Past Life by C S Winchester Read Free Book Online Page B

fist. “You can't help yourself, can you?”
    “ I can, it's just that I don't often try.”
    “ Come on, I'll introduce you to my Dad,” she said, stepping out of the embrace.
    Dante stepped inside and Frankie closed the door after him but before they could go any further, Frankie's mother came downstairs.
    “ Oh my!” her hand fluttered to her chest in a ridiculously girlie gesture. “Francis, you didn't tell us that you were expecting company.”
    “ Mum, this is Dan, a friend of mine. Dan, this is my mother, Cecilia.” She could see her mother was charmed by his looks. For a religious woman, she could be awfully superficial, though Frankie had to admit he did look good this evening, dressed in a black suit and dark blue shirt.
    “ It's a pleasure to meet you, Dan.” Her mother rushed down the stairs and held her hand out.
    “ The pleasure is all mine, Mrs Wright.” Dante knew exactly what to do and say. He could tell that this was a woman who valued old-fashioned manners, and Dante laid it on thick. He took her hand and raised it to his lips, eliciting a schoolgirl giggle from her. He looked from mother to daughter.
    “ I find it hard to believe Francis is your daughter, you don't look nearly old enough to have an adult child.” That didn't quite have the reaction he was looking for, but she smiled pleasantly.
    Cecilia wasn't what he'd been expecting, she was fair haired where as Frankie was dark, she was also taller than Frankie and striking, but not at all pretty, unlike her daughter. Frankie was curvy and soft whereas Cecilia's figure looked hard, and any feminine curves she might have had were hidden by her old-fashioned style of clothing, although she was meticulously groomed and made up. All in all, Cecilia reminded him of an Amazon woman, dressed as a 1950's housewife.
    “ Let me introduce you to my husband,” Cecilia said, slipping her hand through his elbow and leading him into the living room.
    “ Dan, this is Peter, my husband.”
    Frankie's father got up out of his chair and shook hands with Dante.
    “ Very nice to meet you, Mr Wright.”
    “ How do you do, Dan.”
    “ Well, it's getting late, shall we head to the restaurant?” Frankie suggested.
    “ Oh, of course,” her mother smiled. Frankie got the idea that she would have agreed to anything at this point, as long as Dante was there.
    “ Shall we follow you, dear?” her dad suggested.
    “ I'll drive,” Dante suggested. “No point in taking two cars.”
    “ That's very kind of you, Dan, but we don't want to put you out.”
    Dante saw Frankie roll her eyes at her mother's comment, and tried to hide his smile.
    “ Nonsense, Mrs Wright. it's no trouble.”
    “ Oh, call me Cecilia, please.”
    “ If you insist, Cecilia.”
    They headed out to Dante's car. When Frankie first met Dante he had driven a four wheel drive which was rather difficult to get into, but thankfully he'd bought a saloon car recently, which was much easier.
    As was tradition in her family, the men rode in the front and Frankie and her mother got into the back. Her mother called it a mark of respect as her father was the breadwinner. Since Frankie earned more than her father, she rather thought it was more a mark of disrespect, but she'd had this argument far too many times before to try again.
    All the way to the restaurant, Cecilia kept trying to communicate silently with Frankie, asking who Dan was and if they were a couple. Frankie kept her gaze firmly on the window to avoid having to respond. Thankfully the restaurant wasn't far, just five minutes down the road in Newhaven Harbour and they were soon pulling into the car park.
    As they walked the short distance to the restaurant, Frankie's mother grabbed her elbow and held her back as the men walked ahead.
    “ Who is this Dan?” she asked.
    “ He's just a friend, Mum.”
    “ Are you sure, you two were hugging when I came downstairs.”
    “ Yes, I'm sure. We... We lost a mutual friend a few months ago