Page 123 of One Little Kiss
“Ihear congratulations are in order.”
Like a shark circling its prey, my frenemy catches me off guard. “Claire. What do you want?”
I’m in the break room grabbing another cup of coffee. I’m not used to working doubles, and with one hour left in my sixteen-hour shift, dealing with Claire is not high on my priority list.
“I just came by to see how you’re doing.” Her voice is sickeningly sweet, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. “Your fiancé is quite the man.” She trips over the word fiancé like her tongue got stuck in glue.
“He is.”
Keep it short and to the point, Winnie. She has no power over you anymore.I walk past her, and she catches my arm. “Are you sure you want to do this, sweetie? I mean, the way he gets around.”
“You don’t know anything about him,” I hiss, taking a sidestep so I’m in her space. I’m taller, and bigger than she is, something she’s never let me live down, but right now, I use every inch of my body to intimidate her.
She doesn’t back down. “I know enough,” she says, brushing nonexistent lint off her scrubs. “I mean, anyone that parties like he does and gets caught by paparazzi is sure to make excellent husband material, right?” She laughs, and it sounds eerie so close. When she snaps her gum, I jump, and the small flinch gives her the courage to push me even more. “Aren’t you worried you won’t be enough for him? I mean, you’ve never been able to satisfy a man. That’s why they always end up with me. First, there was poor Teddy in junior high. Then Travis. You weren’t even enough for your own father. Winnie,” she says my name so condescendingly I see red, “you didn’t really think you could keep a man like Colton, did you?”
“I’m not doing this with you, Claire. Colton is a good man who loves me. Nothing you can do or say can change that.”
I step around her, but her words hit harder than a punch to the gut. “Not even if he slept with me?”
Her sneer is straight off a villain when I glance over my shoulder. Because she is the villain in my story. In my life, she’s always been the one trying to take me down. Hurt me because it makes her feel better about her own pathetic life. Well, not this time.
“Colton wouldn’t be caught dead with you, Claire. That’s a fact.”
“Is that so?” She confidently waves a manilla envelope in the air and my world tilts on its axis.
“What is that?” I’m proud my voice sounds strong because I’m dying inside. Begging, pleading for it not to be what she’s insinuating.
“You work, and work, and work, Winnie. For what? A shitty apartment, and an idiot brother? You’ve always thought you’d be the first one out of this town, riding out on your high horse. But look at you. You’re no better than the rest of us. You’ve just gotten fatter, sadder, and more pathetic. I almost felt sorry for you when I heard the news. Winnie Darling marrying a Westbrook? Are you knocked up? Is that why you’re so fat? Is that how you trapped him? You may force his hand at marrying you, but he’ll never be faithful because you’ll never be enough. You’ve never been enough, have you?”
My hand twitches, and I realize it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever wanted to seriously injure someone. Instead, I clench my fists at my sides because hitting her, although it would feel amazing, would probably land me in jail. I won’t give her that satisfaction. I bite my tongue and wait for her to say what she came here to say.
“I’ll hand it to you. You picked the sexiest Westbrook. The way he moves?” She pinches her fingers to her lips and kisses them. “Chef’s kiss.”
“What do you want, Claire?” My lip trembles against my will.
She sticks out a pouty lip. “Oh, dear. Did I hurt your feelings? We’re friends, Winnie. I’m just here to warn you, is all. I wouldn’t want you getting your heart broken again over someone who can’t and won’t stay faithful to you.”
I stand completely still and say nothing because I know it will piss her off, and I’m right.
“Don’t you want to see what I came to show you?” she hisses. “I will say Colton is probably the best fuck I’ve ever had.”
My hand moves involuntarily to my chest. It’s like she shot me through the heart. But it can’t be true. It’s not true. Colton wouldn’t do that to me.
“He has a dirty mouth, that one. Did you really think you were the only one he was whispering filthy promises to at night, Winnie? He may have moved you into his house because an insta family is a great PR move, don’t you think? But he’ll never settle for you. If it’s not me,” she waves the file around again, “it’ll just be someone else. And someone else after that. You’re not special, Wendalyn. You’ve never been special.” She spits the word special, then tosses the file on the small table.
She leaves me standing there, unblinking. Barely breathing. And shaking so hard my legs give out the second she rounds the corner.
It’s not true. It can’t be true.Colton said to trust him.I have to trust him. My gaze zones in on the file like it’s a living, breathing thing. I’m hyperventilating as I lift myself from the floor and my vision becomes blurry as tears threaten.Trust him. I move closer to the table, eyeing it as if it will jump out and bite me.Trust him. I collapse into the chair, my hand inches away from it. My fingers burn as they land on the tan cardstock.Trust him. I forget to breathe as my index finger flicks the cover open and I jump back in shock at the pictures staring up at me and all the trust in the world can’t make up for this.
Trust is no longer in my vocabulary.
* * *
“Winnie? Honey? Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Beth asks, opening the door to my old apartment above her garage.
I don’t know how long I sat in the break room, but eventually, Colton started calling and I gathered up my stuff and moved to my car. I drove around until I ended up at Beth’s house and begged her to pick up Weston.
“Yes, please. Just take him to the library until you hear from me.”
