Professional Disaster

Chapter 26

The whole gang pulled up outside Arabella's favourite restaurant. They all clamoured out of their cars and were escorted to a private room with a large table which Robert paid extra for. Scott came chasing after them, a baby blue gift bag in hand. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Scotty! I thought you couldn't make it?" Arabella wrapped the man up in a hug.

"I couldn't miss my girl's birthday, could I?" He grinned. After taking a look at her he laughed. "Nice crown."

Isabella jumped in. "Every girl should wear a tiara on her birthday."

Scott said nothing, just saluted Isabella like she was his sergeant.

Once everyone had taken their seats and placed their orders Scott had passed over his gift to the birthday girl. She stuck her hand into the blue bag with a shy smile. Her fingers found a little box. Jewellery. Arabella loved jewellery, expensive or inexpensive, it didn't matter. She enjoyed keeping a collection to go with every outfit. "A bluebell." A small gold necklace detailed by a dainty bluebell charm. "It's gorgeous Scott, thank you."

"Well, Ara-bell-a... Blue-bell." Scott smiled proudly.

Mason slapped the man's arm. "Who knew hey, Scotty has a soft spot somewhere inside him."

He leaned back in his seat, his proud look never leaving his face. With his arms spread wide he said, "What can I say? I'm a pretty brilliant man when I try."

"You had to bag Fiona somehow. Talk about punching above your weight." Savannah snorted.

Cole laughed louder at his wife's comment. "What exactly do you bring into that relationship?"

"It's certainly not his personality." Savannah quipped once again and high-fived her husband like children.

"Why did you two have to decide to get together?" Scott huffed. "She happens to like my personality."

"His personality." Jackson winked at Isabella. She screeched out a laugh.

"And we all wonder why I moved back." Scott shook his head and wiped away fake tears.

"Well... I'm heading to the restroom before food arrives. Anyone else?" Arabella stood from her seat and smoothed down her white dress. "Thank you for my gift Scott, I really appreciate it."

"No worries kid."

"I'll come." Izzy also stood. Ethan and Jackson followed.

Robert's attention turned to Elijah. "Any plans for your fifty-sixth birthday?"

"God," Elijah groaned. "Don't remind me. I'll be glad to retire."

"You don't mean that." Kim crossed her arms over her chest.

"Let's just say, when it comes I won't exactly be sad."

"Me too," Cole nodded. "I begin to worry that if something does happen I'll be too rusty."

"It won't be much longer now. I'd say Jenkin's almost ready." Robert smacked his son's back.

"You think?" He asked with an eager smile.

"Do you feel ready?"

"I do."

Robert smiled. "Then I should trust your instinct, shouldn't I?"

The door pushed open and Isabella waltzed back in and took her seat, soon after followed Jackson and Ethan, followed by Arabella. She took her seat beside her Mother with a smile and a sip of her water. "Your lipstick is smudged, babe." Kim made a motion with her thumb, wiping her bottom lip.

"Oh," She mumbled and pulled a small mirror out from her bag to fix her makeup.

"Ahem." Kimberly cleared her throat. Ari looked up at her Mother, then shifted her gaze to what her sight was set on. Ethan was seated, refilling his glass of water, a sight that wouldn't seem suspicious, except for the aligning dots of Arabella's smudged lipstick, and the same shade of lipstick smudged on the collar of his white shirt.

Ari's face grew red.

*****

"Okay." Kim nodded. "We'll see you tomorrow," she wished goodbye to everyone from her door. After dinner, everyone gathered at the Mitchell home for a couple of drinks. Now it was just the four residents of the home left.

Arabella was lounging on the couch tapping on her phone. "Tonight-"

"Can I see you upstairs, Ari?" Kim's eyes glared holes into her Daughter.

Arabella felt a pit of nerves in her stomach. "Sure..."

Kimberly waited in the doorway with crossed arms, waiting patiently for her daughter to get her ass up to her room. Arabella could feel her Mother's anger radiating off her as they scaled the staircase. She didn't need to look at her to know her eyes were thin with attitude.

"Why was your lipstick on Ethan's collar?" Kim spoke the moment the bedroom door was shut.

"It wasn't, it wasn't my lipstick." Ari shook her head.

"And what on earth makes you think I'd believe that?" She crossed her arms over her chest in disbelief.

"I was with Izzy, she came back at the same time as me. Jackson was also in the restroom with Ethan, you should have learned by now how Jackson's a big snitch, he'd have come running the minute he even suspected I was doing something like that." Arabella laid back on her bed, stretching out a slight ache in her back as she explained to her Mother how wrong she was.

Kim stood in silence for a moment, thinking the whole thing through. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I just got worried that Jenkin would see, presume the same thing as I and get mad at Ethan and you. We don't need him getting mad over that." Kim shook her head and let out a huff. "So how would he get lipstick on his collar?"

"Well, both Izzy and I gave him a kiss on the cheek when we saw him outside the restaraunt, but that wouldn't explain the collar." She shrugged. "But it's not our business, let's just leave it."

With one last look of hesitation, Kim turned back to the door and pulled it open. "Well, girls have always been all over Elijah, maybe Ethan possesses the same skills." And with that, she left.

Arabella shook her head with a small sigh. She rolled out of her bed for some pyjamas. Entering her en-suite, she turned her shower on and locked the door. She tapped on her phone and raised it to her ear. "Hello?" A deep voice vibrated through the phone.

"My mum was so close to catching us out." She nervously laughed. "Next time check yourself better."

"How about next time don't start kissing my neck any chance you get, huh?"