Page 115 of Lovers' Dance

I peered at my fingernails.

He shifted in his seat.

I stared in the opposite direction and sent a small wave to Bella who was chatting with a lady wearing a vibrant-red dress. Didn’t she know this was a black and white ball? No respect for the rules that one.

“Ms DuMont, you don’t have to keep me company,” Grumps said dryly. “Not that it is much company. We haven’t spoken since you sat back down.”

I gave him a tight smile. “Please, Mr Bradley, call me Madi, and I’m sure Matt wouldn’t like the thought of you sitting here on your own. Where’s your nurse, anyway?”

Grumps grunted and shifted in his seat again. “It would be a sign of weakness if I had a nurse hovering over me all night. I am not weak.”

My face was sceptical, as was my voice. “How old are you?”

Grumps’s eyes flashed and his eyebrows wagged at me. Yep, just like Matt’s. We fell back into another awkward silence. What could I say to make him like me? Was it possible to make him like me?

I chewed my lower lip, then cursed silently when I noticed Matt’s stunning ex sauntering over. What the hell did she want? Junk-touching floozy.

Grumps smiled at her approach.Huh?I was Matt’s girlfriend. Why didn’t he smile at me like that? Maybe because I’d insulted him? The childish voice in my head whined that he’d started it first.

She drew nearer to where we sat, holding a wine goblet in her hand and an angelic look on her face. I couldn’t help the feeling of inferiority that curdled my insides. She was beautiful. I totally understood how Matt could be with someone like her. She was smiling at me, so friendly was the smile my own lips unwillingly curled up in a shy response. Maybe I should forgive her. I mean, it must be hard losing Matt. Maybe she was sad and the incident at the dinner party was her warped way of trying to hold on to something that was no longer hers. I would be devastated if Matt and I broke up. What would I have done in her situation? Hmm, not feel him up in public…but I might have tried to in private, down an empty hallway somewhere. I probably would’ve cried, begging him to take me back, to make love to me once more.

And just like that, I felt pity for Aphrodite. Being in the warmth of Matt’s love was an amazing thing, to have it taken away would be torture. She was wearing jewellery he bought her, an obvious cry for attention. Poor thing. I was raised Christian, not practicing at the moment, but that was between me and God. It was my Christian duty to forgive and forget. Holding grudges made you bitter inside and was bad for your health. Yep, I would forgive Aphrodite. Of course, I would need to have a little girl-to-girl chat with her about her behaviour. Slip into the conversation I’d grown up in Queens, where we didn’t stand for shit. Maybe quote a rap song so she knew how badass we were.

She was a couple of steps away, mouth opening to speak, when she stumbled forward. I reacted instantly, lunging out to grab her before she toppled onto Grumps and squished him.

“I’m so sorry.” She gasped as I jerked back.

“It’s okay,” I cried, staring in horror at my dress.

“How clumsy of me. I’m so sorry, Allison.” She sounded distraught.

“It’s fine.” I frantically grabbed a few napkins and started dabbing at my beautiful dress. My beautiful white dress was wet down the front. Red wine. It had been red wine in her glass. Red wine now staining my freaking too expensive dress. The stain would never come out.

“Louisa.” Grumps’s voice was harsh. “Look at what you’ve done.”

“It’s fine,” I repeated. It wasn’t fine. “It was an accident.”

Louisa kept babbling her apologies as I dumped the used napkins on the table. I raised my head to reassure her I was all right, that it was an unfortunate accident, to ask if her foot was okay, and, although her tone was sincere, I saw the glint of pure satisfaction in her eyes.

The low-down, no-good, evil witch.

People were coming over, curious about the commotion. Bella pushed her way past and gave Louisa a nasty look before standing next to me.

“What happened?” she exclaimed.

“I tripped,” Louisa explained, resting her now empty goblet on the table. “God. I feel terrible, Allison. Your lovely dress is ruined.”

I inhaled deeply, fighting the urge to rip her blonde hair out. “My name is Madison and, as I said before, it’s fine.” It so wasn’t.

“It’s not like you to be clumsy, Louisa.” Grumps’s tone was full of reproach as Bella patted me on the shoulder.

“Let’s go get you cleaned up,” she murmured.

I shook my head. “It’s red wine, it won’t come out. Look, I’m gonna go.” I was furious, but there was a small crowd and making a scene would be more embarrassing. I couldn’t stay, not with a large red stain down the front of my dress. People would think I was a blundering idiot incapable of putting a glass to my lips properly.

God.I wanted to smack the bitch.How clichéd spilling wine down my dress. Couldn’t she have thought of something more original? Like shoving me into the Thames, or running me over with a car. Wine down my dress…stupid, evil cow.

“What are you staring at?” Grumps fumed at the guests hovering around us. One by one they wandered away until only the four of us remained. Louisa kept apologizing, but I was past her pathetic attempts of acting remorseful.

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