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“It’s recommended to have only two units a night,” she scolds.
“Everything in moderation, right? Including moderation.” She looks doubtful. “Jesus, woman, you’re only twenty-eight and you’ve had a hell of a year. You don’t have to worry about Finn tonight. Don’t you think you deserve to have a few drinks on your birthday?” I take out a bottle of whisky and wave it at her.
Her lips curve up. “Yes,” she says confidently, “I do!”
“Great. Would you prefer vodka?”
“Whisky’s fine.”
I pour us both a shot and add some ice and water. “Grab the chocolates as well.”
She finds the box of truffles in the fridge, I decide to bring the bottle, and we take it all out through the sliding doors onto the deck.
The spa pool is cleverly placed just off the deck facing the garden with fencing on either side, so it’s nice and private. We leave our robes on the bench to the side, put our drinks and the chocolate on the shelf, and slide into the hot, bubbling water. Zelda puts her paws up and wags for a bit until I splash her, then loses interest and runs off to explore the bushes.
Behind us through the window, the fairy lights on the Christmas tree cast colored light across the spa. It’s warm, and the air smells of oranges from the trees over by the fence, and jasmine from the white flowers growing by the deck.
“Ohhh…” Missie gives a sexy groan and slips further down until she’s up to her neck. She’s pinned up her hair, and tendrils curl in the steam around her face. “That’s heavenly.”
I pick up my drink and lean back, smiling to see her looking so happy. “What would you like to drink to?”
She picks up her glass. “To a much better New Year than the last.”
I clink my glass against hers and repeat the toast, and we both take a sip. I pick up a truffle and hold it out for her, and she closes her lips around my fingers and takes it into her mouth.
“You’re going to lead me astray, aren’t you?” she asks.
“I’ll do my best.”
She gives a short laugh. “Do I seem staid to you?”
“Not at all. You’re a mother, and a teacher. You have responsibilities. But everyone needs to let their hair down once in a while.”
“I guess.”
“Do you have a night out with your friends very often?”
“I don’t have many friends here. Carly’s the only person I see out of work. She tends to come to the house with Sean. We don’t go out much on our own.” She looks into her glass. “I didn’t used to be like this. I used to be fun.”
“You were lots of fun tonight.”
“You know what I mean. When I was much younger, I used to love parties and dancing. But I suppose getting pregnant so young put paid to all that. I didn’t want to go out and leave Finn, and anyway Lee wouldn’t have liked it if he’d had to stay in with the baby while I went out and had a good time. We grew up too fast.”
“All the more reason to enjoy yourself when you can.”
She nods. “I think we should get drunk tonight.”
“All right.”
She gives me an impish smile, her cheeks dimpling. “I like the way you look at the world. As if you’re in charge, and it’s going to do as it’s told.”
“Sounds about right.”
“Do you think that comes from having money?”
“Probably. It certainly doesn’t hurt.”
“Juliette said your mother is Kaitlyn Cross?”
