’ll ever want or need, but not if she thinks she can take charge when we both know that’s your job. Enough of Hollywood will let her do that if she wants so you need to be different and as bossy as when she met you.” Bobby smiled.
“Is that what you do for Abby?” Jim looked across at Abby and smiled.
“Yup. You know they met with Maddie the other night?” asked Bobby.
Jim nodded.
“When Abby got home she was rather the worse for drink; Amanda dropped her home, but had to help her into the house.” Bobby was obviously still annoyed by this.
“Tasha said she wasn’t that drunk when she left her.”
“Well she damn well was by the time she got home and kept giggling about what a great night they’d had and at two in the morning she had her head down the toilet and wanted sympathy.”
Jim laughed at his brother’s description then asked wryly, “And I assume sympathy was in very short supply.”
“Still is. Abby is in no doubt that I’m pissed off.”
“I was fairly pissed about Maddie, but I know that wasn’t Tasha’s fault. Plus, she was already making up for lunch and Dylan and Lizzie so I didn’t hold Maddie against her personally.”
“You are going soft.” Grinned Bobby.
“I have my own ways of torturing Tasha and had done just that for several days before sending her out with your wife and the others carrying a rather effective set of Ben Wa balls.” Jim grinned as did Bobby. It really was debatable who was wearing the biggest shit eating grin at that point.
“Abby said she seemed distracted.” Laughed Bobby as Abby approached them now. “Amanda on the other hand was a revelation I believe.” Bobby smiled a cocky smirk, knowing he knew something Jim obviously didn’t, judging by his younger brother’s blank expression.
“You two look suspicious,” accused Abby as she linked an arm through Bobby’s.
“As if,” muttered Jim who addressed Bobby again. “We should play golf next week. Let me know when you’re free.”
“Jim, do we know when Tasha is likely to arrive?” asked Bria, who suddenly appeared between her brothers.
