Page 4 of One Wild Night
“Just now,” Scott replied. He must have meant the time at which he’d come up the steps because he’d been here for at least half an hour. “Abi.” He focused his attention on heragain.
“Hi.” She raised her chin and put on her best smile, trying not to see more into the look of interest he was giving her or the way that his eyes caressed her withsoftness.
Her phone started to ring in her hand. It was an unknown number. She would have hung up on a normal day but welcomed the excuse of a phone call to get away fromScott.
She answeredit.
“Abi!” It wasMargo.
“Hey there. Why are you calling from an unknownnumber?”
“Are you near Gale?” Her voice was heavy with the type of panic that immediately made Abinervous.
“Yes.”
“Don’t’ let him know you’re talking to me,” she saidquickly.
Abi glanced at Gale who was looking at hereagerly.
“Why?”
Margo made a whimpering noise and Abi realized she wascrying.
“Please, if you’re standing near him, moveaway.”
Abi moved away and walked over to the corner of the room, leaving a perplexed Gale withScott.
“I’m away,” Abi told her. “Scott’shere.”
Margo broke down. “Oh Abi, I seriously could do with having either of you here now. There are times in life when you lose your strength and when all a girl needs is her best friend or her big brother to help her pick up the pieces of a stupidmistake.”
Abi held her breath as anxiety filled her stomach. “Sweetie, are you okay?” she asked trying to keep her voice under control. She felt it was more appropriate to allow Margo to tell her what happened and comment after. Scott glanced over at her, but she ignoredhim.
“Abi, Gale told me he slept with some random girl just after we left college,” shecried.
Abi turned around when she saw Gale looking on desperately. She couldn’t have a private conversation with him looking at her like that, and Scott was an excuse all by himself. There was a reason she wanted nocontact.
The last time they saw each other was when she’d gone to see him at the football stadium to break up with him. He’d had one of those man-hungry groupies on his lap. A fiery redhead who looked like all she wanted was sex. Abi would never forget the sight of the two ofthem.
She had to tell him she was leaving him while the skank had her arms locked around his neck, and all Scott did was respond with alaugh.
That was it. Seven years down the toilet and all the man could do was laugh. He never even came after her, she reflected withbitterness.
She couldn’t have been more embarrassed, but what was worse than any embarrassment or humiliation was the hurt that left her feeling bereft anddesolate.
Abi walked back to the balcony, listening to Margo cry. After what Gale had told her, she expected this. She just wished she knew what was goingon.
“Margo, Gale just told me. Are youokay?”
“No, I’m not. I’m heartbroken and a mess. Abi, I was on my way to my parents when he told me. I was crushed after we spoke, but I made him think everything was allokay.”
“What are you going to do? The wedding is in two days, and all the guests will be here by tomorrowmorning.”
“I know,” shewinced.
“Are you… calling it off?” Abi asked with caution. To her, what had happened was a solid reason which anyone would understand, but, at the same time, she thought it would be sad. She didn’t understand why men had to be such jerks sometimes and ruin a goodthing.
“I wanted to. And… I ran. Or rather drove. I panicked. Abi, I’ve just made the situationworse.”
