'I'm impressed! And since I'm not driving….' Ethan threw back his drink as well.
As adults often do they had forgotten the notion of role modeling and watched dismayed as Chloe proceeded to down the rest of her drink as well, the milky moustache helping somewhat to ease the guilt that the normally responsible adults felt.
With drinks empty and the only sound being the slurp issuing from around Chloe's upended milkshake glass Chloe stood uncertain of what to do next. For the life of her she couldn't think of anything to say. Ethan sat staring into his empty glass, a typical man at ease with silence. The normally loquacious housekeeper wasn't helping either. Once again being close to Ethan tied her and her tongue up in knots, granny ones at that. She felt like a gauche teenager meeting a movie star, a royalist being introduced to the Queen. He must think I'm a blithering idiot.
'No you're not.'
Ethan's avowal brought Felicity out of her self condemnation.
'What…' spluttered Felicity. Oh lord had she said that out loud? Then Felicity realized that Ethan had reached across her to stop Chloe from wiping out the froth her tongue couldn't reach.
'Yes Felicity?'
Ethan transferred his now blazing gaze from his daughter to Felicity. He leant forward to catch her words more fully his breath warming her cheek. The granny was finished off with a full hitch.
At this point Felicity was saved from answering or was that melting when the intercom buzzed and David announced he had the car out the front and ready. With inordinate haste Felicity scrabbled down onto her feet, grabbed her clutch bag, mumbled a farewell to Darlene and made her way post haste to the front door.
Chloe too jumped down off the barstool and grabbed her father's hand tugging him to follow just as quickly.
Felicity's hasty retreat and the bemused look on Ethan's face brought a twinkle to the eye of the housekeeper come match maker. Darlene felt that she had set the scene and as she carried the rest of the martini shaker out to her quarters she muttered to herself 'You can lead a horse to water….'
The trip into the city, her first at twilight, was like entering fairy land. Office blocks were lit up with clever use of interior lights and shop front dummies with impossible figures lined the streets. And people, they were everywhere. The city council had long had a policy of attracting residents back into the city centre so town streets were alive with people at almost any time of the day. The setting sun gave a fantasy like glow to the sky its pinks and violets only adding to the enchantment. Chloe's 'Ooo's' and 'Ahh's' were mirrored in the excitement that seemed to bubble up and out of Felicity. Both females pointed at quirky sights that attracted them from the athletic lycra clad figure that seemed to hop as he ran on strange springs down the footpath to a hens party squealing in delight at the veil topped bride chained to a street sign while they drank at an open air bar.