<span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: Ravi;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 10pt;">Of all the things she had expected Colin to say in response to that question it wasn't 'we were just finishing up', in fact that had the affect of educating Bethany that her ears in fact could turn red. She had never blushed so much in her life before, surely. But inside she almost wanted to laugh. Who knew Colin had that much of a smart ass in him to meet Ardy's sally with a rebuttal of his own that was nearly perfect. Now if only she had some home of keeping up with the two of them. Which there wasn't. Still wanting to laugh was better then wanting to cry and the strangled sound that caught in her throat had much more in common with a giggle then a sob. <br/><br/>Though the mention of wine had her hand going for her own wine glass, helpfully close on the counter to toss a gulp of it back far quicker then her normal way of drinking wine. The alcohol burned a little going down her throat, making her cough but her shoulders loosened as it settled and she started to line the salad bowls up with precision a military sergeant might envy. Yet she froze at her friend's comment about saying bad things about her, grey blue eyes turning to fix on the younger girl with a firm shake in denial of her head. <br/><br/>"There are no bad things to say about you, Ardy." And in her mind there wasn't. She had bad words for some people, for her mother, for Lucas, for ... but those she locked inside herself, caging them until they caused inner emotionally bleeding. But no one would ever guess the internal damage. <br/><br/>Her friend's honest question had the brunette blinking in surprise at the thought of having help when she had invited people over. "Guests don't... " was the first response, trailing off before being fully spoken. Another breech in protocol as she had grown up learning it. But really, did she want to be just like her mother? Did she want to have to live by those rules for the rest of her life? No, no no, it was part of why she was actively working to nudge out of her comfort zones. She wanted to know she could be a fully partner to Colin, that she could handle her own baggage as an adult would, not at the terrified and broken girl he had met had. So she found herself glancing at them both before smiling tentatively and giving a nod. <br/><br/>"Sure.. help would be nice. I was planning for the salads to go first, with the cod, and then the chowder. I um.. my family was very old fashion so I'm use to doing all the work. But I don't, I don't want you to go away Ardy." She left the salads, the counter, left the safety bank and reached for the younger girl's hand, clasping it with that shy smile still on her lips. "I want you to stay, and if you want to help I'd be grateful for it. I'm just not use to it, at least not yet." And that applied on so many levels.</span></span>