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“Shut up,” she grumbled.
“We didn’t even say a word,” Velvet said innocently.
“You didn’t have to,” she continued in a grumpy tone.
“Look, we’re just really concerned,” Mandy said soothingly. “It’s been two weeks – henevercalled you, never sent a text message or email, and he’sstillengaged. We need to accept things as they are. He’s a cheating bastard, end of story. Let’s move on from there.”
Mandy always made things sound so...easy, Mairi thought morosely. If only she could really do as her friend suggested. She would seriously trade half of her life for it. Anything must be better than this gaping emptiness inside her. But Mairi was also afraid if the emptiness had an end to it, then she’d start hurting – and never stop hurting.
“Mairi, oh my God, look!”
Velvet’s excited voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she unthinkingly hurried to her friend's side. “What is—-” She made a face when she realized what Velvet was pointing to – thenewestHarlequin titles were on the shelves now.
Heart squeezing, she managed to lift her chin and said snippily, “I don’t read those now.”
“Are you suuuuuuuuuure?” Velvet teased.
Mairi put her hands behind her back, just to be sure the temptation wouldn’t get to her. “Yes.”
“But, Mairi...there’s the newest one byJulia James...”
Oh, Mandy and her horribly good memory, Mairi thought even as she kept her gaze straight ahead, never dipping down to where the books were.
“...and look, aGreek billionairenovel byLynne Graham!”
She still wasn’t going to look, Mairi told herself. So her favorite Harlequin author had written another Greek billionaire romance. Big deal. It wasn’t—-
Velvet wagged the book in front of Mairi.
Her control broke. “Oh, fine, if you insist!” Mairi grabbed the book.It really was about another Greek billionaire by Lynne Graham, she mused wonderingly as she started to walk back towards the counter, where she could check the book out. If she read this, she could pretend she was the heroine and—-
“Another Harlequin novel?” The librarian, Carrie, teased.
“Yeah.” She was red-faced with embarrassment even though she knew no one in school except for her friends were aware of what went on between Mairi and her own Greek billionaire.
As she waited for Carrie to input the book’s details in her library account, her gaze strayed around the newspapers and magazines on display next to the counter. There was one already half open, showing a full-page spread of what seemed like a party—-
Her heart stuttered to a stop when she realized what she was looking at. Slowly, she walked towards the newspaper stand, feeling like she was walking the Green Mile as she did.
Mairi picked up the newspaper.
“That’s one of our student’s brothers,” Carrie said helpfully from behind. “Two-thirds of Greece’s female population is heartbroken now because he’s finally picked a date for the wedding. The remaining one-third can’t confess to being sad since they’re all married.”
The photo wasn’t grainy at all like most other black-and-white newspaper photos.The Leventis money at work,she thought dully as her eyes glossed past Damen’s face, not wanting to really look at him.
The caption was direct to the point.Kokinos heiress, presenting Damen Leventis with his own engagement ring, possibly starting a new tradition in Greek high society.
Memories burned her mind, of herself in the arms of the man who now belonged to another woman – who had always belonged to another woman, even when he had taken her virginity.
She returned the newspaper to its stand, taking her time because with the way her hands were shaking, she might end up dropping it – or tearing it into pieces.
“I don’t think I’m going to borrow that after all, Carrie,” she heard herself saying faintly.
“Oh? Why not?”
“I think...I’m in the mood for some Stephen King instead. Or maybe some Romeo and Juliet. Anything where somebody dies please.”