Page 98 of The Jealous Girl

They smiled warmly. ‘Help yourself, love,’ the woman said, nudging the chair closer to me.

‘Thanks,’ I replied, smiling back, briefly wishing I could join them for lunch instead. The reception I’d got from strangers had already been warmer and more welcoming than the one that awaited me at my table.

I dragged the chair over, the legs scraping loudly across the floor. Heat crept into my face as heads turned towards me at the noise.

Why had I suggested here? It had seemed smart at the time. Our pub. Our town. Somewhere I’d feel comfortable and yet that was still neutral ground.

Not the stables.

Not the hotel.

Not our flat.

But it still felt like my space had been invaded.

By her.

‘Do you need a hand?’ Ryan asked as I manoeuvred the chair into the end of the table by him.

Seriously? Now he offers to help?

‘No,’ I replied with a tight smile. ‘I’ve got it, thanks.’

‘We were just deciding what to have,’ Charlotte said, passing me a menu, acting graciously as though she was the host. ‘I hear the roasts are good.’

I gritted my teeth. ‘I know, that’s why I booked it.’

Charlotte turned back to Martin, and the conversation shifted to the stables.

I stared at the menu without reading it.

How had this happened? This was supposed to be about me and Ryan’s parents getting to know each other away from Blackwater. But, somehow, they’d brought it with them. And her along with it.

A ripple of laughter spread across the table. I glanced at Ryan, his eyes crinkled, his gaze fixed on Charlotte.

My fingers tightened around the menu. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed like that with me. But I could remember him laughing with her…

Two Years Ago – Mid August

I lifted the pile of invoices and fanned them in front of me, the slight breeze doing little to cool me.

I glanced at the small window, already open as wide as possible, and yet I was still wilting. The office felt suffocating and the smell of the stalls just outside the door seemed even stronger than usual. Thick and inescapable.

‘Got the feed delivery note for you,’ Charlotte said, breezing into the office, and dropped a sheet of paper on the desk in front of me.

She looked flawless, in skinny jeans and a strappy top, with her hair loose and glossy around her shoulders.

‘Can you believe this heatwave?’ she asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder. ‘Isn’t it awesome?’

I shifted in my chair, trying to sit up straighter, but my thighs stuck to the leather chair, making a soft humiliating sound as I peeled them away.

‘Yeah, it’s something alright,’ I said grumpily.

I pushed a loose strand of hair back into my ponytail and resumed fanning, but my make-up clung to my skin, thick and heavy.

How did Charlotte look so fresh and cool when she’d been working with the horses all day? While I was a sweaty mess just sitting in the office.

She gave a little laugh before pivoting on her heel and disappearing back into the stables.