Page 34 of Where There's A Will
Sure enough, there were text messages from multiple girls, including the waitress from Jammer Joe’s and the hostess he’d been dry humping on our anniversary.
Thanks for a wonderful night, Hugo xx
Missed you today, can’t wait until this evening xoxo
H, you’re the best…will I see you tonight? Xxxx
When are you back from your business trip? Can we FaceTime? Lxx
Bile came into my throat as I read through them, the majority from the past week. When I’d been trying to contact him about this trip, he’d been out with other women.
It was the last straw.
I switched to the Expedia app on my phone and searched for flights to New York, getting the soonest one I could, even though it was expensive. Screw the cost—I’d work a hundred hours overtime or sell my clothes on eBay in order to get out of there.
Grabbing the hotel notepaper and pen, I scribbled a note:I know. I know about all the other women. We’re done for good this time. Never contact me again.
For good measure, I found the Tiffany necklace he’d given me and placed it next to the note.
Then I stuffed all the clothes I’d never wear in Montana into my cases and made my way down to the car. I thanked God I’d had the foresight to put it in my name and, after I switched the satnav on, I drove off, sticking two fingers up to the Glacier National Park.
Montana was getting the hell out of Montana while she had the chance.
10
Will
My enthusiasm for dinner and drinks tonight was waning.
I nearly called it off multiple times, my fingers hovering over Bree’s number to either text or message her with some lame excuse as to why I couldn’t make it. She deserved better than to be my rebound, but I needed a distraction and if she was willing, who was I to slam on the brakes? But why did she have to be Montana’s best friend?
Roman hadn’t been much help either. He’d come over in the afternoon, after I’d been to the restaurant staff meeting, to tell me about his audition and we’d ended up playing video games, as usual. We chatted sports and castings and whiled away a couple of hours talking about nothing much. Typical guy talk. Until Roman took the conversation in an unexpected direction.
“So…” Roman took a pull of his beer and put the controller down next to him on the sofa. “What’s the deal with you and these two girls then? The one that lives across the corridor and her best friend you’re going out with tonight.”
Taken off guard by the topic, my shoulders jerked up. “How did you know about that?”
“Bree and I might have been messaging each other.”
“Oh.”
I wasn’t sure how to feel about his piece of news. Sure, I knew deep down Bree wasn’t the one for me, but I ought to at least give her a chance. Hearing she and Roman had been talking made me feel worse about the whole situation.
“Roman, I didn’t know. I mean, if you want me to cancel my date with her this evening, then I’m happy to, honestly. I don’t want to get in your way.”
My best friend in New York shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. You should go. Work out whether Bree is the one for you or whether it’s Montana.” The corner of his mouth curled up. “I think I know the answer though.”
“What do you mean”?”
“I saw the way you were looking at her all through Monday night. And on Friday when she talked about leaving—the look on your face.”
“I had no idea it was so obvious.” I dropped my gaze to my lap, staring at the threads in my jeans.
“I’m pretty sure Bree knows it too.”
“Then I ought to cancel our date tonight.”
“No, don’t do that.” Roman shook his head. “Go, explain how you feel and then whenever Montana comes back from her trip, go and tell her exactly how you feel about her.”
