Chapter 64

Roman woke up when his alarm went off. He sighed and pressed a quick kiss on her lips before he left the bed. He dressed and went to the diner for his shift. After a spell under the warm covers Ella climbed out of bed and went into the shower. She dressed and went downstairs waiting for Nic and Geoff to appear.
"Come on." She said to them.
Nic sighed.
"Don't we even get coffee?" she asked.
"No, I can't stand the smell you'll have to make do without." Ella told her.
They followed her out the car and she drove into Yabbie creek. She took them to a cookware shop picking up a few extra bits for the kitchen. A wok for stir-fries, a decent frying pan, baking pan set, a chopping board, spice rack, serving and mixing bowls, utensils, measuring jugs, tea towels, napkins. Nic looked at the growing items with a frown. Ella grabbed some cookbooks from a rack and put those in the trolley. She grinned at the other girl. They went through the tills and Ella paid.
"Geoff can you take these back to the car please I need to get something for tonight." Ella asked. "We'll meet you there."
Geoff nodded and took the bags and Ella's keys and set off.
Ella went a few doors down and into a fancy dress shop. She picked up a blonde wig and selected a dress. It was really short when she tried it on and Nic raised her eyebrows.
"Perhaps not." She said.
Nic grinned. She went over to one of the rails and pulled out a dress in black. Ells grinned and tried it on shaking her head.
"I need something special." She said to Nic.
Nic grinned at her.
Elle found another black dress. This one was straight shift dress. She had a silver chain belt she could add to it and pair of shoes. She tried it on and her increased pregnancy related bust size pushed out the dress so it was even shorter. She grinned and went over to pay for it.
Carrying the bags they went back to the car and met with Geoff.
"Sorry for the delay. Lets do a food shop." She said and put her bags in the car and driving them to the supermarket. They shopped for another hour before heading to their house. She made them unpack the food and decide where they wanted everything to go.
Nic looked at Geoff.
"We should get a memo board and organiser. " She said. "We'll need to sort out the bills and when they come in. Plus we should make a list of things that we need and price them up."
Geoff grinned at her.
"There is a second hand shop in Yabbie Creek you could get some furniture from." Ella suggested. "And you have spare bedrooms, and this is only a suggestion, you could invite someone to stay with you for a while to help with the money."
Nic and Geoff looked at each other and smiled.
"But Ella I thought you were happy with my dad. I mean if you are going to miss me that much then of course you can move in." Nic said to her.
"Daughter, how long do you think it would be before your father comes and carries me home." She said.
Geoff laughed.
"Anyway you want to learn to cook. We'll start with something easy." She told them. "Lasagne."
She showed them how to cook perfect lasagne. Each of them making white sauce and pasta sauce before adding the pasta sauce to the mince and layering the pasta in the oven dish. Nic sat on the floor watching it cook through the oven door because she didn't trust it not to burn.
They wrapped the dish up in foil and took it with them back to the house.
"Hey." She called out.
"I'm upstairs." Roman replied.
Ella grinned.
She turned to Geoff and Nic.
"There you go serve up lunch see what your dad says." Nic shook her head and clutched the hot dish to her. Luckily it was also wrapped in a tea towel. Ella gave her a little push towards the kitchen and Nic sighed before walking in there.
Ella went upstairs and saw Roman looking in the wardrobe.
"Something to wear tonight?" she asked.
He grinned and nodded.
She went over and kissed him before digging into the back of the wardrobe and pulling out a pair of boot cut jeans.
"Not quite flares." She told him.
He smiled at her.
"So what do I wear with them?" he asked.
She grinned looking at him.
"Ella." He said quickly.
"Oh ok." she muttered. "How come you like it when I parade around half naked but when I want you to do it it's a different story."
Roman chuckled.
"Perhaps because I think Colleen has a blood pressure problem and it wouldn't be a good idea."
She reached into the dresser drawer and pulled out a bandanna and leather waistcoat.
He grinned at her.
"Uh huh." He said cautiously.
She pulled out friendship bracelets and some surfer beads and handed those over.
He got changed in front of her and looked puzzled at the bandanna.
She grinned and folded it over until it was a thin strip of material.
"Hold your arm up." She told him.
"Measuring my bicep again?" he asked.
She grinned.
She tied it around his arm.
"Now all you need is a pair of black boots." She told him.
He shook his head and took a step toward her.
"Nope I really need something else." He said grinning at her.
She shook her head.
"No, me and bump need a rest." She said. "Anyway your daughter has lunch downstairs. And if you could ask someone to make me a sandwich that would be good."
Roman laughed and leaned forward to kiss her.
He turned and went downstairs to see Nic and Geoff.
"Hey." He said to them.
Nic looked at him.
"Dad." She began. "You can't wear that."
Roman looked up.
"And why not?"
She shook her head.
"Do you want everyone to see you in that outfit? Its practically indecent." She said.
After a moment she caught both Geoff and Roman grinning at her.
She groaned.
"Now you know what I felt like when I saw your first school uniforms Nic. Any shorter and they wouldn't have been skirts they would have been belts." Roman said grinning. "And anyway Ella chose this outfit."
"That explains it. She's hormonal."
Roman chuckled.
"Nic what are you trying to say here?" he asked sitting at the table.
She sat down opposite him.
"Well it's like this. I've just been informed that half of my class thought you were …" she blushed and shut up.
Roman reached over and kissed her.
"I'll stop teasing you now Nic." He said. "Ella said you had lunch ready and could someone make her a sandwich."
Nic nodded she looked at Geoff and he opened the fridge.
"Cheese and salad." Geoff asked.
Roman nodded.
"Is everything set for tonight?" Nic asked. "All the food done?"
Roman grinned.
"It's all at the surf club ready." He told her.
"Why didn't Mike come home this weekend?" Nic said quickly with a frown, "Not because I'm taking up so much time is it?"
She didn't notice Geoff smiling at her.
"Nope he really had a school thing. He's coming home on Wednesday so that he can help if you need any running around or anything doing."
She grinned and pulled out her phone and sent him a 'thanks brother' text.
"He is great." She said, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Roman nodded, he looked over and saw the sandwich was done so he stood and took it and drink upstairs to her. She was curled up on the bed. The white shawl around her. When he got close he saw that she was hugging Travel bear.
"Hey." He said softly and groaned when he saw she was crying.
"Sorry. Just feeling a bit sad." She said.
She held out a photo to him and he took a looked at it. He saw her as an 8year old with her brother.
"He put it in the backpack on the bear. I forgot it was there until a moment ago."
He smiled at her and put the sandwich and drink to one side, he pulled her into his arms, holding her as she cried.
Nic served up the lasagne onto the plates and Geoff reach out to hold her hand.
"Are you really mad at me for …" Geoff began to ask.
Nic leaned over and shut him up with a kiss.
"Geoff I'm only upset because I don't want you to feel guilty. And it's my past. I feel horrible that it keeps coming up and I don't want it to hurt us." She said softly. "As for thumping the idiot and then lifting him off his feet. Well that is another feeling all together."
He looked over into her eyes and chuckled.
"Would you like a demonstration of my strength later?" he leaned over and whispered in her ear.
She blushed and nodded shyly.
He laughed and kissed her. They broke apart when they heard a cough from Roman.
Nic giggled.
"Now you know what I've been putting up with." She told him.
He kissed the top of her head and smiled before sitting at the table and eating.