The dogs gave their usual greeting as they entered, with Buster staying by Piers side. Helen noted how close they looked. As Pier went to put his coat away Buster begged on his two back paws dancing around him. Perplexed he asked the dog.
‘What is it boy’ looking up at Helen for an explanation.
‘He’s asking for a bone, I keep them on the opposite side to the coats’.
‘Can I give him one?’ He asked this will a childlike excitement that broke the frost between them. Poppy closely followed by foxy came back through to the hall and sat in anticipation looking at Helen.
Pier found the biscuit bones and Buster gave him his paw. Thinking he had this dog training lark under control he went to give the girls one, which they refused from him and Bust was now doing his Otter impression to keep the focus on him hoping for more than his fair share. The girls looked down their noses at his antics and then looked up to Pier and back to Helen they then went either side of her and sat elegantly with a hoity-toity air that was comical.
‘Ok girls, I get the picture you want to play hard to get.’ Helen clicked her fingers and immediately the girls laid down with their heads raised in anticipation.
‘They are not playing hard to get, they just have impeccable manors.’
When he smirked at her last remark she could see he was in discomfort and went to get a cold compress for him. As soon as he came into the large kitchen diner and sat on the small sofa next to the French door that perfectly framed the garden, Buster was already curling up-to him and the girls were at his feat. He had put his head back and gratefully received the cold compress.
Their conversation had started to flow once again and they discussed the issues she had had over knowing him too little to be in love with him. He proclaimed his hurt of her rejection and told her not to look too deeply into to it. After all people fell in love at first sight and his family weren’t to know she thought him an android.
‘You’ll hang onto that statement for as long’.
‘As we’re together.’ he interjected. Stunned silence hung in the air over the insinuation that statement implied.
‘What are we doing Pier?’
‘You’re not pulling out on me are you? Didn’t take you for a quitter!’
‘It just seems like lying to the people we are closest to is so wrong’.
‘As wrong as five long and painful months of blind dates, that they have pushed me into? I don’t think so. I’m the main topic of conversation between Deb and Alicia even mum has started to join in. You know my mum and yours are behind this too?’
‘What my mum knows yours and they talk about us?’
‘Oh ya, they think that because we don’t put enough effort into relationships’.
‘You are kidding me aren’t you? Our mums know each other?’
Helen flopped onto the sofa next to him her mind running out of room to think, so embroiled with questions that there was no room left.
‘They think that we don’t try and they think we deserve each other do they?’ Agitated she picked at her fluffy slippers indignation took over her emotions. Pier was a little taken a back that his intention had overflowed into this reaction.
As they talked on it became apparent that the mothers had met when Deb and Pier had been borne and had kept in-touch meeting for coffees. Pier oldest sister had struck up a close friendship with her when their two girls were borne ten years ago. Pier and Deb had been friends all the time but had become, very close at Uni then they saw less of each other and in the last two years had become close again. He could tell this was a shock to Helen, Helen he knew liked to be in control and was a little hurt she had not known about this part of her mothers and sister lives. He liked the bond that she felt to her family and he couldn’t help himself in winding her up a little about his family ties to hers, making her want to go with him tonight to meet them out of intrigue. But he was not entirely sure why he wanted them to get together. It had a lot to do with getting his family to back off him that was for sure and the fun they could have at their expense was something to look forward to but there was this feeling of wanting to spend time with them all together, that he just couldn’t explain.
Helen had a long soak in the bath and tried to relax about this evening. Pier had insisted they take a taxi at his expense so they could both have a drink. Half of her was so angered at their families behaviour and half worrying about the deceit they were about to perform. Her main concern was what would happen when the truth came out.
She wrapped her towel around her and entered her room to pick out something to wear, when Pier greeted her with a glass of Champagne
‘What’s this for?’
‘Let the challenge begin’.
‘What you on! What challenge’.
‘That you can’t convince my parents that you love me as much as I can convince your parents I love you. Up for it or are you too much of a wimp.’
‘Oh! That’s so unfair. You know my family, I don’t know yours.’
‘Knew it, just not up to it’? He knew by that look in her eye he had hooked her.
Helen took the glass and saluted,
‘Oh! You’re so going to regret this.’ He didn’t know what he was taking on, bless him he’ll have to learn the hard way, grit determination can be a very blind thing.
As they drank she picked out her dress and explained that meeting the perspective mother-in-law (at which she noted with satisfaction, his eyebrows lifted) for the first time needed a new dress and as it happened, she had just the thing. She picked out her make-up to go with it and even added some sedate false eyelashes. He reluctantly left the room and she promised to put her make-up on in the living room so that she could educate him into the art of apply make-up. She put on her favourite miss matched outfit that made her relax and bounced on the sofa next to him. He switched off the telly and was intently watching her every move. It made her laugh when he pulled the same faces as her as she applied the lashes and mascara. They both looked at the result with appreciation.
He took the dogs out for a small walk and arrived back in time to have a quick shower and got dressed in some more of her brother’s clothes and she had to admit he was a good looking chap.
By the time the taxi arrived they both felt up to the challenge, each planning a string of events to out-wit their opponent.
No comments:
Post a Comment