For the next tug David was called away to deal with some emergency or other, and two of the guys had shown up, so Ella stood down, because Amelia looked slightly despondent when Ben had suggested that she, as the smallest should stand down. They won that tug easily and headed for the semis later that afternoon. Amelia was elated as they headed back to the picnic. About an hour later Ben came to get them for the three-legged race. He knew he'd wind Jack up by insisting that Amelia was his partner for the race, he fully intended to keep Jack on his toes. Amelia had to practically coerce Jack to pair up with Ella, while she and Ben got their laces tied. Ella saw that David paired up with Lise. They shuffled toward the start line. Amelia and Ben talking tactics, while Jack looked at them in complete bafflement.
"It's just a three legged race." He told them.
"With that attitude you aren't even going to finish!" Ben told him, knowing that Amelia would take the race seriously as she'd done last year.
Ella laughed. David turned at the sound, and watched as his friend and foster brother Jack put an arm around her waist and hauled her close, before he leaned in to whisper something in her ear. Ella grinned. David felt a gut punch. That surprised him. He knew that Jack wasn't interested in Ella, he knew that Jack was completely head over heels in love with Amelia, and yet, seeing Jack hold Ella had David itching to punch him.
"What did you tell her?" Amelia asked, flicking a look from Jack to Ella.
"Secret team tactics." Jack told Amelia with a smug grin.
"Fine." Amelia replied, tugged at the lace to see if she and Ben were securely tied, then added, "Want to make this a competition?"
"It is." Jack reminded her dryly.
"Between us?"
"Ok." He said with a grin. "If I win I get to kiss you. If you win you get to kiss me!"
Amelia laughed. Then they were called to get ready.
They both started well, but half way down the path they had to clear a set of obstacles, and that was literally their down fall.
David and Lise finished well before the rest of them, and watched as the other couples made it across the line. Ella and Jack, and Ben and Amelia were making a particular hash of it. They were falling over constantly, probably because Jack kept hauling Amelia toward him, or pushing Ben away, and usually loosing his own balance in the process. David couldn't help but watch Ella. It wasn't often he got to see her so relaxed. She reminded him of the young girl he knew ten years ago. Eventually they finished, and while they were sprawled on the ground, Jack began to untie the ribbons that tied their ankles together. Ben did the same for him and Amelia.
"You cheated." Amelia lunged playfully for Jack. "You kept pushing us."
He grinned. "Me? I don't think so. You guys couldn't go in a straight line. I was just helping you." Jack reached for Ella's hand and pulled her to her feet, "Me and my partner here," He tugged Ella close to his side, "We did a sterling job! Great partnership. Perfect blend of skill and...."
Amelia smacked his arm and that stopped him. He pretended to take offence with Amelia as he hauled Ella closer to his side. "We might have won, if you guys hadn't got in our way." He told Amelia. Ben sniggered. "Amelia, you and that idiot couldn't coordinate!"
Together in the group of four they walked toward David and Lise.
One of the organisers headed for David and his partner, Lise, ready to congratulate them and hand over the bottles of wine. When he reached them he announced their names and congratulated them and gave them a bottle each. While the crowd of onlookers cheered, Lise reached up, locked a hand around David's neck and pulled his head down to hers for a congratulatory kiss. Jack felt Ella stiffen instantly. Automatically he turned to look at her, and the stark pain he saw in her eyes had him puzzled. Her reaction was not what he had expected. She looked devastated. The crowd began to clap. Ella pulled out of his light hold and stepped back.
Her defences were down. "Excuse me." Ella turned and fled.
Jack tracked her flight, then glanced worriedly at Amelia. "What did I do?"
"I'll explain later." She said as she pulled on her shoes and followed her friend.
"What was that about?" Jack asked Ben.
"David." Ben said and glanced back at David, who having disengaged from Lise had turned to look straight at them. David frowned when he saw just Jack and Ben there.
"David?" Jack frowned at Ben. "What about David?"
Ben shook his head. "Ask him." Then he stopped as he decided he ought to make Jack fully aware of his own position, "Just a friendly reminder. I'm the closest Amelia has to a big brother and I take my responsibility seriously. You hurt her, and I will come looking for you!" With that he sauntered away.
Amelia caught up with her friend several hundred metres away. Ella was sitting leaning against the wall of a classroom, her head in her hands as she fought for control.
"Oh, Ella." Amelia slid to sit beside her. Ella brushed at the tears. "It didn't mean anything." Amelia said gently, "Lise kissed him for effect." Amelia said quietly. "She's doing what Davina did, but in real time. She's all front."
"Great. So she's a double d or whatever." Ella replied as she brushed ineffectually at the stream of tears.
"You know what I mean." Amelia laughed at Ella's half-hearted attempt to lighten her own mood. "Remember what you told me when I came round to your place. Don't let that heifer win by default!"
Ella drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes, then slowly exhaled. When she opened her eyes she said softly, "I'm going home." Ella brushed the remnant tears off her cheeks.
"No!" Amelia replied straightaway. "She kissed him because he was paying more attention to your antics with Jack, than he was paying to her. She's trying to do what Davina tried to do, pretend there is something going on between them and our guys."
"The difference is that David isn't my guy, whereas you're marrying Jack." Ella fought off the tears that threatened to flow once again, "I can't do this. I thought I could. But I can't. If I'm prepared, I'm fine. I can pretend and keep it together. If I get caught unawares I can't feign indifference. It hurts too much."
"Ella, tell him how you feel."
"So that he can laugh at me?" A tear trickled down her cheek.
"He won't laugh." Amelia replied gently, "I slept with him remember!" David and Amelia had been stranded on the bike trip and had to share their zipped up sleeping bags to keep warm. "He was very kind to me. I like him. He's a good guy. A really good guy."
Ella brushed at her cheeks and did her best to stop crying, "Jack probably thinks I'm some nutter now, running off like that. They can add it to the growing list of adjectives."
"As a matter of fact he thinks you are incredible."
"Right." Ella muttered dejectedly, not at all convinced. But at least the waterworks had stopped.
"Seriously. He thinks you, and Mallory and Evie are amazing."
"Why?"
"Cause I told him!" Amelia replied and Ella burst out laughing. Then the first drop of rain fell. "I knew it wouldn't last." Amelia got to her feet. "Come on, we need to get our stuff before it gets soaked."
Ben and Jack had already got everything back into the bags and baskets and were dashing along with the hundreds of others towards the overhang from the various buildings. It poured with rain for ten minutes before the clouds moved on and blue skies appeared once again.
And everything restarted. Though people didn't put their picnic rugs down, the stalls reset up, and the various games began again. Ben and Ella took some of the gear back to the car, while Jack and Amelia went to buy the tickets for the barn dance.
"She loves him, doesn't she?" Jack stated when both he and Amelia were out of hearing distance. Amelia nodded. "I think he cares for her." Jack added. Amelia turned to look at him in complete astonishment.
"Really?"
He nodded. "I don't understand why they are so standoffish with each other. Dave's a good guy. She's a nice person when she isn't pretending to be otherwise." He draped an arm along her shoulder, "They have heaps in common, what with her dad and David both being in rugby league, and..." He stopped, "What?"
"Did he ever warn you off Ella?"
"Warn me off? As in?"
"Tell you not to go out with her or anything?'
"Not exactly." Jack frowned. "She managed that on her own. Always gave the impression of being a cold fish. You'd have to be desperate to approach her, unless you knew you could survive frostbite. The only time I see her animated is when she's with you or Mallory, or Evangeline." He glanced at Amelia, "In fact for a time I wondered if she was gay."
"What?"
"Well she's friendly with you, and Mallory and Evangeline."
"And that makes her gay?" The absolute astonishment was not wasted on Jack. "And me!"
He squirmed but added, "She doesn't exactly encourage guys. She's a beautiful woman. But in the time I've known her she's never been out with any guy."
"So that makes her gay?" Amelia demanded with a fair amount of pique.
Jack shrugged. "Anyway, why would Dave warn me?"
"Cause they have history." Muttered Amelia not at all appeased by Jack's change in track.
"History?"
"Ask him." Amelia snapped.
"You can't tell me?"
"I'm a loyal gay woman!"