Page 37 of Falling for Nicole
“I didn’t think I heard you come in last night. What happened to it not being that kind of date?” she asks with a wink.
“It wasn’t,” I mutter. I really don’t want to tell Lilly who I spent the night with, but at the same time, I also don’t want to lie to her.
“So where have you been?”
“With Dec.”
“All night?” Her voice raises a note or two with surprise. I shouldn’t be surprised; if I hadn’t experienced it myself and still felt the after effects, I wouldn’t believe it either.
“I need coffee.”
“I’ll allow that, but then you’ve got some explaining to do.”
Muttering my agreement, I walk off to the coffee machine and make myself the strongest it’ll offer as I try to figure out how I’m going to explain this to Lilly.
“I’m sorry, run this by me again. You went to have it out with him for ruining your date, and you ended up screwing him in his office?”
“Something like that.” Ashamed, I drop my head into my hands.
“So what now? Are you…together?”
“What? No, no, no.”
“So what?”
“I think we both know it was a mistake of epic proportions, fuelled by my anger and alcohol. I think we all know Dec and I are not a suitable match.”
“Or you could be perfect,” Lilly whispers into her mug.
“You did not just say that.” I stare at her like I must have just misheard.
“What? I’m just saying that you might not actually hate each other.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I hate him.”
“So you accidentally had sex with him?”
“Well, no.”
“Exactly, you wanted it. You like him more than you want to admit.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway, because he hates me—always has.” Suddenly a thought hits me and I want to throw up. “It was probably just a bet or something.” I’ve seen Dec with his friends and the kind offunthey have together. Something like that wouldn’t be too hard to imagine. “I wonder what he wins for bagging the girl he hates and his sister’s best friend?” I laugh but it’s anything but sincere, and Lilly sees right through it.
“No. I know Dec, and I know that wasn’t what it was.”
“Well, it’s hardly that he just couldn’t keep his hands off me. He spent years trying to get rid of me.”
“I don’t think that’s exactly true.”
My conversation with Lilly didn’t help to sort my head out one bit. She’s always had this fascination that one day there could be something between Dec and me, and we could then be sisters. I’ve told her for years that she’s crazy and we’re more likely to see pigs fly than for me to ever become her sister-in-law.
* * *
I’m a nervous fucking wreck by the time I walk back into the shack later that day. I’ve told myself over and over again that last night, and this morning, were mistakes that will not be repeated, but I’m yet to have that conversation with Dec. Not that I think for a minute his opinion will be any different.
I sheepishly poke my head into the office as soon as I get there, but to my delight, it’s empty. I can’t help but think that I’m only putting off the inevitable. We need to have a conversation about what happened, and as much as I don’t want to have it, I also know not doing it soon will eat at me, start to make me question my decision.
When Declan does appear, I’m instantly reminded of all the reasons I came here for last night in the first place—his manipulation that ruined my date. He strides towards me like a man on a mission, and if it weren’t for his current company, I might get butterflies at the look he’s giving me. But as it is, I’m staring daggers at Georgia, who’s walking in, bold as brass, behind him like she owns the fucking place.
