Page 33 of Where There's A Will
So I could barely contain my disappointment when Hugo took us to Jammer Joe’s.
It was most likely the cheapest of the three choices.
The waitress showed us to a booth between two families, both of which had several kids in tow. That was obviously going to help the dreamy atmosphere between Hugo and I.
“What do you want to eat? I’m starving.” Hugo waved the menu at me.
My taste buds had been salivating at the thought of fancy food and when my options were cheesy bread, meatballs or pizza, they died with disappointment. At least there was Pinot Noir on the list.
“Um, I don’t know, maybe a salad?”
“Really? I thought we could share one of the family pizzas and get some wings or shrimp to start?”
“Sure, why not.” I knew when I was beaten.
“If you’re so desperate for salad, maybe we can get a small one to share?”
All of a sudden I didn’t want to share.
I didn’t want to be sandwiched between two families, pretending to enjoy being there.
I didn’t want to be Montana in Montana.
I wanted to be Montana in New York.
Oblivious to the torment I was putting myself through, Hugo waved one of the pamphlets from the room at me. “There are so many things we can do tomorrow. I was thinking maybe one of the bus tours or guided hikes.”
“I don’t have walking boots. I’d need to get some first.”
His face fell. “Oh, yes, I’d forgotten about that. Horseback riding then.”
“Maybe. I guess we’d need to see what the weather’s doing first.” I’d stay up late doing a rain dance if it meant I didn’t have to do stupid outdoors activities.
“Looks like it’s going to be a glorious day, anything around Glacier National Park will be amazing,” the waitress chipped in as she came to take our order.
I swore Hugo flirted with her the whole time, making obvious jokes and generally leaving me out of the conversation. Who was I kidding? I’d made a dreadful mistake.
Our meal seemed to go on forever and it was difficult to keep conversation going for longer than a few sentences. It made me wonder how we’d ever managed to keep up a relationship for an entire year.
When we’d finished, Hugo suggested a walk, but I feigned tiredness after our long journey and suggested we go back to the room and watch some TV.
Surprisingly, Hugo agreed and we returned to our room. He instantly fell into a deep slumber, snorting and wheezing beside me before I even had chance to switch on the television.
In the darkness, I felt the tears stream down my cheeks as I silently cried myself to sleep.
After a fitful night tossing and turning, light finally started streaming through the window and it was an acceptable time to be awake. Hugo still snored lightly beside me. Automatically I reached for my phone. I hadn’t checked social media since we’d arrived the previous afternoon, even though it would probably have saved my sanity. Scrolling through the familiar New York scene began to make me feel happier and I even smiled at a few of my friend’s posts.
Hugo yawned and stretched beside me, his floppy, dark hair falling in his eyes. “Geez, I hadn’t realised how tired I was last night.”
“You pretty much fell asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow.” I forced a smile. “And it looks like the waitress was right about the weather.” I nodded to the blue skies and sunshine.
“Great!” Hugo bounced off the bed, plucking at his clothes. “Ugh, I should have showered before bed last night. I’m going to get cleaned up.”
He plugged his phone in and left it on the desk before gathering his stuff and hopping in the shower.
I turned my attention back to my own phone, noting Bree had posted she was meeting Will tonight. Jealousy pricked me as I felt my resentment growing. I only had myself to blame. Instead, I was about to go on a horse-riding-hiking-bus-tour-adventure-of-a-lifetime.
Then Hugo’s phone chirruped into life. As notification after notification pinged, I couldn’t resist taking a peek. I had to see for myself. I had to know the truth.
