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“Sophie?”
I hear Ariel’s voice from where I’m still leaning over the toilet in the bathroom. Slowly I pull myself up from the floor and turn on the faucet, rinsing my mouth out as much as I can.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been in here. It feels like a lifetime. I keep going through things in my mind. How could I have been so stupid?
“Are you in here?” Ariel calls out, banging on the bathroom door. “Are you okay?”
She’s not going to go away, I can tell that from the tone of her voice. I take a look at my smudged make up and red eyes and think at least it isn’t Liam or Ava.
I can’t face either of them. I definitely can’t tell them about this. I’m too ashamed about my own incompetence.
When I open the door Ariel stumbles, as though she’s had her ear to the door. “Oh God, you look terrible. Let me get Liam,” she says.
I shake my head and grab her arm. “No, please don’t.”
“Are you ill?”
“No. I just…” I exhale heavily. “It’s that work thing I told you about. I need to do something about it.”
Relief softens her expression. “Oh, Thank God. I thought it might be something terrible. Let me get you some water.” She walks over to the tiny kitchen area and grabs a glass out of the cupboard, filling it with water from the refrigerator. “Here,” she says, handing it to me. “Drink.”
So I do, and though it’s refreshing it doesn’t make me feel any better. I’m going to get fired. I know I am. And everybody will know why.
“Okay?” Ariel asks softly when I stop drinking.
I nod, but I’m far from okay.
“Please let me get Liam. He’d want to be here.”
I shake my head. “It’s his mom’s birthday. He should be with her.” I’m so embarrassed. He’s a smart businessman. He doesn’t make mistakes like this. He’ll think I’m an amateur.
I just can’t deal with seeing his face when I tell him.
She pulls her lip between her teeth and she looks so awkward I feel sorry for her. “You can go back to the party,” I tell her. “I’ll just stay here for a while. But I’d be really grateful if you don’t tell anybody.” Eventually Liam will realize that I’ve disappeared. But by then maybe I’ll have worked out how to face him.
“He adores you,” she says, as though she knows I’m thinking about him. “Which is wonderful. We never thought he’d be like this again.”
“Again?” I frown. That’s a weird way of putting it.
“After Marie,” she says, nodding as though I should know what she’s talking about. “He changed so much after her. But now he’s back to the Liam we all remember.”
“Marie?” I try to say it casually, like I know what she’s talking about. “His…” I trail off, trying to think. “His girlfriend?”
“Yes,” she says. “Or his fiancée, I guess. They were engaged, right?”
“Right.” My hands start to shake. “When was that again?”
“Through college.” She gives me a strange look. “He did tell you about her, didn’t he?”
“I think so. Yes, Marie.” I nod. “I can’t remember who ended the engagement though.”
Her mouth drops open and I know she knows I’m lying. I’m still terrible at it. I shouldn’t have started this whole conversation.
“Neither of them broke it off,” she almost whispers. “Marie died. Twenty years ago. And he’s never been the same since.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
SOPHIE
