Page 39 of Knotting Hill
She didn’t, and now I’m left hanging on by a thread overnight to see what happens tomorrow. If I weren’t a nervous ball of anxiety, I would go and confront her, but that just isn’t me. I’d rather stew in my own unease than face down the inevitable sacking that is headed my way.
“Cheryl,” I murmur when we reach the door.
Thankfully Sadie has already fucked off with her face like a bag of spanners after this morning.
“What’s up?”
“Will you check for me? Outside?”
“Check for what? To see if Sadie’s prime is waiting for you?”
Her seriousness sends a bolt of panic racing through my blood. “Err,no!” I say, horrified. “But also,yes,now that you fucking mention it! I meant the St. Lucs.”
She giggles. “Give me a sec.”
She disappears through the door, and I watch, wringing my hands. When she gives me the thumbs up, I breathe out in relief and head out myself, keeping a close eye out in case she was being a bitch and fooled me.
Luckily for both of us, she didn’t.
I scamper off down the street, head down, clutching the handle of my bag, when I hear a woman’s voice call out, “Storm?”
I stop and turn to it, not having recognised her. A pretty blonde omega saunters up to me, her blue eyes wide and innocent, a smile on her face.
“Hi, I’m Emma,” she says. “Can we talk?”
“About what, Emma?” I ask. “I’m kind of in a hurry.”
A hurry to get indoors where no one can find me.
“It’s about Russell St. Luc.”
I frown and start walking again.
She keeps in step with me, forcing me to ask, “What about him?”
“I heard a rumour that he was there last night when Josh broke up you and Franco. I don’t know what’s going on with you and the St. Lucs but know that Russell climbed out of my nest this morning. I don’t want you to get hurt, you know…”
I stop walking and turn to glare at her. Is she for real? “And?”
She blinks, slightly taken aback that I haven’t started wailing in disappointment at her words.
“Well, just, you know, we’re together again, and I don’t want anything fucking it up. Do what you want with Josh and JP, but Russell is mine, ‘kay?”
She folds her arms defensively, glaring expectantly at me.
“Fine,” I say eventually when it becomes apparent she wants me to say something. “He’s all yours. Have all three of them. My give a fuck fairy is on strike.”
Her eyeballs nearly pop out of her sockets. “Great,” she splutters as if she has no clue what else to say. “I just wanted to clear that up.”
“Good for you. See ya.” I stalk off, marching up the pavement, desperate to get away from this woman who has crushed whatever hope I might’ve had about them. They haven’t changed one single bit. Russell crawled out of Emma’s nest to greet me with coffee this morning. I mean, What. The. Fuck?
“What the fuck are they playing at?” I grumble as I stub my toe on a crooked paving stone, cursing loudly to the amusement of the pack of young buck alphas standing outside the newsagents.
Could this day get any worse?
Don’t answer that, Storm. You are asking for trouble.
I practically run the rest of the way home and shut myself into my flat, leaning against the door as my bag drops from my shoulder to the floor. Tears spring into my eyes, and I brush them away. Ever since the St. Lucs came into my life because of that fucking Cockapoo, my life has been ruined, and revelations about myself have sprung up that I’m not ready for.
