Page 4 of Jilted

Chapter Four

S ix Months Later…

Amy hadn’t seen Brett since he’d left for the show a little over six months ago.

They’d talked on the phone regularly, but the show had kept him extremely busy, not leaving much time for socializing.

And even though he hadn’t won, he seemed to be in a great mood when he called and asked her to meet him at Gregorio’s.

The last time they’d been there was the night they went to Nefarious.

That had been a fun night. It was also the same night that Brett had made that ridiculous pact with her.

The thought of it still made her laugh. It also kind of excited her.

Would he really keep good on his promise?

Marrying Brett was an exciting thought. So was having his baby.

Amy smiled and walked into the restaurant.

She gave the hostess Brett’s last name and was immediately escorted to his table.

Her stomach fluttered at the sight of him.

God, she’d missed him, missed the way they used to hang out, talk, and laugh.

She couldn’t wait to get back into their normal routine.

Not to mention, she could really use his help at the studio.

Since news spread that he was a finalist on Dancing Duel , enrollment at the studio had tripled. She could barely keep up with lessons.

“Amy.” He smiled and greeted her with a hug.

“Hey, stranger,” she said with a smile. “Wow. You look great, Brett.” And he did, too. She didn’t think it was possible, but it appeared as though he’d lost weight and replaced it with more muscle. It was hard enough to keep her eyes off him before. It would be impossible now.

“Here, sit.” Brett pulled out a chair for her.

“Thank you.” She sat and waited for Brett to do the same. “So, how are you? It’s been ages since we’ve hung out.” Amy took a sip of her water.

Brett’s eyes twinkled in the way they did every time he had big news to share. “I’m getting married, Amy.”

She choked on her water. Amy put her fist to her chest in an attempt to stop the coughing fit she was having. Taking another small sip, she croaked, “What?”

“Jeez, Amy, are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Just went down wrong. Did you say you were getting married?”

“Yeah, I’m getting married,” he repeated, and then smiled. “Her name is Vanessa. She’s one of the costume designers for the show. I knew the moment I saw her that she was the one. I can’t wait for you to meet her. You’re gonna love her.”

Brett...getting married? Dear God, please let me be dreaming. “Uh, wow, Brett, I’m not sure what to say. Would you excuse me for a moment?” Without waiting for an answer, Amy grabbed her purse and went to the restroom. She gripped the edge of the sink and stared at her reflection.

Brett was getting married. No, this had to be some horrible nightmare. It had to be. There’s no way, after only six months of knowing a woman that Brett would be getting married to her. It wasn’t possible. Sure, he could be impulsive at times, but…marriage? No way.

Amy turned the faucet on and splashed cold water on her face. “Get it together,” she muttered.

Taking a deep breath, she composed herself as best she could and slowly walked back out to the table. When she got there, Brett was sitting beside a thin, gorgeous, redhead. He had his arm around her shoulders, and he was nuzzling her neck. She smiled, said something, and then laughed.

Amy wanted to throw up. She cleared her throat.

“Oh, Amy,” Brett looked up and smiled, “this is Vanessa. Vanessa, this is Amy.”

Amy had known the moment she’d seen them at the table that the woman was Vanessa, but that still didn’t stop the hurt.

Brett and Amy hadn’t seen each other in months, and the first time they did, he brought his fiancée here to meet Amy.

Christ, a little warning would’ve been nice. Tears stung her eyes.

Vanessa stood and extended her hand to Amy. “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you, Amy. Brett has told me so much about you.” Her voice was sickeningly sweet.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Amy said her voice thick with a myriad of emotions.

“Sit,” Brett said, nodding at Amy’s vacant chair. “I ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon.”

He bought Amy’s favorite champagne to celebrate his engagement to another woman? She wanted to scream and cry. Amy clenched her hands into fists, her nails biting into her palms. Summoning all her courage, she said, “Thanks, but I have to go.”

“What? You just got here,” Brett said, eyeing her suspiciously. “We haven’t seen in each other in months. I want you to celebrate with us.”

“I know, it’s just that, well, my sister called while I was in the bathroom, and I have to go. I’m sorry.” Amy clutched her purse to her side and rushed out of the restaurant.

As soon as she got to her car, tears spilled down her face. Brett was getting married. Six months. He’d been gone six months, and, in that time, his entire life had changed.

She hastily wiped at her tears, got in her car, and drove home. Once there, she kicked off her shoes and grabbed a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream from the freezer. Tearing the top open, she dug in and shoved two spoonfuls in her mouth.

“Ahh.” She grabbed her forehead. Ice cream headache. “Dammit,” she muttered, tossing her spoon in the sink and throwing the pint in the trash with a frustrated scream.

Amy grabbed the edge of the counter and hung her head.

Her behavior tonight was rude and unacceptable.

Brett was getting married – she should be happy for him, not sitting at home sulking.

Honestly, what did she expect? That he would stay single for the next three years and marry her?

She laughed. That was ridiculous. It was a drunken pact meant to make her feel better in the moment.

It meant nothing. Deep down, she knew that.

But...she knew how things were going to go.

For a while, things would be the same. She and Brett would still hang out every Thursday night like they always did; and on the weekends he would invite her to go out with him and Vanessa.

Then things would change. Vanessa would get fed up with the amount of time Brett spent with Amy and demand he stop.

And he would – for a few weeks or so. Eventually, Vanessa would give him an ultimatum: her or Amy. Brett would choose Amy. He always did.

Of course, he’d never been engaged before, either. And that terrified Amy. A girlfriend was one thing. A fiancée was another. There was no way Brett would choose Amy over the woman he planned to marry.

Amy drew a shaky breath as reality set in. This was it. Her friendship with Brett as she knew it was over.

She retrieved her purse from the floor where she’d tossed it and dug through it until she found her cell phone. Scrolling through her contacts, she stopped at her sister’s name and hit the call button. “Lucy? It’s me. I need you to come over.”

“Is everything all right?” Lucy asked.

“No.” Amy’s lips trembled. “Please, I need you to come over right now.”

“Okay, I’m on my way.”

Amy wiped tears from her face only to have them replaced with fresh ones. She fast forwarded the DVD to the last dance she and Brett ever danced competitively—a sexy, sultry Rhumba. She watched the way Brett led her around the dance floor, the way he held her and looked at her.

He was so confident, cocky. And sexy. Damn was he sexy.

The way his shirt fell open, exposing his hard abs and incredible chest had distracted her so much that night.

Everything about that night and that dance had enthralled her.

In her mind, things had changed between them that night.

Apparently, she’d been the only one who’d thought that.

“What’s wrong?” Lucy said, walking through the front door. “Dammit, Amy, what’s going on?” Lucy walked over, snatched the remote from Amy’s hand, and shut the TV off. “Okay, what’s going on?” she repeated, her tone firmer that time. “Why are you sitting there crying?”

Amy sniffled and looked up at her sister. “Sorry.”

Lucy sat on the couch next to Amy. “Sorry for what?”

“I just can’t believe he’s getting married,” Amy sobbed.

“Who’s getting married?” Lucy put her arm around Amy’s shoulders and hugged her.

“Brett.”

“Oh...oh wow, oh my God. Brett’s getting married? When did that happen?”

Amy shrugged. “He told me tonight. Apparently, he met her on the show or something. I don’t know. He told me. I freaked out and came home.”

“Well, who is she?”

“Her name is Vanessa. She’s a costume designer on the show. She’s friggin’ gorgeous. She’s also an obnoxious, hose-beast of a woman that is intent on destroying my friendship with Brett.”

Lucy laughed. “Have you even met her?”

Amy simply sniffled and nodded. “Yeah, but I didn’t stick around to get to know her.”

“Maybe she’s different than his other girlfriends.”

With a snort, Amy said, “Yeah, right.”

“Brett has never let a woman come between you two before.”

She hoped her sister was right, that Brett would never let anyone come between their friendship. “I know.” She released Lucy and straightened. “But he’s never been engaged before either.”

“You need to talk to him, Amy. Let him know you’re worried about your friendship. I’m sure he’ll tell you the same thing...that nothing will ever come between you two.”

“I feel like the most horrible person on the face of the earth. My best friend is getting married. I should be happy for him.”

Lucy shook her head. “It’s hard to be happy for someone when you know they’re making a mistake.”

Amy stood and grabbed a tissue from the bookshelf. She blew her nose. “I just don’t get it. How can he know she’s the one when he’s only known her six months?”

“I don’t know, sweetie.” Lucy got up and went into the kitchen. She busied herself with making a pitcher of margaritas. “I do know one thing, though, you have to tell him.”

“Tell him what?”

“How you feel about him.”

Amy rolled her eyes. “He’s my best friend, Lucy.”

“Yeah, your best friend who you’re in love with,” Lucy said.

“I’m not having this conversation with you again.” Amy threw her dirty tissue in the garbage and stormed out of the room.

Amy had made the mistake of telling Lucy that Amy had always been attracted to Brett, and that she could see herself falling in love with him.

Not once did Amy say she loved him. There was a big difference.

But ever since she’d told her sister, Lucy had been on her case about telling Brett – something Amy vowed she would never do.

Nothing would ruin their friendship quicker than professing her love for him when he clearly didn’t feel the same.

And now that he was engaged, she definitely couldn’t tell him.

There was only one thing she could do: be the dutiful best friend and be there for him, for whatever he needed.

She also had to remove herself from his life.

Doing so on her terms would be easier than hearing him say they couldn’t hang out or be friends any longer because Vanessa didn’t like it.

“Margaritas are ready!” Lucy shouted from the other room. “Come on, sis, I know you want to get drunk with me tonight.”

Amy nodded to herself. Getting drunk sounded like a pretty good idea considering how her night had turned out. She was so excited to finally see Brett and hang out with him. All he wanted to do was gloat about his fiancée. To hell with that.

“Coming,” she called to her sister. “Make mine a double.” She was going to need it.

“Here.” Lucy handed Amy a glass. “So, what are you going to do if you’re not gonna tell Brett the truth?”

Amy shrugged and took a long sip of her drink.

It burned as it slid down her throat, but it tasted good.

“Brett and I have talked about opening another studio in the next county over. Maybe now’s the time to do that.

He can continue to teach lessons here, and I’ll move to the new studio.

” In fact, Amy had been scouting studio space while Brett was gone the past few months.

“What about all the kids here? You love teaching them,” Lucy said.

“There will be other kids.” Just saying that made Amy feel rotten.

She really had formed a special bond with the kids she taught. Leaving them would be hard. But staying and seeing Brett every day wasn’t an option. He had a bad habit of inviting his girlfriends to watch lessons, and the last thing Amy wanted was to see Brett and Vanessa together.

“I’ll figure something out,” Amy said.