Commitment

Part 32

Gray rubbed the back of his neck as he walked to the door. He felt like a fool. An uncouth fool.

It wasn't Caro at the door. It was Sam and Lore.

"Hey, Regan's home?" Worried, Lore questioned as soon as Gray opened the door to them. They'd spotted the car as soon as they had driven in. And she and her grandfather had looked at each other.

"Yes. She's just got in." Gray muttered with some trepidation. He was fairly sure that what had just happened had caused her a great deal of hurt and that he'd been responsible for most of it. He had been too slow to process information. He should have simply set a new place at the table, apologised for not letting her know about the dinner, and then offered her a glass of wine. Instead he'd made her feel unwanted.

Lore bit her lip and mumbled, "But we've only set the table for four." Lore stated worriedly as she strolled past him, her arms laden with boxes, "And we ordered starters for four. We don't have enough."

"I know." Gray muttered and rubbed his forehead. What a mess. Why didn't he insisted, she could have joined them, enjoy the company even if she had already eaten.

Lore huffed, "Ohhhh, it's going to be difficult to stretch it to five..."

Gray said quietly, "She said she'd eaten already." But he was fairly certain it was a lie.

"Regan has?" Sam walked past, also carrying a multitude of boxes.

"Yes. She said she already ate."

"So she's not eating with us?" He didn't like the sound of that. "But will join us? Have a drink at least?" If Regan was home she should join them at the table and eat with them, he was sure they could find a way to stretch what they'd bought.

"She said she'd eaten." Gray repeated, though even to his own ears the excuse sounded hollow. And as he said the words he could see her eyes, and the hurt within. He'd really stuffed this up. He had made a hash of this evening.

"So she will have a drink with us?"

"No."

Sam stopped and looked over at Gray, "You did invite her to join us, didn't you?" Sam narrowed his eyes and focussed his attention on his grandson. His grandson appeared ill at ease and looked worried. What the hell had happened Sam worried.

"Yes." Though, silently Gray acknowledged that he also probably conveyed the impression that she hadn't been expected or wanted at the table this evening. "She said she was going to have an early night." Only after he'd practically told her she would be an unwelcome fifth at the table.

Sam put the boxes on the kitchen table then glanced up at the kitchen wall clock. "This early?" Ok, so clearly something had happened between Gray and Regan. Sam wondered if he'd have time to sort it out before Caro arrived. "What happened, Gray?"

"What do you mean?" Gray hedged as he unpacked the boxes.

"What happened? Between you and Regan? Did you have an argument? Did you ask her to join us?" Sam helped with unpacking the boxes.

"Yes." Gray said.

"And?" Lore asked as she rifled through one drawer for the right spoon.

"She said she already ate." Gray opened the box with their starters. "This looks amazing and smells great." And he inhaled the aroma and avoided Lore's and Sam's gazes.

"Well, did you at least ask her to join us for a drink?" Sam ignored Gray's last statement and focused on the real issue.

Gray huffed and ignored that question, and threw in a red herring, " I told her I would change the settings..."

"You did?" Sam was pleased to hear that.

Gray looked away and said as if that explained everything, "And she said she wanted an early night."

"And she also turned down your invitation for a drink?" Sam asked, knowing that Gray had dodged the question.

But before Gray could reply, they all heard the doorbell. "I'll get that." He escaped with a hidden sigh.

Sam and Lore looked at each other, anxiety in their eyes.

"You think she ate before?" Lore moved the starters onto one of Regan's elegant crockery. Lore fussed to make sure the starters looked chic.

"No." Sam said quietly and watched as Gray vanished through the open kitchen door.

"You think Gray asked her to join us for drinks?"

"No." Sam said quietly and the door closed behind Gray. Sam huffed.

"You think she's upset? Cause we didn't invite her?" Lore asked pensively, her thoughts suddenly on a roller coaster ride. The last thing she'd want to do was hurt Regan. "You think she was disappointed because Gray didn't invite her?"

"Or even tell her that we planned to host a dinner party here? In her home?" Sam tacked on. "I should have said something to her this morning before she rushed off." Even at the time he'd told himself he should have told her about their plans. But he'd been side-tracked, and then he had forgotten.

"Shall I go see if she wants to join us?" Loretta glanced toward the doorway leading to the hall and their bedrooms. "I can go and check. Re issue the invitation?"

A remorseful chuckle accompanied his reply " Re issue the invitation, Lore? We didn't even ask her." Sam huffed.

" I can go and insist that she joins us..."

"Might make things worse." Sam muttered and rubbed a hand behind his neck. "I wish I'd been here when she got home. Something tells me Gray has been less than diplomatic."

"He said he invited her. That she had already eaten."

"Maybe, but I hope he wasn't discourteous. And I hope he offered some decent excuse for us not letting her know about the dinner."