Page 67 of Frosted Fakes

"Gabby," Jamie said, and Elliott could hear him swallow hard.

They made it through dessert and coffee and cheese and, really, Elliott thought that she and Julia could have been dancing naked on the table by this point and Gabby wouldn’t have noticed a thing. She had eyes only for Jamie. Which was probably a good thing, it took the attention off her and Julia, if nothing else.

It was after ten when Gabby finally turned to Jamie with a smile that had shifted from predatory to something almost vulnerable. "Jamie, darling, would you walk me to my car? I find I'm rather tired."

"Of course." Jamie rose, shooting Elliott and Julia a look that Elliott thought she’d seen once in a horror film, right before the heroine went down the basement stairs to meet the serial killer. "I'll just be a moment."

They disappeared toward the front, leaving Elliott and Julia alone in the booth.

"Do you know, I think she actually believes us now," Julia said.

"Why wouldn’t she?" Elliott asked.

"I suppose you’re right. But it does simplify things a bit, doesn’t it? I mean, I know that there are still a few… things to work out, but…"

"Things to work out?" Elliott said with a laugh. "My love, you know that communication isn’t just for romantic relationships, right? At some point, you’re going to have to tell your mum the truth about who you are and what you want and don’t want in life. You can’t just… live in a bakery with me forever." The second those words were out of her mouth, Elliott regretted them.

Julia sighed and shook her head. Elliott clasped her hand tight under the table. One day at a time, they’d said. Baby steps. And here she was bringing up the future.

They were rescued from any further serious talk by Jamie reappearing, sliding into the booth with the haunted expression of a man who'd seen things. "Help me," he said.

"What happened?"

"She kissed me. Again." Jamie buried his face in his hands. "At her car. She wants dinner. Just the two of us. She used the word 'intimate.'"

Elliott snorted.

Julia raised her eyebrows. "You… kissed my mum?"

Jamie groaned. "It was the other night. We’d had a bottle and a half of wine and… And it’s very hard to say no to her."

"Tell me about it," Julia said.

"And she is very attractive," Jamie added.

"And she is Julia’s mum," said Elliott.

"She's not just that, she’s Gabby Richarson! She could destroy my career with a single review!"

"Or make it," Julia pointed out.

Jamie groaned again. "You're not helping. I don’t think you should be encouraging me to date your mother. It’s weird."

Elliott laughed. "You've been watching us fumble through this fake dating thing for weeks. Consider this karma."

They settled the bill and said their goodnights. Jamie locked up, still muttering about self-sabotage, and Elliott and Julia found themselves on the quiet high street.

The night was cool and clear. Elliott slipped her hand into Julia’s without even thinking about it.

"That was… interesting," Julia offered.

"That’s one way of putting it." Elliott looked up at the starry sky. "I hope your mum doesn’t eat Jamie."

"She might," Julia said. "But I’m not completely convinced that Jamie wouldn’t like it. Anyway, the two of us might be a mess with no plan as to what we’re getting into together, but at least we're in a better place than Shay and Jamie, right?" Julia glanced up at her. "Shay's juggling three people and Jamie's being pursued by my mother. Comparatively, we're functional."

Elliott laughed. "That's a low bar."

"Still a bar we're clearing."