Page 57 of A Little Bit More

The waiter swallowed hard. “I’ll get right on that, sir.” And he scurried away.

A minute later, all four women scowled at him, and he returned to drinking his water in peace.

A peace that was shattered ten minutes later by gasps from their table. His head shot up to see them on their feet, napkins in hand, leaning over Isobel—and there was a puddle of water on the floor.

Callum was running the short distance separating them before he’d consciously decided to do it. He shoved a waiter out of the way and barreled through a group of exiting diners.

“Call an ambulance,” he shouted. “My wife’s water has broken.”

“No!” the sisters shouted in unison as Callum screeched to a halt beside Isobel.

“It’s going to be fine,” he reassured her. “Where’s that ambulance?” he snapped at anyone who would listen.

“Everybody, calm down,” Agnes called as she surveyed the stunned and silent diners. “There’s no impending birth; we just spilled a glass of water.”

“What?” Callum studied Isobel’s bright red face.

“I think it’s time we left,” she said.

“I’ll get your bill,” the manager hurriedly told them as he ran for the desk.

“I’m going to kill him,”Agnes snapped at Isobel. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to be a single mother. Again.”

“What were you thinking?” Mairi demanded, her red hair looking like it was sparking around her. “We booked those seats months in advance because we wanted the best view in the house.”

Isobel pressed a finger to his lips. “I swear, I will hurt you if you say this is more secure. I’m working hard to stop from having a violent outburst. Don’t make it impossible for me.”

“Is something wrong?” the usher asked, shifting nervously in the doorway.

“No.” Donna smiled at him. “We just weren’t expecting to be in a box. We’d initially chosen seats in the front row of the circle, right in the middle, where we could see the whole stage. But…” She glanced around at the small space with its six straight-backed chairs and a better view of the audience than the stage. “This is lovely too.”

“Yeah, lovely,” Agnes said. “If you want to watch what’s happening in the wings and miss all the action on the side of the stage you can’t see. First, he ruins dinner, now he screws with the show. I’m sorry, Izzy, but he has to go.”

“Do you want me to get the manager?” The usher backed away from them, eyeing the exit.

“No,” Callum told him. “Leave.”

The guy ran.

“Callum!” Isobel glared at him. “That was rude. If I didn’t know kicking your shin would hurt me more than you, I’d do it.”

“Just aim above the prosthetic,” Mairi said helpfully.

“I would if I could lift my leg that high.” Isobel turned to Agnes. “Kick him for me, Aggie.”

“Stop,” Callum ordered. “I know this isn’t what you’d planned, but if it makes you feel any better, I bought tickets for the seats you originally wanted, so you can come back once the baby’s here. You get to see the show twice, damn it.”

Agnes narrowed her eyes at him. “And are you going to pay for another trip down from Scotland so we can use those tickets?”

Callum frowned at Agnes, who frowned right back. She was definitely the scariest of the sisters. Donna was the sweetest. Mairi, the craziest. And Isobel was all about the love. But Agnes? She was the woman you called if you wanted help to bury a body.

When he didn’t answer, Isobel elbowed him in the gut.

“Aye,” he said. “I’ll pay whatever it takes. Now, can we sit down? The whole audience is watching us.” Not that he gave a damn, but he hoped it would get the sisters moving.

“Of course, they’re watching,” Agnes said. “That’s why people pay to sit in a private box. The name’s a misnomer. There’s no privacy. You sit here to be seen.”

“Come on.” Isobel reached for a chair. “Let’s get this arranged so we can see as much as possible.” She pointed at him. “Not you. You get the worst view.”