Jennifer got sucked into her book as the two girls went over the material in the book and the questions that needed answering. It wasn't until it was almost 6 or 7 that she realized she was still here.
"Beth, do you want to give your dad a ring and say you're eatin' here?" she suggested as she got up and came to check in with the girls. "Or are you almost done?" she asked, looking at the books they'd been working from. They were still working, but they had wasted a lot of time getting to know each other and Beth had delighted in telling her new friend about her brother.
"Probably an hour or two," Beth said, not wanting to over-exaggerate the time needed, but at the same time making sure that the time they needed was long enough to keep her here until dark. "I think I will call my pa," she continued after glancing at Molly, who nodded.
"Sure thing, phone's over there," Jennifer pointed to the corner demarcating the border between the dining area and the kitchen. There was a tall small table with just the phone and a notepad on it. The younger girl nodded and walked over. "She seems nice. How's it going with the homework?"
"Yeah she is nice. And it's not bad, I can see why she didn't want to ask her pa for help," Molly said with a chuckle.
Her sister leaned in to have a look at the book and saw it was about reproductive organs. "Yeah…. I wouldn't have wanted to discuss that with daddy either," Jennifer agreed. "Right, well I'll start dinner then as you guys finish up," she continued, as their visitor walked back over to the table.
"Pa says it's fine," Beth assured them.
"Great, I'll walk you back," Molly offered.
"Oh no that's okay," her guest objected initially, giving her a wink when she looked confused for a minute.
"Don't be daft. I'm walkin' you home," she insisted now.
"Yeah, Molly will walk you back," Jennifer agreed and headed into the kitchen so her sister couldn't reach to hit her. "Happy with chilli?" she asked as she opened the fridge to change the conversation.
"Sure," both girls said at the same time.
"Where's Bethy?" Jake asked when he came in for dinner, seeing it was his father in the kitchen with just two plates set out on the table. He knew she wasn't upstairs because he'd walked past her empty room. "It's getting late ain't it?"
"She called to say she'd be out for dinner," Duncan answered, attention still on the pan on the hob. He knew she was safe, that was the main thing.
"That don't answer the question," his son answered as he sat down.
"She's doin' her homework at Molly's."
Jake looked up confused. "Why is she at Molly's? She always goes through her homework with me."
"Ye think I know? All she said was that she needed a woman's help 'n would be stayin' there for dinner as they hadn't finished," Duncan relayed the message his daughter had given him.
"She's up to summit," his son said, sounding suspicious.
"Don't be daft," he dismissed his comment, prodding the two steaks one last time before deciding they were ready. "Grub's up," he announced, bringing the pan over and dropping a steak onto each plate.
Jake waited for his father to bring over the chips to go with them before trying to pursue his theory. "Pa, ye gotta admit that Bethy don't normally stay out this late. What else could she be up to?" he asked, just as his father was about to start eating.
Duncan put his knife and fork down with an impatient sigh. "Maybe she's just excited to have a new friend," he suggested. "Can I eat now?" he asked, demonstratively picking his cutlery up again.
"Suppose," his son grudgingly admitted and did the same. "Pa," he started after chewing a piece of steak for a moment.
"Oh for god's sake, now what?" Duncan responded.
"Molly mentioned that Jennifer don't want her to have anythin' to do with me. Do ye have any idea what that might be about?" Jake pointedly ignored him and continued the conversation calmly. His father looked at him thoughtfully as he finished his mouthful.
"That's probably down to yer cousin Blake. That boy were crooked as a dog's hind leg, at least with her he was. I don't cotton to it, but I think he ended breakin' her heart, just as their daddy passed away. Good luck gettin' her to forgive 'n forget 'bout that," he told him the basics. He couldn't remember the full details if he had to be honest, but he did remember that much. "Promised her the world that boy did," he said with a shake of his head, disapproving of the way his nephew had treated Jennifer.
"I don't remember that, at all," Jake confessed honestly.
"Ye were seven, Molly was six, course ye don't remember, like they'd say anythin' in front of ye two," Duncan reacted, adding a small chuckle. Blake had enjoyed living with them and even hanging out with Jake most days, but there was no way he'd have let his younger cousin see the side of him that treated girls unfairly.
"Well… That's us screwed then," his son said a little defeated, poking at his steak now, his head drooping.
"I thought ye weren't fallin' in love with her?" he responded a little teasingly, making him look up as if to say what did I just do? Duncan laughed jovially at his son's expense as he continued eating.