Page 22 of Fit for Love
Betsey turned to me right at that moment and launched herself forward, crashing into my arms and kissing me before I had any chance to protest. I tried to resist, but she was insistent.
When she finally drew away, the crowd around us had parted. In front of me stood Cora, Piper and Mal.
The look of disgust on Cora’s face was enough to make me shrivel into the ground. I extricated myself from Betsey’s grasp and jumped up, making my way toward Cora.
“It’s not what it looks like…”
“Oh, it’s exactly what it looks like. Although at least this time I’m being dumped for another woman.” She tried to turn away, but Piper and Mal blocked her path.
“Cora, I’m sorry.”
Betsey shuffled her way through, so she was standing close, and wrapped an arm around my waist. “Everything okay, babe?” She shot Cora a look. “Who’s this?”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m no one. I’m just the woman who was stupid enough to think that he could be interested in me, when he was only after me for my money.” She reached into her bag and pulled out some notes, tossing them in my direction. “Here’s the cash for the missed session today. I hope it gets you closer to your goal.” She tossed her mane of blond hair over her shoulder and stalked off.
The assembled crowd stared open-mouthed, looking between me and Cora’s retreating back.
I felt Betsey’s hand on my arm. “Who was that? She looks kind of familiar. And why was she giving you money?” She bent over and picked up the cash. “Wow, a hundred and fifty pounds.” Her eyes widened. “What session was she talking about? You’re not…selling yourself are you?”
Her question was innocent enough, but the words stung. I closed my eyes, desperately wishing she would disappear.
If I could have spirited myself away at that moment, I would have.
Chapter Twelve
Cora
As soon I got outside, it started raining. A quick, unexpected downpour, that caught me off guard and soaked me to the bone within seconds. I half ran along the pavement, in the direction of Bayview House.
“Cora, wait!” Piper’s voice carried across the air, her footsteps quickly catching up with mine. She grabbed my arm. “What went on back there?”
I stopped, stock-still, the rain mixing with the tears that were suddenly pouring down my cheeks.
She pulled us into the doorway of one of the nearby shops, sheltering us from the rain. “Do you want to tell me?”
There was a part of me that wanted to rush straight back to London, back to Louise and my other friends, and the relative safety of the online world. It felt like the real world was too hard to deal with. I shouldn’t have allowed myself to trust Ethan so easily. I’d only known him a little longer than a week, and now it seemed he was showing his true colours.
“Can we go home? I think I’d like a drink.”
Piper pulled off her coat and held it up above our heads, protecting us from the worst of the rain. We walked quickly back to the house, and I was relieved that it was empty.
I went to my room and changed into my pyjamas, before wrapping a bathrobe over the top. I felt I needed the additional warmth and comfort. My reflection in the mirror showed red-rimmed, puffy eyes and pale skin. Almost the exact same reflection as Orlando had created. I scrubbed my face free of make-up, wound my hair into a ponytail and headed back downstairs.
When I returned, Piper had poured a small brandy and placed it on the table, alongside a large glass of water.
“I’m sure you don’t want to end up eating burgers again, right?” she said, a small smile playing across her lips.
Piper’s thoughtfulness touched me. She had hit the nail on the head though. I couldn’t fall off the wagon again, every time some idiot man screwed me over. I took a small sip and felt the alcohol burn through my body, though not in an unpleasant way.
We went over to the sofas and curled up at each end, placing our drinks on the low coffee table.
“It might help to talk about it?” Piper took a small swallow of her own drink.
“It might…” I hesitated, before burying my head in my arms. How had I allowed myself to get in the same position again? Taking a deep breath, I resurfaced. “He was using me, Piper. Just like Orlando did.”
“What? Ethan’s gay?” Piper’s brows knitted together. “But he was with Betsey?”
“No, not like that. He was only being kind to me because he wanted my money to fund his next trip. I insisted on paying him for my training sessions, the same as I would for my London trainer. Then I overhead him on the phone, telling someone that he only needs to see me a couple more times and his travel junket would be fully paid for.” I took another sip of brandy, resisting the urge to neck the entire drink in one go.
