Quote:

Originally Posted by Pinky

Crossing her ankles and angling her body just so in her seat Tamara took the drink and nodded her thanks to Thea.

"Shaking things up around here, no doubt," Mrs. Scam said approvingly. Heh. She knew Althea well enough to know she probably came in and cleaned house.

"We haven't spoken in a while." Fact. "Deid is home with me now. Lucian and I have patched things to a certain extent and well Dale... she is an angel as always," she said by way of bringing her up to speed. No mention of Jonah yet. Heh. "How is your... err... personal life at the moment, dear?" She turned her scrutinizing mommy eyes on Althea as she sipped her drink and waited.

"It keeps me busy." And distracted from less pleasant things. Althea sat primly in her own chair and listened to the family update.

"What did you do for Christmas? I'm sorry I couldn't pop in. Mum and Dad and my sisters all came to my place, and it was... full on." As usual. Sigh. And then... unusually so too. Her jaw clenched a little as she thought about one particular visitor and the results of that visit. Hmmph.

"But I'll assume you got the gift basket?" With the wine. And the nibbles. And the wine. "And that the girls got the gifts mum said she sent." Ariane, Thea's mother and Tamara's aunt, had sent trinkets for the girls, on behalf of the Schirmer branch of the family. And likely sent money in a card for Lucian.

....

......

....... her personal life.

Althea grimly pressed her lips together and forced a smile. Where did she start? Restraining Order? The douche that left and didn't owl her because he didn't like hearing the truth? Or the one that was back in the country and basically the perfect man except for the fact that she wasn't sure she deserved him and she much preferred the jerk who had the capacity to make her crazy and possibly cause her to contemplate murder? You know, if he ever spoke to her again and Merlin-be-damned but why the hell would she listen if he did? Why? He'd only be using her anyway and she shouldn't care and didn't want to think about it and so she wouldn't.

Just wouldn't.

She sipped her drink instead. "Did my mother tell you to ask that?" She asked suspiciously, suddenly wondering if Tamara had heard about the events on Christmas day.