Page 88 of Broken Beyond Repair

All those weeks ago Sydney had looked forward to this moment when she could escape Beatrice; now all the time in the world with her still wouldn’t be enough. Why couldn’t she have broken her tibia instead? Sydney was mildly embarrassed by theMisery-like thought. She would have been laid up for much longer, allowing Beatrice the time she needed to realise they could have a future together.

Waking up in Gertie tomorrow with Beatrice across the Atlantic was going to be unbearable. She always loved getting back on the road with Gertie, but it wouldn’t feel the same anymore. The bewitching Beatrice Russell and her picturesque estate had ruined it for her. Life was going to suck until she could erase the past weeks from her mind and clear her body of the drug it was addicted to. It was going to be a rough couple of weeks on the biggest withdrawal of her life.

Maybe Scotland was the place to go; she could wallow in the familiarity of her mum’s house. If all she was going to feel for the next weeks or months was grief-stricken, the last thing she wanted was to feel like that living in Gertie. She didn’t want to end up resenting her by wishing she was somewhere else the whole time.

She could check herself into a clinic… ask to be locked in a room for a month so she could cry her eyes out. Rosie would have her, but even she was marred by memories of Beatrice. No, a clean break was what Sydney needed.

Her heart quickened as she pulled up outside the entrance to the VIP lounge. This was it. If she wanted to see Beatrice again, she was going to have to turn on her television.

Jonathon was tracking their arrival on his phone and was waiting outside. He pointed the concierge towards the boot and then assisted Beatrice from the Mercedes. As Sydney joined her, she politely shooed him away.

“Well, Sydney,” Beatrice said, fiddling with an earring. “Thank you for all your hard work. You were indeed the best.”

Sydney nodded and pulled her lips to one side. “I did tell you.”

“You did.” Beatrice smiled. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Likewise. Don’t forget to play nicely with your new assistants.”

Beatrice narrowed her eyes a little and raised her cheeks. “Very good.”

The words melted into Sydney’s brain, shooting endorphins to every inch of her. This woman was literally a drug. She racked her brain for all the things she wanted to say to her, only to find silence. She couldn’t think straight.

“Well, goodbye, Sydney.” And with that, Beatrice turned and shuffled through the automatic doors. She’d ripped herself away as quickly as a plaster, leaving a burn etched into Sydney’s skin.

What was she expecting? A protracted goodbye filled with confessions of love. A little more than a brief thank-you would have been nice, as would a hug. She’d counted on one of those — one last touch. Perhaps it was too much to ask of the woman when she’d made herself clear on where she stood and why. It didn’t make it hurt any less.

It took a moment before Sydney could move. She stared at the silhouette of Beatrice through the closed doors as she passed the security guard and disappeared from view with Jonathon.

Her hand reached for her phone in her back pocket. She prayed Rosie wasn’t with a client and would pick up.

“Rosie,” she said after her friend answered. “She’s gone.”

“Are you crying?”

Fuck!

“No,” Sydney replied, wiping tears from her eyes.

“This wasn’t unexpected. You knew she’d be going back to the States eventually.”

“Oh God, Rosie.” Sydney put her hand to her mouth, feeling she was about to be sick. “It hurts… like I’ve been punched in the stomach.”

“You really fell for her, didn’t you? Look, if she doesn’t feel the same way, then there’s not much you can do about it. You’ve got to pick yourself up and move on.”

“That’s the thing, she does—”

“No!”

“Yes. Though she won’t act on it. Well, she did once for about five minutes, but she’s still gone.”

“Whoa. Rewind. Five minutes. You mean, you and she…?”

“Yep,” Sydney confirmed, wiping another tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. “The briefest and most memorable kiss I’ll ever have.”

“Bloody hell, Syd.”

Her body was already aching for her, and she’d only been gone a few minutes.