Chapter Four---Uh-Ohs
June 1985
Lizzie perched herself on a rock over looking the loch. The late afternoon sun began to set, and the Glenbogle Ball with his reel music, steel drums and bagpipes came flowing out of the house. Lizzie still couldn't believe that her parents wanted the ball to go on, especially after losing Jamie. However, Molly and Hector wouldn't have it any other way because the show must go. However, the world stopped for Lizzie and Archie and neither wanted to attend the Glenbogle Ball.
Archie hid in his room, banging on his drum set, or zoning out to a radio. He didn't even emerge from his room when Hector called for him to usher ball guests in or to be dressed snazzy in his dress coat and tartan trousers. Lizzie needed to get away from the façade which is the family's still happy and cheery even though Jamie had been buried hours ago.
Lizzie wasn't alone, not as alone as she assumed she was...David wandered down the path from the house as he had just arrived with his mother and father—dressed up too in a suit coat and kilt with a sporran and boots to match.
"You know, the party's in there, not out here," David cracked a joke before sitting himself down beside Lizzie. Lizzie sat in her overalls and tee-shirt as she refused to dress for the ball. She refused to be overjoyed on a day of doom.
"I'm not going."
"Lizzie?"
"David, Jamie---?"
"Jamie would have wanted everyone to move on. You parents are just doing what's best for them selves."
"Not for me, not for Archie. Father blames him for Jamie's drowning," Lizzie twisted her hands. David nudged her shoulder and asked, "Did he say that?"
"Not exactly, but he implies it. I feel horrible for Archie. He's got his own guilt you know." Lizzie scanned out over the loch and the distant cairngorms still speckled with snow. Lizzie then sighed out, "Jamie's birthday's in a couple weeks. My smart favored brother now in the ground and not here wandering the earth getting ready to...?" Lizzie's eyes all clouded up and then tears streamed down her cheeks, "I miss him. I miss him bugging me about footing around a soccer ball or racing with him on our bicycles...Father doesn't look to me with high hopes like he did Jamie. Father doesn't want me going off to Art School in London when I finally turn 18—he wants me to get married and start a family! I envied Jamie...getting to go off to Oxford, bldy everything was about Oxford and Jamie and how he'd cure diseases and solve hunger as a doctor."
"Hey, I'm still here, Lizzie. Jamie and I were supposed to challenge the rowing team...sit side by side. Hard to believe I'm going to Oxford and he won't be."
"Sorry if I'm self-centered. I miss him, Davy, I really miss my brother."
Lizzie silenced herself with that remark and David glanced out to the water too. Lizzie wiped her face with her hands as David pulled off his jacket and set it on Lizzie's shoulders. David embraced Lizzie by wrapping an arm around her, as she set her head on his shoulder, leaning into him.
"It's okay to be sad Lizzie. I'm pretty down and out too," David tipped his head to look at Lizzie's face. Her eyes were red, she sniffled more, as he planted a kiss on her forehead. David waited for a reaction from her and when he didn't get one, he brushed his lips to her cheek, nipping away fallen tears. Lizzie just relaxed into David and before they both knew it...eighteen year old David and a sixteen year old Lizzie kissed each others pain away.
Lizzie woke up from a weird dream, starving, and ready to eat. She glanced around her kitchen, noting that she didn't have anything that would please her stomach. Lizzie decided to take matters into her own hands as her mind added in a pinch---fish and chips will do... Lizzie didn't care if it was meat she now craved, she just wanted food.
On that note, Lizzie, still dressed in her jim-jams scurried off to change and then after she strapped and tied on her sneakers—Lizzie traveled out the door and arrived at Ghillie's Rest in Molly's car. It didn't take Lizzie long to make it to the bar as she smiled at Dougal, who was still managing Ghillie's even under Paul's care and asked, "Fish and Chips, please."
"Afternoon, Lizzie. I thought you'd be---?"
"Day off at the shop," Lizzie grinned and nodded, "Paul about?"
Dougal pointed Lizzie in the direction of the office. Lizzie strolled up to the door and knocked, "Knock knock, you there?"
Paul buried his face in invoices before noticing Lizzie, "Hello, I think so, what can I do for you--Lizzie?"
"Hi, came by for fish and chips, you hungry? You have lunch?" Lizzie asked as Paul as he closed the accounting book and set down some papers.
"Lunch sounds good at 2pm," Paul teased as Lizzie said quietly, "I wasn't feeling up to par this morning and well…"
"You feel better?"
"Yeah, just need lunch company…" Lizzie hinted again as Paul laughed, stood up from the desk and followed Lizzie outside of Ghillie's to a nearby green umbrella topped picnic table on the porch and Dougal came out with Lizzie's lunch and her fizzy water.
Lizzie then said, "I have a secret and you can not tell anyone, even Archie."
Paul tipped his head to the side and asked, "What kind of secret?"
"You have to swear you won't say anything, Paul."
"Well, depends on the secret, life threatening yes, life altering no," Paul eyed Lizzie closely. He had grown to like having a sister, especially Lizzie. "You sure you're all right?"
"Life altering, I'm pregnant Paul."
"Huh?" Paul's eyes went wide and Lizzie picked at her lunch with a fork.
"Aye, I haven't been with Graeme for weeks and then David pops up weeks ago…"
"Well, you need to see a doctor, Lizzie."
"I will…"
"Why did you tell me?"
"'Cause I trust you to keep quiet..."
"It's safe with me," Paul smiled warmly while arching his brows and Lizzie arched her own.
"Now you tell me where Susan went off too and why?" Lizzie said as Paul chuckled, "There's a catch-hey-with me keeping your secret?"
"Paul, you look terrible."
"Why thank-you," answered Paul sarcastically as he made an animated face at Lizzie.
Lizzie stared at him and then Paul gave in, "I wanna marry Susan and every time I try to consider asking, I get the words all jumbled…Susan left for America to see her father, assume he's dying, haven't heard from her—was supposed to phone and hasn't. Suzy wants to move out when she gets back."
"And you don't want her to go."
Paul shook his head no and then Lizzie smiled, "What's stopping you from showing up in America to ask her?"
"I've got no interest in going to Texas, mostly due to her father and his strong dislike of me."
"Oh," Lizzie answered.
"It's gonna be all right, I promise ya, Lizzie."
"I know, I had Martha and raised her myself…I can handle another on my own as well."
"What about Graeme? You're certain about raising another baby on your own? You should tell the father..."
"If I knew who it is...I've been thinking about breaking up from Graeme."
"Breaking up?"
"I can't marry him."
"You still love David?"
Lizzie didn't answer and instead asked, "You still love Susan?"
Paul smiled, "Of course I do."
"Then you must not let her move out…" Lizzie smiled back, changing the subject to Paul and Susan before taking another sip of her water.
That night, down at Shepard's Way Cottage, Paul busied himself with the Wildlife Centre paper work and then scanned over the finishing loan for the Indoor Climbing Area. Nigel was tucked into bed and Paul finished a glass of brandy just before a knock came to the door.
Paul rose up from his chair and answered the door just a plaque with a 54 pound stuffed pike greeted him. Paul laughed as he received the gift from his night visitor, Archie. There was also a gold plated label just below the fish which read: Landed by: Paul and Nigel Bowman, 2006 First Annual Glenbogle Fishing Derby.
"I decided you needed a bit of cheering up..."
"With the fish?"
"After all, the thing pretty much killed our father and since Nigel and you won the derby fair and square," Archie smiled while looking at the fish and it's yellow and red lure which was buried deep inside of it---the lure that belonged to Hector which amazingly survived for five years.
Paul glanced at the lure too and laughed proudly, "What a way for a fish to end its life-aye? Thank-you Archie, I'll put it on the wall for all to see."
"And…" Archie announced as Useless entered the cottage, "I figured you needed a wee mate."
Paul bent down and gave Useless a good pat on the head. The cocker spaniel was thrilled to see Paul. Archie had a bag over his shoulder of Useless's things.
"Useless should come live with you and Mother agrees since she suggests it," Archie replied as Paul glanced up at him, "What do you mean?"
"He misses you tossing in sticks down at the loch and him retrieving. Every time I try, he won't fetch. You're the only one he'll do it for. In fact father gave him his name because he wouldn't fetch for him either."
"It's very generous of you, Archie, but he's your dog. I can't take him."
"No, he's your dog," Archie smiled again, "And you can take him, because Susan…"
"Okay, okay, welcome Useless," as Paul clamed right up, he didn't need another conversation about Susan…first Lexie, then Lizzie and now Archie…thankfully Molly and Golly were still on honeymoon or Paul would have gotten an earful from them as well. Archie pulled out an airplane ticket and let it drop to the coffee table, before glancing around the room, "I haven't been here since Katrina—you and Susan have really cleaned up the place—quite homey, I might add."
"What's that?" Paul eyed the plane ticket.
"My influencing you to go after Susan…"
"Sets us back a bit?"
"Paul, Lex told me you tried to ask Susan to marry you finally."
"Right well, it didn't happen and I'm not going after her, Archie. Susan ran off before and she'll be back if she knows what's good for her."
Archie laughed loud, "You sound like Father."
Paul winced at the fact that he thought like Hector, a man he's only met in photographs and paintings.
"Look the Fish Farm's settled, the Wildlife, Outdoor Activity Centre and even Ghillie's are in good hands---I'd look out for them. Your house is almost standing and the Indoor Climbing Area too. The sheep show amphitheater's getting there…Sean's cooking the books for the estate..."
"I get your point Archie. I just know Suzy and she'll be back…"
"The money, the ticket doesn't set us back…and with Sean's grant, life's been pretty bearable with getting everything up and running smoothly and I seem to have a wee bit more time on my hands to help out Lexie." Archie encouraged, as Paul said, "No, I can't take that. Thanks anyway."
"Nothing's worth having, if you don't chase after it, Paul."
"Thanks for the advice, but I'd much rather stay here. Just in case I change my mind, you keep the ticket."
Archie sighed, "All right, I s'pose. What are ya having?"
"Brandy. Might as well have a night cap while you're here," Paul handed Archie a short glass and then Archie parked himself on Susan's floral sofa, the one that Paul fought with her about while trying to move it into the cottage. Susan wanted it and Paul didn't but she flipped a coin for it and Paul lost the toss.
"How's Sean?" Paul asked quietly while bruiting over Susan in the back of his mind and how they ended up with her sofa—everything in the cottage reminded him of her—even the photographs on the walls.
"Moved into Golly's old cabin as planned and Jess moved in as well."
"That's gonna go over smoothly with Golly," Paul said sarcastically--knowing Golly would have a field day when he found out his daughter's living with her 40 year old boyfriend and in his old house.
"Aye-yeah, well, Golly's been busy with marrying Mother and getting to know Claire. Claire mentioned something about Golly seeing her when she was four."
"Oh?"
"According to Golly...Father and Golly would have night caps like us, and they would chat about..."
"Me? Golly made note of it..."
"Yeah, that's right, you or your mother—they rarely spoke of Golly's life—apparently Golly was a sounding board for Father—hence Father never knew about Jess or Claire—Golly's daughters. Golly kept to himself all the time."
"Okay, go on."
"Well, Father begged Golly to take a journey to Yorkshire years and years ago."
"Really?" Paul tipped his head to the side as Archie smiled, "Really..."
"Why didn't---?"
"Apparently if Father went it would be too obvious to Mother that he was hiding something---?"
"Hiding me, you mean."
"Anyway, Golly went to Yorkshire, actually ran into Annette, Claire's mother and---?"
"Because we all lived in the same building at that time---but Golly was too late I was already off to the Army by then."
"Precisely, I'm really sorry Paul for the way things went down here..."
"My mother never said anything about Golly visiting but then again she didn't want anything from Hector. Why be sorry?"
"For treating you the way I did when you arrived so long ago. I was purely upset at the fact that I had another brother floating around and I hadn't met you. I feared more that you would take---?"
"The lairdship away? Archie, I'm an 'illegitimate' son...like I said before why would I want to be laird? Certainly Susan wouldn't want Nye to be...sorry, bringing up Susan again..."
"No Paul, but my point is, we've done a decent job running this obsolete and now booming place. I'm relieved that we are working together quite well after Mother's suggestion."
"We're brothers and we should be working together and not being wishy-washy."
Archie nodded his head and Paul asked, "Did Hector hear anything about me from Golly?"
"I'm not sure in fact...I meant to bring father's 1983-1984 journals with me. I assumed he would have written about you."
"Maybe he did."
"Jamie passed in 1985 and I read that journal. Boy he was angry with me."
"How do you mean?"
"He blamed me for Jamie's death. All that time I blamed myself and Father turned his nose down at me? He never came out and said it though and I spent years away from the estate because of him." Archie grumbled, while Paul looked at him sympathetically.
"You've been holding this in..."
"For quite sometime and he didn't want me marrying Lexie, that's for sure."
Paul smiled, "You're trying to talk me into going to Texas again, the round about way?"
"The MacDonald way actually, when you want something done, you do it your way or the skyway." Archie joked, "Aside from the fact that Father didn't even want Jamie with Hannah Harrison."
"Hannah Harrison?"
"She's MacKechnie's granddaughter and was the love of Jamie's life..."
"MacKechnie's store?"
"Aye, yep, Jamie was madly in love with her ever since they were both in public school, before Father sent Jamie off to boarding school. Father had high hopes for Jamie to go off to Oxford and be a doctor, and not a 'common' merchant. If Jamie had ended up with Hannah...that would have sealed his shop keeper fate."
"Oh," Paul chuckled and then added, "Good thing I missed out on that then?"
"Imagine Father finding about you and Susan and how against it he'd be---mostly due to her 'Thatcher' relation. Father despised Margaret Thatcher...he'd call her that republican Thatcher woman---dang it she's done it again and then go off on some political rant." as Archie imitated Hector and Paul sent him an animated smile.
"Another words I'd be keeping up with his tradition of disliking his spawn marrying off to the wrong kind."
"Exactly, except, I don't know how he would have reacted to David and Lizzie...apparently Mother says he was in complete ubber shock but accepted it."
"Right..." as Paul thought about Lizzie and her secret.
"Father liked him," Archie said distressed, considering Archie still didn't care for David and his sly ways.
"You don't understand why?"
"I think its cause David was Jamie's best friend and he acts like his father, Lionel—very stuffy, aristocratic, and charming as a sea slug. I know Father wouldn't have thought much about Graeme since he sounds Australian and swears up and down he's never been there. I can hear Father in my head harassing Lizzie about why she's not betrothed to David---the rightful father of Martha."
"Right..." Paul tried to keep Lizzie's secret to himself as much as he wanted to tell Archie, he didn't.
"Lizzie shouldn't marry Graeme," as Archie dumped out his mind waiting for Paul to add his cents in...
"No she probably shouldn't. Archie..."
"Paul, what's a matter?"
"I think you need to hear this from Lizzie."
"Hear what from Lizzie?"
"Lizzie's breaking up from Graeme," Paul couldn't break trust with Lizzie on the baby news. He wouldn't tell Archie as much as he wanted too.
"Well, good, at least she's using her brain for something..." Archie teased as he downed the rest of his brandy and then Paul poured him another.
Chapter Five---Seize the Moment?
David had a lot to do for Kilwillie's next beef convention as he glanced up at the coo-coo clock and it struck ten o'clock. Kilwillie had allowed David to work late but on one condition that he focused on just the businesses that were coming to sample his beef—meaning making the phone calls and finding out the RSVPs.
"Right, yes, 2pm..." David chattered into the phone receiver only to see Lizzie arrive in the door way. Flora smiled at Lizzie, "He's in there."
"Flora," Lizzie turned to look at her, "You're all right?"
Flora just nodded her head, and she never came clean to Lizzie about her liking David at one point in time. Flora now knew about David and Lizzie's history and she decided to steer clear of them both.
"Flora?"
"Lizzie...marvelous surprise," David met Lizzie at the door way and went to kiss her cheek, but Lizzie dodged him.
"Where's she going?" Lizzie turned to David and he shrugged with his rolled sleeved arms and his hands in his pockets, "You here to walk me home?"
David beamed as Lizzie laughed, "I only came because someone rang me at 9pm—didn't leave a message in my cell. Martha's at Jess and Sean's for the night. Jess and Martha begged me and well, I caved in. We went down to check out Jess and Sean's 'new' place."
"Right, me, I'm the guilty party for ringing you at such an hour. You must have been in a bad area for reception?"
"It didn't ring, so I assume so---then again it's slim to none when trying to find reception. I drove by your mother's and saw no vehicle and then decided to swing by here."
"Lizzie..."
"David?"
"I need your PR help," David confessed and overjoyed to have Lizzie to himself.
"I'm not PR anymore, David. I'm a masseuse, remember?" Lizzie laughed as David's face went serious.
"I'm trying to book five companies at a hotel, arrange their meals, their agendas and everything else to fit Kilwillie's..."
"Prime beef convention?"
David nodded with a huge smile, "Help me? I'm better with numbers, figures, but not PR work you know this."
"Actually, I can do that, except..."
"Does Graeme prevent you...?"
"No, Graeme's away in Aberdeen until tomorrow afternoon."
"Well done! We can burn the midnight oil together then!" David shouted out as he carted Lizzie to sit down in his leather backed office chair.
"David..." Lizzie took a look at his beef convention agenda on the pc and then looked up at him. David kept leafing through pages of data on the laptop.
"I'm late."
"Huh? No, the times on here have to work..."
"Not the times on the agenda, David, my body is late."
David sent Lizzie a perplexed look before it set in that he knew what she was talking about...
"I'm pregnant. I wasn't going to say anything, but I took quite a few tests today."
"Oh about sixteen?" David teased Lizzie remembering she took sixteen when she was pregnant with Martha and making sure of it. Lizzie also kept the pregnancy from him for about four months.
"No, Mr. Smarty-Pants, I took three."
"It can't be me, right? Surely you're joking. I mean you've..." David's wiry grin formed and nervously he ran his hand through his wavy hair.
"David, I don't know and it's not a joke," Lizzie rolled her eyes at David and his becoming suddenly dismissive.
"I guess this means you're really marrying on?" David arched a brow at Lizzie and hinting she was marrying Graeme. David had a heart somewhere buried in his body and it ached for Lizzie. Especially the Lizzie who wanted him one night long ago and said she was going to dump Graeme—but didn't.
Lizzie went silent and David pried for an answer, "Lizzie?"
"I don't want to marry Graeme. We didn't move in together, you know this, your stunt with the custody papers...the origami animals..."
"And amphibian?" David laughed about the frog...Lizzie didn't talk to him about her reaction to the papered apology or the rose. He just assumed Lizzie was allowing him to see Martha out of the goodness of her heart and the fact that he dropped the custody case. "I dropped that case because of you, you know and the fact you are still very much apart of me."
"I know. I've been going over everything in my mind..."
"I see."
"David, I haven't been with Graeme since you came back..."
"It could still be his baby, Lizzie."
"I don't think so..."
"If it's not his baby and it's my baby, then what do you propose we do about it?" David asked as Lizzie stared off into space.
"Lizzie---Hi Mama bear?" David snapped his fingers in front of her face to bring her back to reality.
"Oh right, sorry, silly of me, coming here, explaining that...good luck with the planning," said Lizzie as she bolted up from the chair only for David to react, "Where are you going?"
"I'm..."
"You drop a missile on me, Lizzie and then you high tail it out of here? Not likely, come sit down—please?" David showed some anguish with his concern because of her current state.
"I'm not sure of how to take it David. I'm separating from Graeme as soon as he gets back. Graeme was upset that I didn't want us moving in and he's..."
"...going to be even more livid that you aren't his wife," David beamed proudly assuming he now had a way into Lizzie's life permanently.
"Maybe, Graeme's a very good judge of character. I just don't see myself with him."
"Right...who do you see yourself with?"
"Um..."
David led Lizzie back to his desk chair and sat her down with a tender reply, "I've missed you." David then gave her a smooch and Lizzie allowed him to do so, "What do you say?"
"I'm not sure of what to say, David."
"Miss me back then?" David pushed as Lizzie gazed up into his eyes and then leaned in to kiss David again.
Lizzie woke up with a crick in her neck and rolled her body over on the mattress that took over her lounge room floor. She stared at the white whirls in her ceiling and then became nauseous before closing her eyes again. David rolled over to his side to cuddle up to Lizzie.
"Morning..." David murmured as Lizzie shot her eyes right open and she had forgotten that David was there. David waited for a reply before, "You all right, lovey?"
"I was all right...Graeme's expected back today David..." Lizzie mumbled and then tried to sit up, moving herself away from him.
"Oh right...break up time?" David whistled while turning to his side and acting like breaking up with someone was an easy thing to do like tying one's shoes.
"You want that, don't ya?" Lizzie narrowed her hazel eyes in on David.
"You said it was what you wanted..." David gave her a look of disbelief that Lizzie would go back on her word again.
"I do want it."
"Then why are you acting like you, don't?"
"We're not going to end up where we were weeks ago, if you worried about that..."
"Lizzie, it's me you want right? You're sure about it?"
"David—not again," Lizzie rolled her eyes and became defensive, "Don't question my authority on this matter. I mean it, David."
"Sorry, just checking—you know I've been waiting a long time for you to come around."
"Me? You speak really highly of yourself...what if the baby I'm prancing around with isn't yours?"
"Well, I prance around with you until we know for sure that it is."
"David! You're just going to drop me like a sack of King Edwards if it's not your baby?" Lizzie retorted alarmed and David tried to calm her down by snuggling her closer to him.
"Lizzie, sweet darling Lizzie, we have Martha and we'll have this baby too---even if a paternity test doesn't prove it." David smiled again.
Lizzie sighed, "I haven't been to the doctor yet."
"Yep, I know we're going soon..."
"David, you're jumping the gun just a wee bit aren't you—you know with the fatherly thing?"
"I fell madly in love with a pregnant Lizzie, remember?"
"And then you left her..."
"Let's not talk about that," David said in denial and helped change the subject back to Lizzie ending her relationship with Graeme.
"Graeme doesn't even know I'm breaking up from him or even pregnant..."
"He will soon though."
"And how did you end up here again?" Lizzie razzed David, even though she remembered very well how he ended up staying with her for the night.
"You took me home with you, remember? Something about Martha at Sean's and Jess's an' you desperately needed me."
"Like a hole in the head?" Lizzie teased as David laughed, "You kidder, Lizzie. You would have fallen asleep at the wheel if I hadn't played chauffeur."
"Right," Lizzie stood herself up from the bed and concluded, "One things for sure I need a new bed. I can't sleep like this heavily pregnant."
"Good, well, when I move in, I'll bring the bed... I'm a 39 year old man living at home Lizzie...does that sound a bit odd to you?" David beamed again as Lizzie tipped her head to the side and remarked, "The body's not even cold yet and you're claiming it as dead! And no it doesn't sound odd because I lived at home for quite awhile too."
"Lizzie, you and I are soul mates remember---no matter how you look at it?"
"And fools rush in."
"I'm no fool."
"Um, you are..." Lizzie joked back to David and she glanced out of the window and noted Graeme's car parking outside of the shop and then a wave of horror swept over her, "Oh gd! He's early!"
"What?" David shot frazzled Lizzie a glance.
"Graeme's back! He's early, you have to go!" Lizzie shouted to David while tossing David his clothes, "I'll stall him, David. You get dressed and get out of here!"
"Lizzie? Oh come on, take a chance…I can go hide in the bathtub while you dump him like today's rubbish! " David cast his eyes up at her. Lizzie scurried over to help him up and out of bed as David grasped Lizzie's arm with his hand and tugged her down to the bed again.
"David! This is serious—you gotta skedaddle!" Lizzie toppled onto David as their lips connected briefly and Lizzie broke free with the words, "I'll ring you later, promise."
"You promise? You're certain?"
"David, I promise!" Lizzie darted in and stole one last kiss from him. However, David didn't even have time to blink as Lizzie tossed clothing on like a Tasmanian devil in a spin and then zipped fast and furiously out of the flat. Lizzie met Graeme at the doorway and tried to cart him towards the shop.
"Lizzie?"
"Hi, I need you to check something in the shop..." Lizzie made up a story as David finished fixing himself and peeked out into the hall and wandered down the steps. In the back of David's mind he hoped Lizzie wasn't playing with him again and indeed leaving Graeme.
Graeme entered the shop as he planted a firm welcome kiss on Lizzie and she turned Graeme away from the door way to distract him from seeing David leave the flat hall, "That's what you had to show me?"
"Ah, yeah, um..." Lizzie began as Graeme tipped his head to the side, "You all right?"
"I'm good."
"Morning early birds!" Jess called out with Martha as she unlocked the shop door and waved at Lizzie and Graeme. "I'm wondering if you want me to drop off Martha at school?"
"Lovely idea Jess, very kind of you to offer, Martha you show Jess upstairs and get ready," Lizzie smiled as she worried about Jess and Martha seeing David, but there was no reaction so Lizzie assumed not.
"Okay Mummy, let's go Jess!" Martha latched her hand onto Jess's and off to the flat they went.
"Actually, I do have shop business... Lascelles sent some mail a couple days ago. It about the accounts... I talked to Archie about checking the books and he wanted to know whereabouts they were."
"I'm sorry Lizzie. I moved the accounting to the computer."
"Archie couldn't find the..."
"Oh no, I must have the information with me."
"It's all right but I believe the shop's being audited and people from Lascelles are coming tomorrow...June 20th."
"Ah, Lizzie today is the 20th." Lizzie then shot Graeme a look of worry.
"Funny when small banks get eaten up by big banks like Lascelles---sounds like Lascelles wants to check out the shop since they bought out my branch. No worry, Lizzie—it's a formality and the branch in Aberdeen's going through the same thing---auditing accounts."
"Graeme, what are we going to do?"
"Don't fret my pet. I'll have everything ready to go when my new colleagues from Lascelles show face here!" Graeme said, but Lizzie didn't notice the nervousness of his tone. He was afraid something like this was going to happen and so soon to Molly's shop.
Meanwhile, Jess helped Martha get ready for school.
"Now you need to brush your teeth," Jess said as she led Martha into the water closet and over to the sink. Martha beamed as she nodded 'yes' at Jess's request. Jess turned on the water, Martha stuck a glob of toothpaste onto her toothbrush and into her mouth it went. Just as Martha set the toothpaste down, it fell to the floor and Jess bent over to pick it up. On Jess's way up, her blue eyes connected with the trash bin and the pregnancy test sticks. Jess stood up to help Martha wipe her face and rise out her toothbrush.
"Jess? Do I go now?" Martha asked as Jess replied, still thinking about the trash, "Yea, let me go to the bathroom first, okay?"
"Okay," Martha scooted out the door and Jess closed it shut. Jess cast her eyes into the trash bin again and then peeked at the three tests after picking them up...positive, positive and positive.
"Lizzie?" Jess glanced at her reflection into the mirror and then a knock came to the door. Jess dropped the tests back into the trash and replied, "I'll be right there..."
Jess wandered out of the water closet as Martha said with a giggle, "You didn't flush! Mummy doesn't like it when I don't flush!"
Jess laughed, "Of course!" as she wandered over to the toilet and did as she was told. Lizzie strolled back into the flat as Jess and Martha met her at the door.
"Going now Mummy…"
"All right, thank-you Jess."
"No problem," Jess smiled rather googly eyed and Lizzie gave her a strange look and then thought nothing of it. Lizzie remembered the pregnancy evidence and high tailed it to the loo to get rid of the sticks. She shoved them in her pocket so Graeme wouldn't see them. Just as Graeme climbed the stairs to the flat, a silver Audi drove past the shop and stopped out side of Primrose B n' B—Duncan's Aunt Liz's place.
