Page 68 of A Colourful Country Escape
‘Yourwhat?’ Lexie jumped up, a sudden anger propelling her to her feet. ‘But you don’t even … whoa … whoa!’
But it was too late. Lexie lost her footing amid the detritus of paint pots and stumbled backwards. Grace tried to get to her but she wasn’t quick enough. Lexie wobbled desperately on one leg, arms flailing, before landing butt first in a vat of sludgy home-brewed paint.
‘Shit!’ It was bloody typical. And probably symbolic of just how helpless she felt with this whole sister-in-a-cult situation. ‘A commitment ceremony?’ She wriggled like a slippery eel, Grace pulling at her arms. ‘Because Billy-Nob is ready to promise himself to just the three women? What a dick.’
‘Who, me?’
The door pushed open and Cory’s curious face appeared, followed by Ben’s. Of course. When was life ever going to give her a break? Lexie made one last struggle, streaks of paint slopping all over the dust sheets, before at last Grace managed to yank her to her feet.
‘This is definitely one for Instagram,’ said Cory, pulling out his phone.
Ben put his hand over his brother’s screen. ‘Give the lady some dignity. Not all of life needs to be played out for the world to see.’
Lexie felt a gush of blood rushing to her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if it was caused by flailing around like a pig in paint, Ben’s unexpected arrival, or because he’d just called her a lady. Not that she was going to start wearing pearls or anything, but still. Maybe he didn’t think of her as a complete hotel-room hussy.
Ben looked around at the paint disaster, saw Sky gawping at them all from the laptop screen, and cleared his throat. ‘Right, well, I was hoping to talk to Lexie about a few things, but this looks like a bad time. Maybe you and I can schedule something in?’ He raised his eyebrows at Lexie.
‘Sure.’ She tried not to look flustered, even though the thought of them alone together made her feel flappier than when she’d been trying to wriggle out of that paint pot.
‘Lexie’s got a proposal for you too, so that works out well.’ She felt Grace arrive at her side, a tower of strength against her jelly-like frame.
‘You’re going to propose to him?’ a confused voice yelled from the screen. ‘I thought you said what happened in London was an awkward mistake?’
Lexie whipped her head around to glare at her sister’s face, wondering how one human being could actually be so stupid. It was as though she opened her mouth before her two brain cells could stop and have a chat.
Cory let out a long whistle. ‘Oh, bro, what happened in London?’
Lexie gulped, praying that in gossip terms, what happened in London would absolutely stay in London.
Chapter 34
‘Nothing happened in London,’ Lexie and Ben managed to exclaim in sync.
‘Just an … awkward mistake.’ Ben repeated Sky’s words in an annoyingly unreadable tone.
‘So nobody’s proposing?’ Sky continued. ‘Because Billy-Bob kind of proposed to me!’
Lexie exhaled in relief at her sister’s propensity to boomerang the conversation back to herself.
‘I was just inviting Lexie to our commitment ceremony. It’s in Mum and Dad’s back garden. Next week.’
Next bloody week? ‘Can’t make it,’ Lexie blurted out. ‘My replacement camper van hasn’t arrived yet and the train will cost a fortune.’ A fortune she didn’t want to spend watching her sister do something sublimely dumb. What was a commitment ceremony anyway? If it wasn’t an actual wedding, she surely didn’t need to go.
‘I’ll drive her,’ Ben confirmed to Sky’s distraught face. ‘It’s the least I can do. It’s my mother’s fault she’s without transport. Lexie will be there.’
‘I’m busy,’ Lexie interjected, annoyed at Ben’s interference. ‘Working.’
‘I haven’t even told you what day it is yet,’ said Sky, with a pout. ‘And I really want you to be there.’
‘I’ll give her the time off,’ said Ben. ‘She worked enough extra hours in London.’
Lexie felt herself bristle. What was that supposed to mean? Like the cocktails-and-kissing fiasco was part of her working day? If he dared pay her overtime …
‘That’s amazing! I can’t wait to see you both.’
‘Ben isn’t invited,’ Lexie said firmly. If she was going to endure hanging out with her sister’s bloke’s two other girlfriends in her parents’ crumbling council house, she didn’t want Ben there, tailored to perfection and making her feel even more hopeless. She wouldn’t even be able to drown her sorrows in gin, in case she accidentally snogged him.
‘No, of course. I won’t intrude. I have some business associates in the north I can catch up with. The trip will be handy for me too,’ said Ben.
