Page 64 of Doc Defence

When Hel stood up, so did Frost. Grabbing his crutches, he headed to the washroom.

Frost made it back before Hel and got himself settled, purposefully shuffling his chair towards hers so she would have to sit closer to him. When she arrived with the drinks, she squeezed her way in beside him, putting her hand on the back of his chair as she manoeuvred into her seat.

Frost controlled the grin that threatened. He liked her sitting so close to him. And he couldn’t wait to make her laugh about what just happened.

“Are you sure you’re happy to stay for the last round? We can go now if you want?” Hel offered, taking a sip of her new lemonade.

“No. I want to stay. I’m having a great time.”

Hel looked at him sceptically. “You’re enjoying the shitty pub quiz with my bonkers friends?”

“They’re not bonkers,” Frost said nicely.

“They’re completely mad.” Hel looked around the table affectionately.

“I need to tell you something. Don’t get cross,” Frost whispered to Hel, leaning close to her.

“Oh my god. What did Gloria do?” Hel demanded.

Frost chuckled. “How did you know it was Gloria?”

“Because you have that look on your face. You’re about to tell me something you know I won’t be mad about, which means someone has done something funny or slightly ridiculous, and the most likely culprit is Gloria.” Hel gestured across the table to the older woman, who grinned wickedly and winked at them.

“It was Gloria. Wasn’t it?” Hel groaned.

Frost nodded, barely suppressing a laugh. “Yes.”

“What did she do?” Hel sighed deeply.

“I think she pinched my bottom.” Frost managed to keep a straight face as he said it.

“Oh my god.” Hel shook her head and called out, “Why Gloria?”

Gloria clearly knew exactly what Hel meant and giggled into her glass of champagne.

Frost shook his head. She had got him with a sneak attack when he was coming back from the washroom, and to be fair, it hadn’t really been a pinch, more a brush over his jeans. But the cheeky grin on her face gave away that it had been on purpose.

“Mom. What did you do to Frost?” Taylor asked, immediately guessing it would be something to do with the hockey player.

“Nothing.” Gloria snorted with laughter.

Hel gestured to Gloria. “She touched his ass.”

She then pointed a thumb at him, and Frost had to stop himself from grabbing her hand out of the air and not letting it go.

“Mom. We’ve spoken about this. You can’t touch people if they don’t consent to being touched,” Taylor grumbled at her.

“Sorry, Frost.” Gloria’s broad smile suggested she wasn’t actually sorry.

“Give her a couple of glasses of champagne, and she gets very inappropriately touchy-feely.” Hel shook her head. “Gloria, don’t touch my m—“ She cut herself off and flushed.

Frost was suddenly very interested in what Hel was about to say and turned towards her, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes. Had she been about to say he was her man?

Shit, he was leaving. He couldn’t think that way.

“Housemate,” Hel finished after a very long silence.

“Sorry for touching your…” Gloria left as long a pause as Hel did, “housemate, Hel.” Then, she raised her glass of champagne to toast the young doctor, frowning when she noticed it was empty. “Be a dear, Taylor, and get me a top-up.” She waved her glass at her son.

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