Ember #2
His eyes narrow on Sully before they turn back to me. “Should I be worried about your brother coming over and telling me off for flirting with his sister?” He smirks.
“You’re flirting with me?” The words tumble out before I can catch them.
“Um, yeah, I thought that was obvious.”
My cheeks heat up. “Oh, I’m sorry, I had no idea. I … um …” I become flustered. “I’m recently separated from my husband.”
“Oh.” Ledger stills.
I bite my bottom lip. Did I say too much?
“How long ago?”
Hhhmm, how do I answer this? “Not that long, it’s complicated.” Not sure that was the right thing to say as his face drops. “I caught him in bed with my best friend’s husband.”
This stills him. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“Cass, who you just met, her husband and my husband have been having an affair on and off for years.”
This news floors Ledger. “What?”
“Yeah, um, we found out over a month ago. We found them together. We had this house flipping business and … doesn’t matter, so yeah.” I can see this is not where he thought the night was going.
“How long had you two been together?” he asks.
“Since high school.”
“Oh,” he says.
Well, I guess I just threw ice cold water on this conversation.
“Yeah, you know what? I’m just going to go to the bathroom, thanks for the chat.
Hope you enjoy your night.” With that, I turn on my heel and walk away as fast as I can before he says anything.
My face is on fire with embarrassment, I just trauma-dumped on that poor guy. It’s for the best, though.
I don't go to the bathroom, my feet carry me right past it, past the lights and the tables and the band.
I feel a mild panic attack coming on, so I try to find somewhere quiet where I can have my mini freak-out without anyone knowing.
I spot the stone walkway to the beach and head toward that.
I take it down the stairs cut into the rocks, all the way to the tiny stretch of private beach at the bottom where the party is just a warm hum above me, and the ocean is loud enough to cry into.
So, I do.
I sit down on the cool rock in my dress, and I cry, letting out everything I've been swallowing all day.
For the vows I meant and the vows he didn't. For the look on Ledger's face when the truth came out of me.
For Cassidy glowing after having a forbidden kiss in the garden while I can't get through one conversation with a man without detonating it.
"Em."
I know the voice before I turn. Sully is at the bottom of the stairs, jacket gone, sleeves rolled, and I don't even have the energy to pretend I'm fine.
"Hey," I say, wiping my face. "What are you doing here?”
“I saw you run off after speaking with Ledger. I thought he must have said something to upset you, so I followed,” he says.
Oh.
A shiver runs through my body as the breeze picks up around us.
“Here,” he says, placing his jacket around my shoulders. I breathe in his spicy scent. He comes and sits down on the rock next to me, close but not too close, and looks at the water instead of at me, which I appreciate. He doesn't ask. He just waits.
“I freaked out,” I finally confess after sitting in silence for a while.
“You freaked out?”
“Yeah …” I chew my bottom lip. “Apparently, Ledger was flirting … with me.”
“I know. Why is that surprising?”
“Um … because he is a hell of a lot younger than me, plus look at him, he’s gorgeous, he’s a fricken footballer. He could have anyone at this wedding."
"And yet he chose to hang out with you most of the night.”
I play with some imaginary lint on my dress. “How do you know?”
“I was watching.”
“Creep.”
This makes him laugh. “I was just checking to see if you were okay.”
“I’m surprised you had the time, seeing as Annabelle was all over you.”
Sully looks uncomfortable. “You noticed that.”
“Thanks for checking on me, but I’m okay. You can go back to Annabelle,” I tell him.
“I’m not interested in Annabelle,” he mumbles.
“Really? She’s gorgeous.”
“She is, but I’m not interested.” My brows pull together. “Are you not interested in Ledger?” he asks.
“I scared the poor guy when I told him I’ve only recently separated from Kevin.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. I could see it on his face, it freaked him out. Of course, it would, the guy is like … what? Almost ten years younger than me.”
Sully is quiet for a moment as we watch the waves come in and go out. “You’re allowed to move on,” he tells me.
I turn and look at him. “I’m scared,” I confess.
He turns and looks at me, his face softening. “What about?”
I let out a sigh. “I’ve been with Kevin for so long … and the only other person I’ve been with is …” I don’t need to say his name.
“That was a long time ago,” he says quietly.
“Tell me about it. You’ve probably been with a million people since then, and I’ve only been with Kevin.” I sigh.
“It hasn’t been a million.” He chuckles. I turn and look back over at him with a raised brow. “All right, it’s been a lot.” He smirks.
“Exactly, I feel like a fricken virgin again.” The champagne helps the embarrassing words tumble from my mouth. “I feel like I don’t know how to kiss anymore, let alone sleep with someone. For nearly twenty years I’ve known what to do, how to do it, and what he likes, and now I have no clue.”
“Most people don’t know what they’re doing when they meet someone for the first time. It can be awkward sometimes,” he tells me.
“Really …” I don’t believe him. “I can’t imagine it would be awkward for you.”
“Why’s that?” he asks.
Heat floods my cheeks. “Because … you’re … you know …” I stutter over my words.
“You know what? I generally don’t.”
“You.”
“And you’re you. What is your point?” he asks.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, because you’re hot,” I tell him angrily.