Candice made breakfast, while Andy showered, and was watching the early news when a text arrived.
‘Do you want to be here for this?’ The text said. Candice stared at it for a minute. Marsha must mean that she was going to do a pregnancy test. Trying to calculate dates in her head, Candice thought there was a good chance the test would be negative, but Marsha was a nurse and she’d done midwifery training, so maybe she knew something, or was making an intelligent guess.
Candice, feeling mischievous, sent a return text.
‘Sounds like fun, be there in half an hour’
A minute later, ‘Who is this?’
‘Candice’
‘You have a Candice phone?’
‘Yeah, sorry.’
‘I texted Candy.’
‘Yeah, she forwarded it. I was messing with you’
‘Which of you two is going to feed our baby?’
Candice looked at the phone and burst into tears, and at that moment Andy walked in.
“What’s the matter?”
She held out the phone. Andy took it from her, staring at the message for a few seconds.
“Why the tears?” he said as he scrolled through the texts. “Aaah. ‘Our baby’. That hit a deep spot, huh?”
He held her in his arms until her breathing was back to normal.
“Should we both go? It seems like you’re in no condition to be riding in a taxi, I’ll drive you. The two of you can tell me to back off when we get there.
Half way to the hospital Candice sent a text. ‘Andy is driving me over. Is that okay?’
‘It’s his baby too.’
Andy drove carefully, occasionally glancing at Candice to see if she was back on an even keel.
“Is it going to mess up your plotting with Marsha, me being around?” Andy said.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You have had some piercings that are expected to set my hormones racing. You’ve been hiding the relevant body parts so that I, or possibly or who knows who, only get to see the perfectly amazing final look. Meanwhile, Marsha has been trying to get pregnant. Correct so far?”
“Not for me to say.”
“Aah, so that was Candy.”
“Who?”
“Aah. So me being around this morning won’t affect anything?”
“Unless this Candy person turns up.”
They drove the next mile in silence.
“So?” Candice said, eventually.
“I’m still thinking.”
“Is it that hard?”
“Every move could cast long shadows.”
After a few curves and one traffic light, Candice smiled.
“Pleased with something?”
“Mmm.”
“Do I get to find out what?”
“You can guess.”
“You were imagining our baby casting a long shadow?”
“Good, but not that.”
“You were smiling because you finally realised how much I overuse metaphors?”
“No,” she said. “I was smiling because you’ve said that kind of thing before, and I always ignored you, or said, don’t fret, it will be alright. You were right, and I was wrong, but—“ she laughed, “but I had the sense to marry you anyway, and I was right, it is alright.”
She looked across at him. “Don’t laugh, you’re driving.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Andy lagged back when they got out of the car, but Candice dragged him along.
“Have I got to watch Marsha pee?”
Candice laughed and insisted that was not necessary. When they got to Marsha’s room she was waiting with her pee in a glass jar and a test stick at the ready. Marsha dipped the stick and the three of them sat through the longest two minutes of their lives.
“There’s not much doubt about that,” Andy said. “I’m glad we aren’t in some reality show, they’d probably drag that out until next week.”
“Did you think it was going to be positive?”
Marsha gave Candice a sidelong look.
“You mean did I do a sneak preview before I phoned?”
“I wondered if you started feeling something.”
Marsha stopped giggling for a minute. “Sorry,” she said. “I’ve been feeling something the last few days, a sort of euphoria.”
“And how do you feel now?” Andy said.
Marsha pulled Candice and Andy towards her, kissing one and then the other twice before she spoke.
“I feel fantastic,” she said.
There were a few more hugs and kisses before everyone got their breath back. Candice caught Andy’s eye. He could only guess what she expected him to do, but he knew that look, he was in no doubt that she expected him to do something.
“Candice and I—”
“Candice? So the so-called blind date went well?”
“Yeah, pretty good. You always know when you’ve met a soulmate.”
Marsha pulled him close and whispered in his ear. “Have you slept with her yet?”
Andy laughed. “No,” he said.
“But he has hopes,” Candice said. “I’m not deaf.”
Marsha laughed. “Okay, so your games are none of my business—”
Candice interrupted. “They are love, we’re all in this together. It’s all down to me trying to grow up, Andy’s helping with our little game. There’s other things too. I suppose we should have family meetings or something.
“I like the family bit, not so sure about meetings, I don’t think I fancy handover reports as if home was a ward.” She chuckled. “Of course it could be amusing, careful records of who did what with whom, numbers of orgasms, pulse and blood pressure afterwards.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“It’s other things,” Andy said. “Candice is liable to beat around the bush for hours and you need sleep. We’ve been trying to decide what to say to Rhona.”
“Your mum?”
“Mmmm, what will you tell your parents?”
“I already told them. Not the test, obviously, but I told them about us.”
“And a baby, a grandchild?”
“Yeah, I said it was possible. Andy, I told them you were a decent man and could be relied on. I said they could meet us all together if they were worried. Is that okay?”
“And?”
“They were happy.” Marsha sat on her bed and gave the two of them a mischievous grin. “I think they were relieved. My mum does know some of what I’ve been up to in the past, and I expect she found a way to tell dad as much as she thought he could cope with. She kind of went along with me dating women, but it was a struggle. I know she made an effort to ‘be modern’ and kept saying to Dad, ‘she’s our daughter, we have to support her choices.’ I’ve heard her say it and half of the time it sounds as if she’s learned the phrases in a textbook. I think the idea of a stable relationship, even if it is with a couple, and having a baby with someone who wants that baby… I think they both think that’s all good; a whole lot better than their worst fears… That’s not why I’m doing it, I want this whatever they or anyone else thinks… What have you told your Mum?”
She looked at Candice. “Will your Mum be pleased you’re using the name she gave you?”
“I haven’t told her anything,” Candice mumbled.
“Nothing at all? She came down when you were in the hospital. I met her on the ward.”
“I told her I couldn’t remember a thing. I still can’t. I know all about it, but only from what you two have told me. I can’t actually remember anything after about nine that evening.” Candice shook her head. “Yeah, I know — convenient, and I chickened out of saying anything else.”
“So what will you tell her?”
“That’s the million-dollar question. At least she’s met you. I know it’s a daft question, she met Sister Williams, but did you get on? I mean you must have known it was my Mum, so she wasn’t a random relative — I know you treat everyone right, but… oh hell, you know what I mean, say something before I get myself in a complete mess.”
Marsha grinned. “I thought she was a lot like you, you look alike, and I thought she had the same hidden depths. I was lucky when we first met, you showed me a side of you that most people don’t get to see. I think she has some of the same. I’d be happy to get to know her.”
“The thing is,” Candice said, “I don’t know Mum as well as I should. Dad died four months after I went to university. I was a couple of hundred miles away. We talked a lot on the phone but I don’t think I was much help.”
“Were you close to your Dad?”
Marsha saw Andy’s eyebrows rise.
“Dad was everything, whether Mum and I liked it or not. It was a big wrench, but I knew I had to get away. It left a big hole when he died. I never got to know Mum any better after that.”
“She obviously cares about you.”
“I guess.”
Marsha looked at Andy and back to Candice. “I don’t know if I should say this —”
“But you’re going to anyway?”
“The other thing about her — she can flirt, like you can. I saw her chat up one of the doctors, trying to find out if you were going to be okay.”
“Go on,” Candice said.
Marsha laughed. “It was like she was giving him the come on, as long as he saved her daughter.”
Candice sat nodding her head. “Yeah, I can see how that would happen.”
“Can you unpack that love?” Andy said.
“It’s what Dad taught her, I think. Like that was the way you got men to do things for you. It’s what Mum always did because Dad pushed her in that direction when he wanted something from some other guy. He made sure it never went too far, but that was his way. I think the habit stuck. I know she doesn’t do that with you Andy, somehow you get her on her best behaviour.”
“So, what will you do?”
“Toss a coin maybe, heads I go Scotland and talk to her, tails we invite her down.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was Andy’s phone call that settled it. Neither Candice, nor Marsha could decide which way was best to handle things, so Andy phoned. He said afterwards that it was an odd phone call because it seemed that Rhona was not keen on anyone visiting, least of all Candice, so Andy invited Rhona to come and stay for a few days. Some arm waving and finger-pointing at the calendar decided a date, and they had a week to prepare themselves.
“Do you have any idea why she wouldn’t want you to visit?” Andy said when he put the phone down.
“I don’t know. Maybe the place is a mess, without Dad’s iron discipline she could have let things go a bit.”
“Your Dad’s been dead a long time, she must be managing well enough. When she came to see you in the hospital she looked fit and well turned out.”
“Yeah, so maybe she’s got a new man?”
“Why would she want to keep that a secret?”
Candice shrugged. “Who knows, I expect you to use your subtle charms and intelligence to find out.”
“What about your reveal party? I thought I’d be getting Marsha’s news and that both together.”
“Is the denial getting to you?”
“It’s okay, I know you’re not being mean, and I’m not really being denied, you know that. I can have Marsha any time.”
“Can have, or have had?”
“Mostly can. I know we’re all together in this, but I don’t like, well no, that’s not right. Let’s just say sometimes I’m a little confused. Is everything healing up okay?”
“Everything is perfect. I’m the one who is confused. I don’t know what to do.”
“What did you want to do before you got confused?”
She laughed. “I wanted to give you an amazing time, the sexiest time imaginable, better than anything you might have dreamt I did for anyone while I was out.”
“And?”
“I have no idea. I never asked you what went on in your head. The more I thought about it the more I realised that I had no idea what I might have done to you and no idea what you might have imagined. So I’m confused.”
“I think you should do whatever makes you feel good, my problem is I don’t know if I’m sleeping with Candy or Candice.”
“Which do you prefer?”
“Tough question?”
“Really?”
“Oh sure, I could offend one of them, and that wouldn’t be good. I hardly know Candice. I mean I know Candy, and she always came back to me, whatever else she did, there has to be some credit for that. On the other hand, Candice is very interesting, she has potential, and a new woman can be so exciting.”
“Like having an affair? All that buzz?”
“I guess. You know more about that than I do.”
“You had Marsha.”
“We both had Marsha.” Andy held up his hand. “Truce?”
“We’re not fighting.”
“A good time to have a truce. It’s your call love. If you want to keep denying me, you’re the only one that can do that.”
“You could deny me.”
“Is that what you want? To give up sex?”
“No.”
“So?”
“Yeah, so I need to get my act together.”
“You could name a day, preferably not too far away.”
“To put more pressure on?” she said.
“I thought it could take pressure off, I’m not going to be disappointed, and I’m sure we’ll keep thinking of ways to have fun with the new jewellery opportunities. Or,” he said, “you could ask Mistress, or maybe your Mum.”
“My Mum? What does she know?”
“I have no idea, but it’s bound to make for some interesting mother-daughter bonding.”
“I know it’s daft, but maybe you’re right. I said I’d never told her anything, this could be a hell of a start.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Candice met Rhona at the station.
“Hey,” Rhona said, “you’re walking.”
“And driving. Pretty much back to normal.”
“So what’s the urgency? Andy was very pushy on the phone, I thought you must have had a setback.”
“Andy never said that.”
“No, no, you’re right. After seeing you in hospital I thought… well, you can guess. So what’s the big deal?”
“I need to take the weight off my foot for a while, so I’ve booked us lunch. A nice place, but very slow service, so plenty of time to talk.”
Rhona laughed. “Very devious. Can I at least put my bags in your car?”
“No problem, it’s right outside, and the restaurant is across the road.”
They were seated and reading the menu two minutes later. Candice glanced at the pages and then put the menu down.
“The thing is Mum, I need to talk to someone, someone outside of my life… it’s complicated, too complicated, I can cope but I… I don’t want you to be too shocked when you know what’s going on. You might be… well you probably will be, but it only seems fair to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
“Well that’s the thing, one thing kind of leads to another, so I thought it would be best if I told you everything.”
Rhona laughed.
“What’s funny?”
“You beating around the bush, or possibly multiple bushes.”
Candice smiled. “Sorry, it’s hard to know where to begin.”
“Does the crash have something to do with this?”
“That’s what blew everything apart.”
“Why don’t you start at the beginning?”
“Do you remember when we lost our baby?”
“Yes.”
“After that, I was a mess.”
“I know, but I thought you got over it. You seemed okay whenever I saw you.”
“Okay, yeah, enough to go back to work, but I wasn’t completely right, not deep down…”
“And?”
“After Dad died, what did you do? I mean how did you feel.”
“Upset, sad, what do you think?”
“Well, yeah I get that, but how did you feel as a woman?” Candice looked at her mother’s blank face. “I mean sex mum, what did you do about sex? You lost Dad, so did you look for someone else?”
“Oh, that.”
“Well?”
“What has that got to do with you?”
“Well did you go off the rails at all, I mean like jump into bed—”
“With the first man I saw?”
“Yeah, something like that? You know, to sort of prove you still had it?”
“So you’ve had an affair and Andy’s throwing you out? Was the crash how he found out?”
“No and no, well not exactly.”
“Not exactly?”
“Andy is fine with everything, actually Andy is bloody marvellous about everything. It was just now and then, I went a bit wild.”
“How wild?” Rhona said, eyebrows rising slightly.
“I don’t know, I mean compared to what? What would you call wild?”
“There are ways of keeping score.”
“Do you have expert advice on that?”
Rhona didn’t rise to the challenge. “Are you sure Andy is happy?”
“I think so but would it embarrass you to ask him?”
For a second Candice saw a side of her mother she’d never seen before. A tight, professional smile.
“You’re talking to a professional dear. I don’t do embarrassed. It might shock Andy though.”
With the immaculate timing that is one of the prominent skills of so many waiters, a small neatly dressed man appeared.
“Oh, sorry, we should have decided.”
“I’ll have the soup, followed by the lamb,” Rhona said. She put the menu down. “My daughter will have the same.”
For a second Candice looked daggers and then relaxed. “Fine,” she said, watching until the waiter had moved away.
“I don’t think anything you say will shock Andy.” But I might shock you, she thought. “Did you miss, um, what Dad used to do?”
That got a straight look from Rhonda.
“Meaning what?”
“Oh come on Mum.”
“Candice, if you want to have a, what do they call it, a full and frank discussion, then you have to come out with the words.”
“He used to spank you, I know he did, and it never sounded as if you minded too much.”
Rhona chuckled and grinned, her head rolling back to look at the ceiling. It took a minute to settle.
“He had a thing about it. I know he did the same to you. Did you miss it?”
“I got Andy to do it when I’d been naughty.”
Rhona looked at Candice with a wicked grin. “So you went out and had a wild time and he spanked you when you got home?”
“Yeah, something like that — only about every month or so. Then I had an affair with this woman I met in a store, and then I nearly got killed and Andy met Marsha and I started to grow up and now I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Slow down girl. Who is Marsha?”
“The nurse I had an affair with.”
“And now you’re losing Andy to her? Serves you right.”
“No, no, well, yes I get that, but it’s not like that. Marsha is with both of us.”
“Marsha is with both of you?”
“Yeah, a sort of permanent threesome.”
The waiter appeared with the soup. Candice looked startled, wondering if the man had heard what she said. Rhona sat back in her chair and fixed Candice with a serious look, waiting until the soup was in position and the waiter well away.
“I’m beginning to understand why you wanted to talk to me. That all sounds very messy.”
“No Mum, it’s not messy, it’s marvellous… I was worried you’d be shocked… well actually I had no idea what you’d think. I thought you ought to know. Really, I’d like you to be pleased, and I know Marsha wants to meet you… um… preferably before our baby arrives.”
Rhona clapped her hand over her mouth to stop herself shrieking and sat staring at Candice, shaking her head. Candice sat still, suddenly mentally drained as everything poured out.
When Rhona had her breath back and Candice had recovered her poise, Rhona couldn’t resist asking. “Who ‘s baby is this?”
“Ours.”
“The three of you? Is this some surrogate business?”
“No. If you want to get into technicalities Marsha is carrying the baby, Andy is the father and I’m going to breast feed once it arrives. Marsha’s going to go back to work. You met her actually, she was the sister in charge of intensive care when you visited me. I know it sounds complicated, that’s why I had to talk to you.”
“I remember her.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Did you like her?”
“Like? I don’t know. I appreciated what she was doing. She seemed very much on top of things. I can see why Andy might like her.”
“It wasn’t like that. I’ll get them to tell you what happened if you like. I’m too embarrassed, but let’s just say she felt sorry for Andy. She owned up about knowing me and then I think she seduced him. I think if I’d been in her shoes I might have done the same.”
“And you don’t mind?”
“It might have felt weird, but it all happened when I was unconscious. When I think what I put Andy through, anything could have happened. I think Marsha saved our marriage.”
“What did you put him through?”
With impeccable timing, the waiter appeared with their main course.
“Let’s eat now Mum. I’ll tell you everything later. For now, let’s just say a lot of men would have thrown me out, but Andy’s not like that. He stands back and thinks about things and then finds a way to make it work.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was two days before Rhona was able to corner Andy on his own. Marsha was sleeping at the hospital and Candice had a session with the lactation nurse.
“Why do you put up with her?” Rhona said after a few minutes conversation.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
Rhona laughed. “Come on Andy, if half of what she’s told me is true most husbands would have thrown her out.”
“I’m not so sure about that, she always comes back and apart from her affair with Marsha, she’s actually kept to her vows.”
“Really?”
“You were there, what did she vow?”
Rhona looked blank for a second. Andy chuckled, “No one really listens do they.”
“Go on.”
“We didn’t include the bit about forsaking all others. She promised to love and cherish, and she does that. It’s not as though she’s ever told anyone about her adventures. Did she tell you all this started after she lost the baby? I thought she needed to prove herself, and me saying she was great didn’t cut it. She knows I’m biased. It had to be something beyond that.”
“I think it goes back a lot further. Partly my fault, mostly her father.”
“I’ve never risked delving that far back. Is it a can of worms?”
“You never knew Jack, he died before you met Candice didn’t he?”
“A year before.”
“He was a very dominant man. I shouldn’t have married him if I’d had any sense. I wanted to get away from my family. I wanted someone who would stand up to them.”
“And did he?”
“Oh yes. The trouble was that his aggression came from thinking he was the most important person in the world. If anything didn’t go the way he thought it should, then it had to be someone else’s fault.”
“You and Candice were first in line?”
“To be fair, we only got it when he couldn’t get at someone else.”
“But it got you away from your family?”
Yes, but I gradually learned that I’d somewhat miscalculated.”
Andy sat for a moment, thinking. “Let me guess, they faded from view and he was still around?”
“They moved to Spain. Dad’s health wasn’t too good, he thought the climate would be better for him.”
“Was it?”
“No, not really, maybe he lived a year or two longer, and I suppose it was more comfortable.”
“You think the way Candice reacted came from him?”
“She might have thought it was her fault.”
“And overcompensated in some way?”
“Would you say her adventures, as you call them, were overcompensation?”
“They were certainly over something. Have you had all the details?”
“Some.”
“You should.”
“She told you everything?”
“That was part of the deal.”
“Is… um, hmm, is that something that excites you?”
“I guess there were a few things that were good to hear. I like being married to a woman that so many men are attracted to. It’s interesting to know which activities she enjoys most.”
“You make it sound academic, like a research project..”
“I guess it was.”
“Did it upset you? I mean, was it humiliating?”
“You’ve played this game before.”
“What?”
“There’s something about your attitude — I don’t mean that in a bad way — to me it sounds as if you know more than a submissive widow ought to.”
“A submissive widow?”
“You lived with a dominant man who, if I can believe Candice’s eavesdropping skills, used to employ some corporal punishment in the bedroom.”
“She told you that?”
“I gather she got some of the same. She wondered if you missed it.”
“She told me you spanked her after her adventures.”
“Only because she insisted. Did you miss it? She wondered if you found some way to fill the gap?”
“Is there somewhere we could walk? A park or some countryside?”
“Face to face is too intense?”
“I like the pace of walking…”
“There was something else you thought about saying.”
“Mmmm. Walking is less intense. I’ll tell you the rest… one day.”
Andy left a note for Candice and took Rhona to a country park, flat ground on a hill/top with plenty of trees and long views into the distance. Plenty of places to stop and take in the view.
When they got out of the car Rhona said nothing for a few minutes until they crested a small rise and a view of three counties opened out in front of them.
“I guess it doesn’t compete with your part of the world.”
“Less rugged, certainly, but good to rest the eyes. Thanks for bringing me out here. I like the air.” She stopped for a second, “let’s stroll this way,” she said, turning to the left. “Is that safe? No hidden cliffs or anything?”
“Gentle undulations and a good view.”
“Not like your marriage then?”
Andy smiled. “I guess we’ve had our share of cliffs, but we’re still going.”
“Thanks to you Andy. Jack was nothing like you. He enveloped me. What you said about submissive is right, up to a point. The trouble with labels is they only tell half the story. At first, after Jack died I was terrified. I had no idea what to do. I had the life insurance, I had the house, I was careful.
“Six months on and nothing was my fault unless I wanted it to be. It was a revelation. I don’t know where the idea came from but I started to experiment. I tried being the grieving widow, but that was boring. I tried all sorts of things and woke up one day about two years later realising that I was quite attractive and whatever role I put on, men were interested. I was calling the shots.”
“What shots did you call?”
“Have you heard of sugar daddies?”
“Yeees.”
“It turns out there’s a demand for sugar MILFs too. Actually that’s the wrong way around, I mean the daddies pay the money, it’s the other way around with the MILFs.”
“So this is your PR business?”
“Mmmm, it’s a sort of cover. PR usually means Public Relations, not Private Relationships. I’m not actually telling a lie, but I am allowing some people to come away with the wrong idea.”
“So if someone asked what PR stood for, you’d tell them?”
“So far they’ve never asked.”
Rhona stopped walking, standing for a moment looking into the far distance.
“Should I tell Candice?”
“If you don’t then, I’d have to keep a secret from her.”
“And you’d rather not? She kept some from you.”
“True,” Andy said. “But I can’t complain about that if I do the same. Do you want me to tell her, would that be easier? Talking to me doesn’t seem to have bothered you.”
Rhona put her arm around him. “You’re easy to talk to.”
“Here’s an idea. Why don’t I open it up, I’ll say that we went for a walk this morning and had a great talk. She’s bound to ask ‘What about?’ and then I can look at you and you take it from there.”
“And if I clam up?”
“I’ll say, ‘Oh stuff about her business, how it works, very interesting’, but I’ll make it sound boring and stuffy.”
“And later on, when you’re together she’ll ask you and you’ll tell her?”
“I guess.”
“Mmmm, okay. You’re right, I should open up, actually, it feels good that you know. Here’s an interesting thing, I have pictures of you and Candice all over the house, ones you’ve sent me, the wedding and so on.
“The weird thing is that it improves my business. Makes me look like a real Mum. I made more money after the pictures went up. I could really do with a second daughter. I actually thought about making one up. I don’t know what fantasy it triggers, but there’s money in it.”
“Maybe you should ask Marsha.”
“Seriously?”
“If you let slip what the three of us are doing, you can probably double your fees.”
Rhona burst out laughing, stepped back away from Andy for a second to look at him carefully, and then laughed again.
“I can’t tell if you’re joking or not… but you may be right.”
“If we tell Candice I’d like to make her pay for knowing.”
“What?”
“It’s a secret, I know what it is, but she’s holding out on me — it’s a game we’re playing. It may shock you, actually, I doubt it now, but Candice will expect you to be freaked out.”
“So you want her secret as the price? Have us shock each other?”
“Yeah, I think it would be cool.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It worked out almost exactly as Andy suggested. He said his line, Candice responded as expected and Rhona became suddenly shy. The only difference was Marsha being there and listening intently.
“What was it you wanted to talk about, Mum?”
“My PR business.”
“Is it in trouble?”
Andy laughed.
“What?” said Candice.
“Your Mum doesn’t know where to start.” He turned to Rhona. “ShalI I? Would that be easier?”
Rhona nodded, looking relieved for a moment.
“There’s a price,” she said.
“Have we got to bail the business out?”
“Not that kind of price dear, the business is doing fine, more than fine actually, but there is a price. You’ve been holding out on Andy. I know all about the bag lady act. It has to stop.”
“So?”
“So we’re going to have supper and after that, while Andy and I clear up, you have half an hour to get ready to show us everything, and in return, I will tell you everything.”
“Andy?”
“It’s worth it love.”
“A PR business is that exciting?”
“If you know what the P and the R stand for.”
“So PR is some sort of front?” said Marsha.
“Andy I’m not sure this is fair, you and Marsha don’t have secrets to tell.”
“We did until we told you,” Marsha said.
“Marsha’s right, dear. If you don’t move your game on soon, I might make Andy an offer, the poor boy has put up with enough of your games.”
“Andy knows your secret?”
“Yes.”
Candice fixed her mother with what was probably intended to be an evil grin. “I could wheedle it out of him.”
The fearsome expression had no impact. “With more of the bag lady look?” Rhona said. “I don’t think so.”
Marsha burst out laughing. “She’s got you bang to rights kid”
