Page 82

“Oh hello, you two!” Angie looked stunning as usual in a cream pencil skirt and a blood-red silk blouse. She climbed the entrance steps to meet us, her narrow eyes on mine. As always, I felt like the poor sister next to her in casual jeans and a sweater.
“Lola! I haven’t seen you since the Serenity opening. You and Alfie left in quite a hurry, didn’t you? I heard the pair of you hada wild few weeks together.” I was stunned. He told her about us? Why would he do that?
“Oh don’t be upset!” she simpered when she saw my expression. “Alfie tells me about all of hisdalliances.” She dragged the word out with a smile on her face. My mind filled with images of them laughing at me over a glass of scotch.
“Don’t be a bitch, Angie.” Riley sounded bored.
“I’m not! I’m just saying he filled me in, that’s all.” She turned her gaze back on me. “You’re quite a handful, aren’t you? I think he found you rather amusing.” Her smug smile flashed at me. I was inches away from tearing the Louboutins from her feet and bashing her over the head with them.
“How do you know about all of this?” I asked, though I really didn’t want to know.
“He told me over dinner in London,” she said, grinning that Cheshire cat grin. “He asked me to come back here to meet with the surveyor on his behalf. Between you and me, I don’t think he could stand another day in this little town. It’s quaint enough but Alfie prefers a certain standard of elegance.” I got the feeling she wasn’t talking about my town. “I’ll be going back to him tonight. I’ll give him your best, shall I?” She smiled again, and without another word she stepped past the both of us and disappeared inside.
“Lola, love, don’t listen to?—”
“Don’t,” I whispered, my voice breaking. I stepped away from the hand Riley tried to place on my shoulder. “Please, just don’t.”
Twenty-Eight
On Saturday I smiled, shook hands and ate cake as we celebrated the opening of the school garden. During my speech I thanked Rosie, Bradley and every other volunteer. Ryan and I had our picture taken together to appear in the school newsletter. For a while, watching those children run around and play in the world I'd created made me forget that my heart was broken, but not completely. Alfie was in every step now, in the brickwork, in the foundation of my world. The place I’d loved so much had become something I couldn’t stand. I hated him for it. I hated myself for allowing it. I’d ignored the red flags with him just like I had with Adam. I only had myself to blame now.
The celebration ended, the night fell and Keira filled my phone with every encouragement I needed to get me out of the house. The sluttiest thing I could find to wear was a black, skin tight strap dress with a daringly low front and back. I was wearing Natalie’s pumps again, even though I had almost broken my neck in them last time. I piled my hair up, a few tendrils falling loose to frame my face. I tugged at the dress, wondering if it was too much. No, dammit. I looked good.
Keira was already waiting outsideSpecimenswhen I arrived, wearing a blue dress almost identical to mine.
“Holy shit!” Keira shouted when she spotted me, drawing the attention of some of the people waiting in line. “If you’re after a little rebound fuck tonight then you’re going in the right direction.”
“No rebound fuck. I just wanna dance. Look at that queue though, it’s gonna take us forever to get in.” The line of people was stretching around the building.
“Don’t worry, I’m your secret weapon!”
I guess her ex had put our names on the door because we passed the bouncers with nothing more than an ‘enjoy your night, girls,’ much to the dismay of the people waiting in line.
Keira grabbed my hand and let out a squeal of excitement as the music got louder. We burst through deep red double doors and found ourselves at one end of a balcony that ran in a semi circle around half of the club. It washuge. The layout reminded me of an old movie theatre. Where there would have been seats, there was a dance floor instead and where there would have been a film playing, instead the huge screen was filled with faces of the partiers below.
“It’s a live feed,” Keira shouted in my ear. I looked out onto the dance floor below and spotted a guy with a camera. Okay. This place was awesome.
We made our way to the bar downstairs and I spotted Bradley with a group of people I didn’t know. He introduced us to his friends but I didn’t hear any of their names.
“Lo!” Keira got my attention. She was ordering drinks at the bar.
“Vodka tonic,” I shouted so she could hear me over the music. Two of Bradley’s friends flanked her, seeming to argue over who was going to pay for her drinks.
“What are you shaking your head at?” Bradley asked.
I pointed at Keira and the circle of men that had formed around her. “Keira is never alone at a bar for long.”
He laughed, his smile lighting up his sun-kissed skin. He bent to whisper in my ear, “You look beautiful, by the way.” I blushed as he kissed me on the cheek. I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t been joking when I told Keira that I wasn’t looking for a rebound fuck tonight.
I was spared the trouble of forming a response as our friends returned and a vodka tonic was shoved into my hand.
“Ladies, shots are on me!” One of Bradley’s friends, Sean I thought his name was, approached us with a tray of tequila shots. We all took one and downed them. I winced as it burned my throat.
Suddenly, Keira let out a whoop and flung her arms around my neck, hugging me out of pure excitement. I squeezed her back, feeling the tension drain out of me and that ache fade into the background.
She grabbed my hand, led me to the dance floor, and just like that I was lost. The heavy bass pounded up through the floor, sweeping me up in a sea of hot, churning bodies.
I didn’t know how much time passed as I danced, my body swaying, my eyes closed as I released all the pent up tension from the last few weeks, the grief of what I’d lost.