Page 32 of Forever, Never, Always (Forever #2)

Seb laughs harder. “He’ll be on one of those over-sixty holidays, the ones where they travel by coach to Spain.”

“Ric, come over here,” calls Jimmy, and I groan, looking to the others for help. They look away, making it clear I’m in this on my own.

I head over to Jimmy and the two women. Both are beautiful, but my head’s not in it, so I merely nod in greeting as Jimmy throws his arm around my shoulder.

“This is Eric. He’s a teacher too.” The women bring their attention to me.

“This is Scarlett and Jen. They’re teachers at the all-girls school.

” I nod, offering a friendly smile. “Scarlett teaches English too,” he continues, and I inwardly groan.

That’s my cue to keep Scarlett chatting so he can work on her friend.

But I’m not in the mood, and my head and heart are still very much with Sofia.

Before I have a chance to politely walk away, Scarlett leans closer and smiles.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not on the pull,” she says quietly while Jimmy talks to Jen.

Relief floods me. “Me either.”

She visibly relaxes. “Thank God. Now, we can both relax. How long have you been teaching?”

Zoe

I hate crappy, old bars. Especially this one because I know the Chadwick brothers come in here a lot.

But my new client insisted on meeting here.

She’s in her sixties and wanting to throw her granddaughter a surprise twenty-first party to remember.

It’s not something I’d usually take on, but apparently, her granddaughter has been a follower of mine for a while and she’s always dreamed of a party like the ones I organise.

I spot her immediately, sitting by the window. As I enter, I keep my head lowered, determined not to bump into the Chadwicks.

Sofia and I are finally getting to a better place, and right after here, I’ve promised to give her a makeover for a job interview she’s got.

I make quick work of booking the client in for a glitzy birthday bash.

I go through my portfolio, and she only gets a few samples in before she’s agreeing to one of my most expensive packages.

I’m so relieved to have wrapped up earlier than planned that I don’t see Eric until I almost crash into him.

“Sor—” I stop dead as he automatically steadies me.

“Zoe,” he mutters, barely more than a breath, and then his gaze flickers past me, searching. For her.

It used to sting, that automatic scan for someone else. But this time, it doesn't bite as deep. I frown, puzzled by the strange softness in my chest. Maybe time really does have a way of dulling old wounds, smoothing over the jagged edges.

“She’s not here,” I say, a little too sharply, and his eyes snap back to mine, disappointment written plain across his face.

“Ric, did you want a whiskey chaser?”

Two things happen in quick succession. Ric flinches, just barely but enough to make my radar ping. It’s not the flinch of surprise. More like guilt, or something close to it.And then I notice her—a stunning blonde with legs for days and a gaze that’s locked on him like she’s already claimed him.

Before I can say a word, he’s turning, quickly, desperately, his eyes silently pleading with me.

“Zoe, it’s not what you think.” I shake my head, unable to hide the disappointment, and then I turn on my heel and head for the door.

“Zoe,” he calls, chasing after me. “She’s no one. Barely an acquaintance.”

We break out into the carpark, and I spin to face him. It’s so abrupt, he almost crashes into me. Anger radiates from me, and he takes a step back, eyeing me with caution. “You said you were in love with Sofia,” I yell.

“I am.”

“Sure looks like it, Ric,” I spit, his name leaving a bad taste in my mouth. “She’s in pieces, and here you are, doing your usual trick and moving on to the next unsuspecting victim. Does she have a good-looking friend for you to move to next?”

His face crumples in frustration. “It’s not like that.”

“You just keep moving on, Ric, leaving chaos and destruction behind you.”

“It wasn’t my choice to leave Sofia,” he shouts angrily, and I swallow my next insult as he steps closer, pointing a finger at my chest. “You made her choose.”

“I did her a favour, clearly.”

“You were looking out for yourself, as usual.”

I cross my arms as if that will keep him away and square my shoulders. “It doesn’t matter, because you’ve shown your true colours. After this, Sofia won’t want anything to do with you.”

He growls angrily, turning his back and heading for the bar.

“Whatever, Zoe. Do your worst. Make her life as miserable as yours. Let her miss her chance at happiness just because you haven’t had yours.

And when you meet someone, which you will,” he says, facing me from the doorway, “and she’s left alone, remember, that’s all on you. ”

His words strike something in me, and I stare at the door as he disappears inside, slamming it closed. I glance around to see if anyone witnessed the showdown then march right in after him.

He’s yelling at Jimmy for fucking his life up, and Jimmy is promising he’ll tell Sofia what happened. But when his eyes land on me, he stops midsentence and nods so that Ric looks round too.

His eyes burn into me like angry daggers. “Can we talk?”

“Zoe, can I just say that it was my fault,” Jimmy rushes to tell me.

“Shut up,” Ric snaps, and Jimmy takes a step away. “If you’re going to rip more strips off me, Zoe, don’t bother. I already know I’m a piece of shit.”

I shake my head. “Maybe I was wrong.”