Sequel: We'll Be Okay ›
Race Against Time
Dinner
Levi demanded that Flack stayed for dinner, to thank him. I stepped inside and Hurricane Mariah came, tackling my legs. I nearly collided with the wall and chuckled. I hugged her tightly. Levi came up to me, tugging me into the office. He motioned for Flack to follow.
"Tu non mi hai detto è tornato. Perché?" Levi asked in Italian.
[You didn't tell me he was back. Why?]
"Non lo sapevo. Non hanno chiamata, non è colpa mia", I replied.
[I didn't know. They didn't call, not my fault]
I knew Flack had told him. I glared up at him. He raised his hands in defeat.
"He needed to know. He's your brother", he said. I sighed, dropping my head into my hands.
"Speriamo che il nonno non lo sa. Avrà lo ha ucciso, lo sai", Levi said.
[Let's hope Grandfather doesn't know. He'll have him killed, you know that]
"Then don't tell him. Simple", I replied. I instantly regretted the words as soon as they left my lips.
"He's got eyes everywhere, Isabella! Until that psycho is locked up, neither one of you are safe", Levi retorted, waving his arms.
"I'm not a child, Levi, I can handle myself", I said.
"And you've proven that, time and time again", Levi retorted dryly. I rolled my eyes.
"And somehow I always come out swinging", I pointed out. Levi looked apologetically at Flack.
"Sorry you had to see that, Don", he apologized. I nodded.
"Eh, it's fine. At least you two don't throw stuff at each other like my brother and sister do", Flack replied. Levi's head suddenly snapped up and he whirled around to face me.
"What do you mean, they didn't call? They were supposed to call! He did horrible stuff to you, he left you on the damn street for dead, you nearly died and they didn't call?" Levi fumed.
"I don't know, Levi. I wouldn't be in this situation if I knew!" I replied. Sarah knocked on the door.
"Yo, Frank, Marie. Dinnertime", she said, poking her head in.
"We'll discuss this later", Levi said to me. I rolled my eyes and walked out. Sarah raised her eyebrow at me. I pulled Flack aside.
"I'm not gonna apologize for talking to your brother, I hope you know that", he said.
"I know, but I just wanted to apologize for having my brother drag you into that. You didn't need to hear family drama", I replied. He shrugged.
"Ní dochar atá déanta", he assured in Gaelic. I smiled. His Gaelic was adorable.
[No harm done]
I sat down at the table, curling my legs under me. Sarah had made her famous chili. Time for friendly family banter. Sarah made jokes about my days off and I teased her about her pregnancy.
"Mackenzie called today", Sarah said pointedly to me. I laughed.
"She called me too", I replied.
"She said you were almost bested in pranks", Sarah chided me. I rolled my eyes.
"I think I beat you, all I'm saying", Flack said, pointing his spoon at me.
"Oh please, I so got you back", I retorted.
"Don't tell me you've been pranking again", Levi said, looking at me.
"Okay, I won't", I replied, giving him a cheesy full-toothed grin.
"In all fairness, I started it", Flack said.
"She's an evil mastermind", Levi replied, pointing at me.
"Yeah, she locked my keys in the car, changed my contact names, hid my phone, and jammed my desk drawer all because I changed her phone language to Russian", Flack said. Sarah started laughing.
"She has always been a force to be reckoned with", Levi said.
"So I tossed her keys into the pool", Flack continued. Levi burst out laughing.
"Oh, that's just maniacal", Levi chortled.
"So I pushed him in after jumping in after them", I said, smiling triumphantly.
"You two are even now. I honestly would hate to see what evil you two would come up with", Levi replied, nudging me. I rolled my eyes.
"I'm going home in two days. Me getting him back was quick thinking", I said.
"Remember when Ian swapped your saddle soap for car wax?" Levi asked. I giggled hysterically.
"I couldn't stay on Poker! It was so slippery!" I giggled.
"Good thing he had good sense to not do anything to Poker. That horse is expensive", Levi replied.
"Two million dollars is way expensive", I agreed. Flack nearly choked on his food.
"I didn't pay that for him, that's how much he's worth", I said. He nodded.
"'Bout to say", he replied.
"Isabella may screw up a lot but there are some things she does right. Pranks, horses, and revenge", Levi said, patting my back.
"Gee, thanks", I retorted dryly. After about another hour, Flack had to go.
"Well, that was interesting. Thanks for the chili, Sarah", he said, hugging her. Sarah hugged back and Mariah nearly tackled him goodbye.
"I'll see you tomorrow", I said, waving. Sarah grabbed my hand, tugging me into the guest room.
"Spill it, sister", she demanded. I raised my eyebrow.
"Oh please, you two were practically flirting tonight", she said, crossing her arms.
"I don't know what you're talking about. He was being nice", I replied, rolling my eyes.
"Yeah, right. I've known Don Flack for five years and he doesn't act like that unless he likes someone and I think that someone is you, Isabella Rae", she said.
"Tu non mi hai detto è tornato. Perché?" Levi asked in Italian.
[You didn't tell me he was back. Why?]
"Non lo sapevo. Non hanno chiamata, non è colpa mia", I replied.
[I didn't know. They didn't call, not my fault]
I knew Flack had told him. I glared up at him. He raised his hands in defeat.
"He needed to know. He's your brother", he said. I sighed, dropping my head into my hands.
"Speriamo che il nonno non lo sa. Avrà lo ha ucciso, lo sai", Levi said.
[Let's hope Grandfather doesn't know. He'll have him killed, you know that]
"Then don't tell him. Simple", I replied. I instantly regretted the words as soon as they left my lips.
"He's got eyes everywhere, Isabella! Until that psycho is locked up, neither one of you are safe", Levi retorted, waving his arms.
"I'm not a child, Levi, I can handle myself", I said.
"And you've proven that, time and time again", Levi retorted dryly. I rolled my eyes.
"And somehow I always come out swinging", I pointed out. Levi looked apologetically at Flack.
"Sorry you had to see that, Don", he apologized. I nodded.
"Eh, it's fine. At least you two don't throw stuff at each other like my brother and sister do", Flack replied. Levi's head suddenly snapped up and he whirled around to face me.
"What do you mean, they didn't call? They were supposed to call! He did horrible stuff to you, he left you on the damn street for dead, you nearly died and they didn't call?" Levi fumed.
"I don't know, Levi. I wouldn't be in this situation if I knew!" I replied. Sarah knocked on the door.
"Yo, Frank, Marie. Dinnertime", she said, poking her head in.
"We'll discuss this later", Levi said to me. I rolled my eyes and walked out. Sarah raised her eyebrow at me. I pulled Flack aside.
"I'm not gonna apologize for talking to your brother, I hope you know that", he said.
"I know, but I just wanted to apologize for having my brother drag you into that. You didn't need to hear family drama", I replied. He shrugged.
"Ní dochar atá déanta", he assured in Gaelic. I smiled. His Gaelic was adorable.
[No harm done]
I sat down at the table, curling my legs under me. Sarah had made her famous chili. Time for friendly family banter. Sarah made jokes about my days off and I teased her about her pregnancy.
"Mackenzie called today", Sarah said pointedly to me. I laughed.
"She called me too", I replied.
"She said you were almost bested in pranks", Sarah chided me. I rolled my eyes.
"I think I beat you, all I'm saying", Flack said, pointing his spoon at me.
"Oh please, I so got you back", I retorted.
"Don't tell me you've been pranking again", Levi said, looking at me.
"Okay, I won't", I replied, giving him a cheesy full-toothed grin.
"In all fairness, I started it", Flack said.
"She's an evil mastermind", Levi replied, pointing at me.
"Yeah, she locked my keys in the car, changed my contact names, hid my phone, and jammed my desk drawer all because I changed her phone language to Russian", Flack said. Sarah started laughing.
"She has always been a force to be reckoned with", Levi said.
"So I tossed her keys into the pool", Flack continued. Levi burst out laughing.
"Oh, that's just maniacal", Levi chortled.
"So I pushed him in after jumping in after them", I said, smiling triumphantly.
"You two are even now. I honestly would hate to see what evil you two would come up with", Levi replied, nudging me. I rolled my eyes.
"I'm going home in two days. Me getting him back was quick thinking", I said.
"Remember when Ian swapped your saddle soap for car wax?" Levi asked. I giggled hysterically.
"I couldn't stay on Poker! It was so slippery!" I giggled.
"Good thing he had good sense to not do anything to Poker. That horse is expensive", Levi replied.
"Two million dollars is way expensive", I agreed. Flack nearly choked on his food.
"I didn't pay that for him, that's how much he's worth", I said. He nodded.
"'Bout to say", he replied.
"Isabella may screw up a lot but there are some things she does right. Pranks, horses, and revenge", Levi said, patting my back.
"Gee, thanks", I retorted dryly. After about another hour, Flack had to go.
"Well, that was interesting. Thanks for the chili, Sarah", he said, hugging her. Sarah hugged back and Mariah nearly tackled him goodbye.
"I'll see you tomorrow", I said, waving. Sarah grabbed my hand, tugging me into the guest room.
"Spill it, sister", she demanded. I raised my eyebrow.
"Oh please, you two were practically flirting tonight", she said, crossing her arms.
"I don't know what you're talking about. He was being nice", I replied, rolling my eyes.
"Yeah, right. I've known Don Flack for five years and he doesn't act like that unless he likes someone and I think that someone is you, Isabella Rae", she said.