I was going after him.
“Emma, where are you going?” Theresa stood with me.
Amanda stood as well, but she remained silent. She was waiting for what I said next.
A fake, but polite smile plastered over my face. “I think I have to go to the bathroom.”
An eyebrow lifted as Theresa asked, “You think or you have to go?”
“Yes.” I nodded to myself. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Mind’s made up, hmm?” Her grin turned knowing.
Noah set his glass—my glass—down on the table and regarded all three of us with caution. “What’s going on?”
“Emma has to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay. Go.” He kept skirting between us. “Do you all have to go? Am I supposed to watch your purses?”
Theresa snorted again, but in disgust. “Yes, Noah. That’s what we’re doing. Would you watch our purses for us?”
He gestured to the table. “Sure. Leave them, but don’t you guys always take them with?”
Theresa opened her mouth to keep arguing, but I clutched mine and headed towards the nearest exit door. Amanda followed behind. Theresa remained at the table. Her arms went up in the air—all the signs of another Noah/Theresa fight about to happen.
Amanda snickered. “You know they’re going to find a room pretty soon.”
“Yeah.” I shook my head. Their sexual chemistry fizzled at times, but was combustible at others. It was nearing the explosion mark now. “Wish they’d get together once and for all.”
“Yeah,” Amanda sighed beside me as we went through into the hallway. It was empty except for a few drunken employees.
“Emma!” someone called out.
Oh god. It was Tamra. She had a fake smile as she gripped her drink. A purse was stuck underneath her arm and her free hand held up the front of her silver dress. Even in high heels, she hurried to us and didn’t seem to break stride. I would’ve been impressed if I hadn’t been so irritated. She was keeping me from finding Carter.
“Hi, Tamra.”
“Hi!” Her red lipstick was smeared to the side and a few strands of her beautiful sleek hair slipped from the fancy bun. “Did you hear about my promotion?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. Congratulations.”
“I know. I’m going to be heading up an entire hotel. I think Mr. Tomlinson wants me to prove what I can do. Once I do that, I’ll be back and higher than ever. This is a great opportunity.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“Yeah. I know it is.” Her smile never wavered, I had to give her that, and she even smoothed back the frayed hair strands. “So,” now her eyes snapped to attention. She was going in for the kill. “I didn’t believe it when I was told, but tonight I saw it for own eyes. You and Carter Reed. Imagine that.”
“Yeah,” my tone chilled. “Imagine that.”
“That’s great. Well, if the reports are right. You know, if he got out of the mob and everything. But damn, Emma. I’m so proud of you.”
My smile was stretched thin. Did I have time to hurt this girl? “Proud of me?”
“Yes. He’s gorgeous. I mean, I know what he looks like, but he’s so much more in person. I can’t believe it.” Then a look twitched in her eye. Revenge? Anger? “And I heard that your brother was his best friend. That’s so nice of him to reach out to you, you know, to honor your brother’s memory. The media should really report how generous he must be.”
Nope. I caught it now. A smug pretentious look, that’s what it was.
“Really?” My eyebrow went up. My hand turned into a fist.
Amanda moved first. Damn her. She pushed me back. “I’m really sorry, but we have to get going. I’ll make sure to tell him your message.”
Tamra blinked. Her mouth opened a fraction.
Amanda finished, “I’m sure he’ll see it that way, that’s he’s being generous by being with his best friend’s sister. I’m sure he won’t take offense to that at all, but that’s my opinion. All I know is that he really loves Emma so I’m sure he won’t take it in the degrading way you actually mean it to be.”
A small growl came from me.
Amanda turned and pushed me back. “We’re going to the bathroom, remember?”
Yes. I had things to do. I’d never been friends with Tamra before, but now I wanted to yank her hair and slam her against the hallway. We were that type of friends now. And I knew there were so many others girls just like her.
“Let’s go.”
“Fine.” My teeth ground against each other. As we went further down the hallway, we came to another one and paused. I glanced over. “You know we’re not going to the bathroom.”
“Do we know where we’re going?”
“Nope” I answered.
“Okay.” She nodded. “Do we know what we’re doing?”
“Nope.”
“Is he doing mob stuff?”
“Yes.” I didn’t falter. She deserved to know what she was walking into.
“Glad we’re on the same page.”
I caught the disapproval in her tone and pulled her to a stop. Then I faced my now oldest friend besides Carter and hoped she saw how much this meant to me. “I love him.”
“I know.” But she faltered.
She didn’t. Or she didn’t believe it. I touched her arm again. “I grew up with him. He was family to me.”
“He abandoned you.”
Now the truth was out.
“No.” I shook my head.
“Yes, he did.” Her eyes grew hard. “I defended you just now, but he left you. And I know that he’s not with you because of your brother, but it still pisses me off that he left you in the first place. You told me stories about the foster homes, Emma. You’ve never mentioned Carter Reed at all, not until,” her voice lowered and she moved closer, “you know. So no, I don’t think he’s family and I don’t think he loves you.”
My mouth fell open. How could she think any of this? Thoughts and betrayal raced through me when she continued, “I think he wants you. Yes. I think that. But he wouldn’t love you because he wouldn’t have let you grow up alone. You were alone when I met you.”
“Emma, where are you going?” Theresa stood with me.
Amanda stood as well, but she remained silent. She was waiting for what I said next.
A fake, but polite smile plastered over my face. “I think I have to go to the bathroom.”
An eyebrow lifted as Theresa asked, “You think or you have to go?”
“Yes.” I nodded to myself. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Mind’s made up, hmm?” Her grin turned knowing.
Noah set his glass—my glass—down on the table and regarded all three of us with caution. “What’s going on?”
“Emma has to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay. Go.” He kept skirting between us. “Do you all have to go? Am I supposed to watch your purses?”
Theresa snorted again, but in disgust. “Yes, Noah. That’s what we’re doing. Would you watch our purses for us?”
He gestured to the table. “Sure. Leave them, but don’t you guys always take them with?”
Theresa opened her mouth to keep arguing, but I clutched mine and headed towards the nearest exit door. Amanda followed behind. Theresa remained at the table. Her arms went up in the air—all the signs of another Noah/Theresa fight about to happen.
Amanda snickered. “You know they’re going to find a room pretty soon.”
“Yeah.” I shook my head. Their sexual chemistry fizzled at times, but was combustible at others. It was nearing the explosion mark now. “Wish they’d get together once and for all.”
“Yeah,” Amanda sighed beside me as we went through into the hallway. It was empty except for a few drunken employees.
“Emma!” someone called out.
Oh god. It was Tamra. She had a fake smile as she gripped her drink. A purse was stuck underneath her arm and her free hand held up the front of her silver dress. Even in high heels, she hurried to us and didn’t seem to break stride. I would’ve been impressed if I hadn’t been so irritated. She was keeping me from finding Carter.
“Hi, Tamra.”
“Hi!” Her red lipstick was smeared to the side and a few strands of her beautiful sleek hair slipped from the fancy bun. “Did you hear about my promotion?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. Congratulations.”
“I know. I’m going to be heading up an entire hotel. I think Mr. Tomlinson wants me to prove what I can do. Once I do that, I’ll be back and higher than ever. This is a great opportunity.”
“I’m sure it is.”
“Yeah. I know it is.” Her smile never wavered, I had to give her that, and she even smoothed back the frayed hair strands. “So,” now her eyes snapped to attention. She was going in for the kill. “I didn’t believe it when I was told, but tonight I saw it for own eyes. You and Carter Reed. Imagine that.”
“Yeah,” my tone chilled. “Imagine that.”
“That’s great. Well, if the reports are right. You know, if he got out of the mob and everything. But damn, Emma. I’m so proud of you.”
My smile was stretched thin. Did I have time to hurt this girl? “Proud of me?”
“Yes. He’s gorgeous. I mean, I know what he looks like, but he’s so much more in person. I can’t believe it.” Then a look twitched in her eye. Revenge? Anger? “And I heard that your brother was his best friend. That’s so nice of him to reach out to you, you know, to honor your brother’s memory. The media should really report how generous he must be.”
Nope. I caught it now. A smug pretentious look, that’s what it was.
“Really?” My eyebrow went up. My hand turned into a fist.
Amanda moved first. Damn her. She pushed me back. “I’m really sorry, but we have to get going. I’ll make sure to tell him your message.”
Tamra blinked. Her mouth opened a fraction.
Amanda finished, “I’m sure he’ll see it that way, that’s he’s being generous by being with his best friend’s sister. I’m sure he won’t take offense to that at all, but that’s my opinion. All I know is that he really loves Emma so I’m sure he won’t take it in the degrading way you actually mean it to be.”
A small growl came from me.
Amanda turned and pushed me back. “We’re going to the bathroom, remember?”
Yes. I had things to do. I’d never been friends with Tamra before, but now I wanted to yank her hair and slam her against the hallway. We were that type of friends now. And I knew there were so many others girls just like her.
“Let’s go.”
“Fine.” My teeth ground against each other. As we went further down the hallway, we came to another one and paused. I glanced over. “You know we’re not going to the bathroom.”
“Do we know where we’re going?”
“Nope” I answered.
“Okay.” She nodded. “Do we know what we’re doing?”
“Nope.”
“Is he doing mob stuff?”
“Yes.” I didn’t falter. She deserved to know what she was walking into.
“Glad we’re on the same page.”
I caught the disapproval in her tone and pulled her to a stop. Then I faced my now oldest friend besides Carter and hoped she saw how much this meant to me. “I love him.”
“I know.” But she faltered.
She didn’t. Or she didn’t believe it. I touched her arm again. “I grew up with him. He was family to me.”
“He abandoned you.”
Now the truth was out.
“No.” I shook my head.
“Yes, he did.” Her eyes grew hard. “I defended you just now, but he left you. And I know that he’s not with you because of your brother, but it still pisses me off that he left you in the first place. You told me stories about the foster homes, Emma. You’ve never mentioned Carter Reed at all, not until,” her voice lowered and she moved closer, “you know. So no, I don’t think he’s family and I don’t think he loves you.”
My mouth fell open. How could she think any of this? Thoughts and betrayal raced through me when she continued, “I think he wants you. Yes. I think that. But he wouldn’t love you because he wouldn’t have let you grow up alone. You were alone when I met you.”
