He rolls his eyes. “Because she had all the personality of a wet lettuce.”
“But you still took her to bed?”
“Well I’m not stupid.” He purses his lips. “Actually, maybe I am.”
I stifle a giggle. I’m not shocked by his admission. He’s always had trouble keeping it in his pants. He’s a sucker for apretty face, a big pair of boobs, and a nice ass, and I’m sure it didn’t hurt that every fella in the country would give their right arm for a night in bed with her.
Then something clicks. “Wait, are you saying it was Sabrina who said you were drunk, in retaliation for breaking up with her?”
“I think so, yeah.”
That shocks me. Someone would really do that? I think about what he said, about meeting the board today. “The board called you in about the article?”
He sighs, leans forward with his elbows on his knees, and runs his hands through his hair. “Yeah. They said it reflects badly on the Foundation. Which it would do, of course. I’m such an idiot.”
“Well, you didn’t make her run to the press. She sounds like a nasty piece of work if she lied about you being drunk.”
“I rejected her. I need to grow up a bit. I know that.” He looks at his hands, and suddenly I can see the child in the man.
“Well… yeah, maybe you need to be a bit more careful choosing your bed partners,” I say with a smile.
He gives me a wry look.
“Are they saying they won’t give you the position?”
“No… but they did make it clear that I need to act more responsibly, and to look respectable.” He pulls a face.
That makes me laugh. “Sorry,” I say when he throws me another glare, “but that’s plain funny. You, respectable?” I subside into peals of laughter.
He stretches out his legs and huffs. “Yeah, amuse yourself at my expense.” But his lips curve up as he takes a huge bite out of his muffin. He brushes his beard to remove any crumbs, then flings me a crooked smile.
He’s so incredibly handsome. He’s always had the power to make my heart skip a beat, and it’s clear that nothing has changed.
I’ve been half in love with this guy for about twenty years, but I’ve always known it would never be reciprocated. How could it, when he’s destined to date women like Sabrina Pearce? He’ll end up with a stunning beauty, someone who knows which fork to use at the dinner table, who is the patron for a major children’s charity, and who won’t look out of place on his arm at social events. The biggest social event I’ve been to is a hoedown at a local music festival, and there wasn’t a sign of a high heel or a designer label anywhere. I’m like Cinderella to his prince, except that there’s no fairy godmother to magic me into a princess, and so there will never be a happy ending for the two of us.
More’s the pity.
Chapter Three
Kingi
Sabrina sat in the same chair as Chessie just last week, and she also ate a quarter of a muffin by breaking it into tiny parts and feeding them to herself with her well-manicured fingers.
Chessie has a big bite out of hers, and ends up with a blob of soft chocolate on the end of her nose. She laughs and wipes it off with a serviette, then has another bite. It’s nice to see a girl eat something properly.
“What’s going on in your life at the moment?” I ask. “Are you still dating Tamati?” I saw a photo of her with the fly half from the local rugby team on social media a few months ago.
She shakes her head. “We broke up a week ago.”
“Oh? No chance of getting back with him?”
“He wants to,” she admits, studying her muffin. “He’s being rather a pain about it.”
“In what way?”
“Oh, you know… He won’t leave me alone. He sits outside my house, revving his car and annoying the neighbors. He texts and calls me all the time.” As she says the words, her phone vibrates where she’s left it on the table. She picks it up, puts it down, and gives me a look that says,Speak of the devil…
“Why don’t you block him?” I ask, puzzled by both the guy’s behavior and the fact that she’s allowing it.