‘I fell and hurt my wrist earlier.’
‘Fell? Where? How?’
Beth bit her lip. ‘At the house. Off a tower of crates.’
Ellie looked genuinely confused. ‘What were you doing on top of a tower of crates?’
‘Trying to peek through the kitchen window to assess the damage to the ceiling.’ Sure, she knewnowthat it had been a dumb risk to take.
Thankfully, Ellie didn’t point out just how dumb she’d been. Though she did point down the hall and order Beth into the kitchen.
‘Off you go. I’ll get the first aid kit.’
Feeling sheepish but grateful, Beth ducked her head and did as she was told. ‘Thanks, Ellie.’
‘Anything for a friend, remember?’ Ellie winked, then headed into the office, presumably to retrieve her stock of medical supplies.
Despite her aching wrist, warm and fuzzy feelings accompanied Beth into the kitchen. Twice in a matter of minutes, Ellie had referred to her as a friend. Just the confidence boost she needed heading into a situation that was, quite honestly, terrifying.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
Beth rubbed her wrist as she and Ellie walked down Main Street at dusk. Ellie chattered about this and that, but Beth’s mind was elsewhere. The fabric of the compression bandage she wore was itchy as hell and driving her insane. Still, the throbbing had stopped, so that was something. Tugging on the sleeve of her new cosy grey knit, she covered the bandage and tried to forget about it. Which was easier to do the closer they got to the bowling green.
As they crossed the road, the music blaring from the club rooms and the hum of people laughing and talking caused her heart rate to gallop. She gnawed the corner of her mouth, hoping for distraction, but as soon as she rounded the building and found herself among the revelry, she immediately wanted to turn around and hightail it back to the comfort and familiarity of the B&B. There were too many people, drinking and laughing and greeting each other loudly. She could feel their eyes on her, watching her, judging her, though she didn’t dare look closely at anyone. Instead, she turned her focus inwards, but that only amplified her discomfort and anxious thoughts, as the relentlessdoof-doof-doofof the music filled every atom of her being with vibrations. She wanted to hide, to find a corner to crawl into and cover her ears, but before she had the chance, Ellie took her by the arm and steered her into the depths of hell.
‘There they are.’ Ellie waved at someone.
‘They?’ God, she detested meeting new people.
‘Noah and Caleb,’ Ellie explained, raising her voice to compete with the music.
Beth had no idea who Caleb was, but she also didn’t care. Didn’t want to know. She just wanted to speak to Noah, then leave. As fast as humanly possible.
‘Caleb is Noah’s best mate,’ Ellie clarified, despite Beth’s lack of interest. ‘We all grew up together.’
They wove through the crowd but stopped short of heading into the clubrooms. Noah and a guy with unruly dark-blond hair stood at a high table nursing drinks.
‘Hey, guys, look who decided to come!’ Ellie pulled Beth forward. ‘Beth, you’ve met Noah, of course.’
Noah raised his glass, his blue eyes watching her closely, triggering her inevitable blush.
‘And this is Caleb,’ Ellie said, pointing at the scruffy blond man, ‘who I was just telling you about.’
‘Ah, the infamous, Beth.’ Caleb stuck a hand out and grinned. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’
Beth put her hand in his, knowing she’d look rude if she didn’t, and forced a smile to her lips, but with all her energy invested in appearing on the outside as if she wasn’t completely freaking out on the inside, her mind had gone blank and she had no words. How soon was too soon to pull Noah aside and ask for that favour?
‘So, how are you enjoying Karlup so far?’ Caleb said, making an effort to draw her into conversation.
She loathed small talk but knew Caleb was only trying to be nice. Willing to offer a brief answer, she opened her mouth to speak, but at that exact moment, someone barrelled into her, causing her to lurch into the table.
Before she’d so much as regained her balance, Noah moved slightly behind her, effectively shielding her from anyone else that might decide to race past like a lunatic.
‘You okay?’
She nodded but couldn’t look at him. The last thing she wanted was for him or anyone else to notice the tears of humiliation and shame in her eyes. Why did others seem to navigate the simplest of social situations so easily when she struggled so much? Her efforts were pitiful.
