Better to start slowly, hold on to the questions, and wait, Hayley thought, "Lovely to see you, Beatrice." She smiled, "I have always wanted to meet you!" And her smile became a grin, "Actually, I wanted to thank you." That should be a good start, Hayley thought.
Her eyes took inventory. "Oh?" Beatrice glanced at David.
Hayley continued. "David took me to an amazing party."
Beatrice's shoulders straightened. "Really." She kept her annoyance behind a sudden wall in her eyes. Her heart nearly dropped to her feet. "Recently?" She couldn't help the question. David's smile suddenly vanished when he realised that Beatrice was getting cross.
He kept his voice cool as he took the opportunity to take over the response. "No. Not recently." He remembered exactly when he took Hayley to that party.
Hayley nodded, agreeing with David's sentence, "No, not recently." She laughed. "I don't go out, much, now!" She reminisced, "Must be about five years ago. Before Michaela was born. I was pregnant! About seven months pregnant, I think?" She looked over at David and then smiled as she looked past his shoulders, "Here comes Robert. He might remember."
David and Hayley missed Beatrice's surprise at that statement. She was pregnant when he took her to that party? And Robert knew his wife was going out with David? What was going on here?
"Hey!" Robert beamed. When Robert reached them, he said, "What are you doing here?"
"We have had that conversation." David grinned.
They hugged. A man hug, slapping each other on their backs. Beatrice narrowed her eyes. This was very amicable!
"And this must be Beatrice." Robert said as he moved away from David. Like his wife, Robert reached forward, gave Beatrice's hand a shake and gave her a kiss on her cheek. "Great to actually see you. Thought you were David's imaginary friend!"
Hayley smacked his arm, and rolled her eyes. "Ignore him." She advised Beatrice. "Tactless." She told her husband with a chuckle.
"What?" Robert glanced at his wife, "Have you ever seen her?" He asked his wife.
"No!" She pursed her lips, "But do you really think that tell David's wife that she is a fantasy friend? Honestly Robert, you can be really dumb!"
"Thanks honey!" Robert looked over at Beatrice. "No offence, Beatrice. I was just surprised. Great to see you." He grinned. "We missed your wedding. We were both abroad at that time. Missed the chance to meet you."
David said quietly, watching Beatrice, "Hayley, Robert and I were in the same regiment in the army." His lips twitched and he relaxed slightly.
Beatrice blinked. She was still surprised to see Hayley standing so close to David. He had even draped an arm around her shoulder. And Hayley's husband didn't appear to care about that.
"We left the army a few years ago," Robert looked over at David, "after David left the army. Wasn't the same without you!"
"I thought you didn't want to bring your kids as army kids! I thought you said you didn't want a nanny or boarding school for your kids." David said jauntily. "Wanted them to grow on a farm, with dogs, cows, sheep..."
Hayley and Robert grinned. That is what they had agreed to do. Bring up their kids on a farm, close to both parents, as both of them came from farming families.
"Ok, ok." Robert nodded.
David asked, "And where are the kids?"
Robert lifted his eyes to the ceiling and threw his wife a speaking look.
Hayley ignored her husband and answered David's question, "Staying with my sister, Aileen in Auckland."
Robert lifted his arm, and waved his palm with a phone. "And Hayley clearly doesn't trust her sister!"
David frowned.
Robert reached for his wife, and grinned at Hayley as he gave her the phone. She rolled her eyes before she snuggled against her husband. Robert continued, "She agreed to leave her phone in the room, otherwise she would phone Aileen every few minutes to check on the kids." He kissed the top of her head.
She pulled away, and nodded ruefully, "I left it there!" She shrugged.
He drew Hayley closer, ran his arm around her back, and brought her even closer. "Yeah." Again, he gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "Except you couldn't!"
"I know. I know." She huffed with a ruefully grin. Robert smiled at Hayley. She pouted. "I can't help it." She looked over at David and then Beatrice. "You'd be the same!" She told them. "When you have kids!"
Beneath her breath, she whispered in her head, hardly.