Chapter 1
Potential breakup song – Aly I’m starving and I’m sure Evie is too.
They can join us when they receive the message.
I suppose I could just call them but that seems to be an unnecessary inconvenience, considering this isn’t an emergency.
I just thought we could hang out before heading over to the BnB for the night.
Five minutes later, we pull into the parking lot at Joeys Pub and Grill.
I grab my small carry-on as I get out of the car.
Hugging my Melton jacket around me with one hand, clutching at the lapels in a desperate attempt to keep the jacket closed at my neck with my other gloved hand holding my carry-on, I make my way towards the pub entrance.
Wind howling and snow falling in what looks like slivers of ice falling diagonally, it’s freezing but also a sight to behold.
“Why on earth did you carry that?”
“My laptop is in here.” I lift the carry-on in a see here gesture. “I thought I could finish that chapter I’ve been working on while we wait.”
“You’re hopeless.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head at me.
We make our way down a small stone path towards the pub, stopping occasionally to let others pass us by, because I’m nice like that, when the scene before me makes me halt.
Staring forward through the window of the pub, I look on in utter disbelief, my carry-on crashes to the ground, laptop be damned. My heart goes with it. Frozen to the spot I shake my head in denial as tears burn my eyes.
“Ellie, you know you work too damn hard. I have no idea how you’re even going to manage to type anything in this cold. I can’t even feel my fing-… Ellie?”
I hear her voice; I hear the questioning in her tone and I hear her concern but I am unable to respond.
“Ellie? Ellie! talk to me. Are you okay, what’s wrong?”
Still, I stare ahead, unable to move. My motor skills having fled the moment. Damn my traitorous body. Evie’s eyes follow the direction of my gaze, searching for the source of my temporary paralysis. Scanning the area she doesn’t see him at first until…
“That son of a bitch! I’m going to twist his balls off and throw them into a blender.” She’s livid, as she should be. That’s a natural response, right? I should feel that way too but I’m too shocked, stunned, numb.
Matt is in the bar, arms tangled around… Heather? I squint my eyes trying to focus on the female devouring my fiancé. Surely it can’t be?