Sold #3 - A Haunting Hope

Chapter 23

After Tai's conversation with Kyle, they both agreed that what they really needed, was to give Natasha a situation in which they could show her that no-one was angry with her and no-one held any grudges for the lies she had told. They all understood her fear, and so, Lani's solution was to set up a dinner. She was going to cook a home cooked meal for them all, so they could get to know each other and ease some of the tension between them all. Kyle felt more comfortable with the idea, knowing that Tai had moved on and was in love with Lani. So, after Lani had made sure to check what Natasha liked to eat and what she was craving during her pregnancy, Kyle left to go pick up Natasha and talk to her about the dinner. They had half the day to themselves, preparing for the dinner, before Natasha and Kyle showed up.

"Hi, it's so nice to meet you. I'm Lani." Lani greeted Natasha as she opened the door to their guests. She didn't even realise that it was strange for anyone but Michael or Tai to think of the house as home, and invite anyone there. But Natasha did. She looked at Kyle curiously, before accepting the hand Lani offered and shaking it half heartedly. "Do you want to head on through to the dining room? Tai's just checking for messages from Michael. He's a bit worried about this deal he's putting through." She sighed, rambling a little as she led the way into the dining room. She invited the guests to take a seat, before pouring the drinks. Kyle asked for a bottle of coke, because he was driving, and Natasha chose an orange juice from the non-alcoholic selection Lani had offered. Lani seated herself and enjoyed a sip of her milkshake before searching for a safe topic of conversation. The heavy stuff could wait for Tai's arrival.

"Thanks for the invite Lani. I'm looking forward to sampling your cooking. What are we having?" Kyle wondered before Lani could find a decent topic to start off with. She let out a sigh of approval and gave him a smile of thanks for taking the burden off her.

"Well, Tai said you were both steak boys, so the two of you can have your steaks. As Natasha's a vegetarian, us girls are having a pasta, with salad and sweet corn. Nice and healthy. I had tried to convince Tai to share, but he isn't a big fan of healthy eating." Lani complained casually, deciding that she wasn't going to be nervous or scared of saying anything in front of Kyle or Natasha. She was happy to hear that Natasha laughed and nodded in agreement, as if she knew that for herself. She was pleased that it eased a little of the attention. Before anyone else could say anything, Tai walked into the room behind her, brushing his hand across her shoulders tormentingly as he took his seat beside her.

"Too right I'm not. I had enough of that while Darcy was cooking. At least with you I've got a bargaining chip." He gloated teasingly, bringing a faint blush to Lani as she glanced at her guests and frowned at him, keeping her smile. She couldn't believe he was telling their dinner guests that he used their romance to bargain with her, or really to distract her, so that he didn't have to eat healthily.

"Oh do you? And here I just thought we had come to a compromise." She disagreed, while Kyle laughed and told Tai to stop while he was still safe before he got into trouble. From then on, everyone managed to enjoy their meal and the conversation without any glitches. Very briefly, over dessert, Tai told Natasha that he and Kyle had talked and everything was clear and forgiven. By them both. Natasha had been so happy that she sat holding Kyle's hand all night and even cried a few happy tears.

*****

Just two days later, Darcy and Michael arrived back home, driving up to the house in a rented car, talking about their plans for the immediate future. There was a lot they needed to discuss with Tai, but it was early, only nine o'clock in the morning and they had agreed to let him sleep late, and invite him to lunch with them rather than go to work. That way, they could have all day to talk and make plans. They walked in the door, laughing as Michael carried his new wife over the threshold. He gently dropped her onto the sofa and then returned to the car to collect their luggage. Darcy tried to shush his laughter, over her complaints and light teasing, but he was happy and she would never try to stop that.