Bruno was setting up the restaurant with his wife Alessandro, (also known as Auntie Ali to Lauren) for the evening when the phone blared out. Bruno sighed frustrated, throwing his hands up in the air.
"I got it Ali" Bruno shouted across the room.
He rushed over to the phone getting to it just in time.
"Bruno's" he smiled down the phone.
He smiled at the familiar voice. "Hello Lauren".
Bruno frowned down the phone hearing her explanation. "Lauren, are you okay dear? I'm worried about you… me and Ali are" he said.
"Okay…well you ring me if you need anything" he told her before the call stood by the phone with one hand on his hip, a big frown in place.
"Who was it darling?" Ali asked, seeing her husband frown.
"Lauren, she's not coming in" he told her.
"Oh…" Ali frowned. "Is she okay?" she asked.
"I don't think so Ali, I have a bad feeling something bad has happened" he said.
.JL.
Lauren was sat in her Pyjamas on the sofa when Jack walked in from work. He threw his keys on the table and groaned to himself.
"Bad day?" Lauren asked, surprising him.
He spun around to see her sitting there surrounded by her blanket and cushions.
"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" he frowned.
"Yeah but I don't feel good" she sighed.
Jack studied her for a while, she did look pale but he wasn't sure if that was because she didn't feel well or for the fact that she may be lying to him, and he didn't think it was just a coincidence that she had failed to go into work the one day she would have to walk there. Jack had called Lauren this morning, letting her know she'd have to get a bus to work because he was working late… he didn't have to work late but he was still trying to find out what had happened to Lauren or if anything had happened. He also wanted to test her, he knew if she didn't go in something was wrong… maybe she was scared to make her own way there? He thought to himself.
"Oh, what's up?" he asked sitting down next to her.
"I've just got really bad stomach cramps, it's err… that time of the month" she told him.
Jack's eyes widened "Oh" he chuckled, Lauren blushing in return.
"Hey how about me and you go out for dinner?" he asked her, smiling.
Lauren turned to face him. "I thought money was tight?" she asked.
"It was but I got promoted today" he sang the last words of the sentence.
"Oh my god you got it?" Lauren asked.
"Sure did babe, you're looking at the new DCI" he chuckled, his ego shining through.
Lauren giggled and hugged him, wincing as she moved to fast. "Careful babe" Jack sighed.
"Can we go to Bruno's so I can explain properly why I didn't go in?" she asked.
"Course we can… be ready in ten" he smiled before leaving the room.
.JL.
"Ah!" Bruno smiled in surprise, rushing over to the father daughter duo
. "Alright Bruno?" Jack chuckled as they shook hands.
"Yes yes!" he laughed back in his quick Italian accent.
He averted his gaze to Lauren.
"And how are you dear?" he asked.
"I'm a bit better, sorry I couldn't make it" she told him, a guilty look on her face.
"No no no... No need to be sorry" he told her.
"Right table for two then" Jack smiled.
"Follow me" he said leading them over to a table.
Jack and Lauren sat down at the table smiling as Bruno gave them their menus. "Oh Lauren, you're admirers in tonight again, bit disappointed you weren't working I think" he laughed as he walked away.
Laurens eyes widened. "Bruno!" she hissed as he made his way through the restaurant.
Lauren smiled weakly at her dad. "Admirer ay?" he smirked.
"No dad, it's nothing like that… Bruno has just got it in his head that he likes me and he doesn't, he's just another customer" Lauren told him, shrugging her shoulders.
"And why do you think he doesn't like you?" Jack asked.
"He's polite dad, I serve him his food and he thanks me, the same as everyone else… he has girls all over him" Lauren told him.
Jack didn't miss the slight frown on her face before she smiled at him again. "What's he do when these girls are all over him then?" Jack chuckled.
Lauren narrowed her eyes at her dad, knowing he was trying to make fun of her. "He ignores them" she mumbled.
"Oh I guess he must have his eye on someone else then" he roared with laughter.
"Shut up" she sulked.
Jack carried on laughing at Lauren as Joey headed from the toilets, Lauren paled knowing he had to pass her table on the way back to his usual table. Lauren buried her head in the menu, her dad frowning at her. He soon realised why though when a guy stopped at their table.
"Hi Lauren" he said.
Lauren looked up to see him stood there. "Oh hi…" she pondered.
"It's Joey" he smiled at her.
"Hi Joey… this is my dad" she nodded to Jack who was smirking at her.
"Hi Mr Branning" Joey said, shaking his hand. Lauren was mesmerised how he knew her full name.
"Jack, please" he said.
"Right well I'll leave you to it" he smiled.
Lauren tried to contain her blush as Joey smiled at her, she couldn't help notice how his eyes sparkled once he was looking at her.
"You can join us if you like" Jack asked. Joey and Lauren turned around to face Jack at the same time, accept Lauren scowled at her dad.
"I'd love to Jack, but my dad's on his way to pick me up, maybe another time?" he questioned more to Lauren.
"Yeah sure, see you around" Lauren smiled. Jack waited until joey was out if sight and pulled a sarcastic face at his daughter.
"See you around?" Jack chuckled.
Lauren laughed at her dad. "What?" she asked.
"You basically just brushed him off babe" he chuckled.
"Well I will see him around…he's always here, so…" she told him.
"Yeah I wonder why that is" he chuckled.
"Not me" she told him, glaring.
"Babe seriously? Did you just miss all of that?" he asked.
"Dad… why would he want to go out with me when he has all those other girls paying him all the attention in the world… you should see them, blonde, skinny, pretty" she rambled on.
"Because you're beautiful babe… obviously he can see it" Jack told her.
Lauren rolled her eyes at him, "Yeah well you're my dad, you're supposed to say that. Jack shook his head and chuckled at her.
So Joey made his first proper appearance, what's going to happen there?Leave a review please.
