Page 59 of One More Shot
I wish.
I’m home alone tonight. Sasha and Wes have gone for a weekend staycation.
They’re spending the next four nights in Cornwall to celebrate their four-year anniversary, and the last thing I want to do is dampen their spirits by letting Sasha know that I currently feel like death. And that’s not an exaggeration.
ELIOTT
But it’s fine. Soon as I’m done here, I’m heading home and straight to bed.
Probably won’t be much for good convo tonight, just a heads up.
I watch as the little speech bubble pops up, indicatingthat Dane is typing. Then it disappears, pops up again, disappears, and then pops up one last time.
If my mind wasn’t such a hazy mess of blocked sinuses right now, I’d expend more than a tiny bit of brain energy on trying to figure out what he keeps typing and then deleting. But I can’t bring myself to focus on it right now.
My head is pounding, my vision is blurring, and I’m rapidly running out of tissue to wipe my apparently endlessly snotty nose.
God. When was the last time I felt this sick? I don’t even remember.
‘About bloody time,’ Will murmurs next to me.
I glance up to see Tanya gliding across the park in an extravagant pale pink gown. She looks delighted and not at all deterred by the fact that her fiancé showed more enthusiasm when looking at the latest football score than in seeing her in her dresses.
I force what I hope is a bright grin onto my face as she approaches, even as my vision blurs some more. ‘You look amazing, Tanya.’
She beams at me and then turns to Will with an expectant look on her face.
‘Yeah,’ he grunts, eyes still glued to his phone. I wait a beat to see if he plans on expanding on his lacklustre compliment to his fiancée, but nothing comes.
I can’t tell if Tanya is bothered or not, but I don’t understand it at all. I’ve been in the wedding industry for long enough that I’ve seen plenty of couples like this, and it always makes me feel strange. I barely know these women, but I can’t understand why they’d settle for someone like this. My thoughts drift to Cash and Bailey and then, unexpectedly, to Dane. The idea of him treating me like this feels so unfathomable, it jolts a throaty laugh out of me.
Not that we’re married, or engaged, or anything other than friends. But still.
The way Dane treats me – with kindness and respect and genuine joy when his eyes land on me and his lips spread into that soft, sweet smile? I don’t understand why anyone would willingly settle for anything less.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I summon the strength to pull it out while Will and Tanya get into their new positions.
DANE
all right baby
drive safely and let me know when you get home
Chapter TwentyDANE
As good ideas go, I’m not sure where this one ranks in the grand scheme of things.
I check my phone for the fourth time since I arrived on Eliott’s doorstep. Her car is parked outside and, according to the last message she sent me, she got home not even twenty minutes ago. Intheory, she should still be awake. Twenty minutes is barely enough time to change into something comfortable and dive under the blankets.
But I’ve been ringing her doorbell for the last five minutes and she’s still not come to the door.
I should go. She’s probably sleeping. Sheneedsto be sleeping given how awful she’s currently feeling. I’m starting to doubt that this was even a good idea in the first place.
Turning up at her door unannounced when she’s already told me that she feels like death? Yeah. Definitely not my best idea.
I take a step backwards just as the front door is yanked open and I find myself standing face to face with Eliott. She’s wearing an oversized hoodie and a pair of ratty old sweatpants. There’s a fluffy blanket draped over her shoulders and she has two wads of tissue paper stuffed up her nose. Her skin has a thin sheen of sweat stuck to it, and there are noticeable bags under her eyes.
I feel my lips curve upwards into a grin as she glares at me.
