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A fake smile touches her lips, but it never meets her cold eyes. “You must be the girl who snagged him.”
My heart races, and I arch a thin brow at her. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, let me formally introduce myself. I’m Carly.” She holds her hand out, but I just look at it as if it’s covered in mold, then back at her. I refuse to pretend to be polite, especially when I’m hormonal and hungry. After she realizes I don’t have anything to say to her, she lowers her hand and continues.
“Pity you haven’t heard about me. By our intense sexual relationship, I really thought I meant more to him. Who knew snagging Alex was as easy as getting knocked up? I might’ve purposely forgotten to take my birth control and actually had a chance. Nothing like an accident to help you rope someone for life. Amiright?” Her smile is more like a sneer, and the shade she’s throwing at me isn’t lost.
“Carly, is it?” I throw attitude right back at her. “You’re probably too dense to understand this, but I’ll talk slowly for you. Your words have no impact on my life, and the fact you have to spew hate to a pregnant woman you don’t even know shows the type of person you actually are—not me. So if you’re done, you can help yourself out.” I shouldn’t have fed her the attention she’s obviously seeking, but she severely underestimated my tolerance for catty bullshit. The rage is building in her eyes, but before she can respond, Betty walks over and places extra napkins on the table. She looks over at Carly and then at me, feeling the tension in the air. “Is everything okay over here?”
“Perfectly fine,” I tell Betty, and she searches my face, trying to read me. Unfortunately for Carly, I’m not easily intimidated because of all the shit I’ve dealt with over the years, and the longer she sits here in front of me, the more pissed off I become. Betty walks away, but I see the skepticism on her face.
“Well, sweetie. You see, I was on my way out when I saw you sittin’ here and just had to meet the talk of the town. The Northerner who’s been able to tame the untamable guy who’s broken more hearts than even he can count. But let me fill you in on a little secret,” she hisses, leaning across the table and her voice drops even lower. “It’s not just me who doesn’t like you, honey. And trust me when I say there’s a line of women ready to rip Alex’s balls straight off for what he did to them. So the next time you’re in the grocery store and a woman’s giving you the side-eye, more than likely her heart was destroyed by Alex Bishop, too. It’s how he is—the Bishop curse. He’ll treat you real good, make you feel like you actually mean something to him, then when he’s bored of you, he’ll drop you like a bad habit. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time until your time is up, too. Bet you’ll find out soon enough since his commitment issues run deep. But maybe not, considering your situation. It’s a small town, and he got around, just like the news of you, if you know what I mean.” She gives me a fake ass smile just as Benita walks up fuming. I’ve never seen her this mad, ever.
“What the fuck is this?” Benita asks between gritted teeth.
“Benita,” Carly says as she slides out of the booth and walks out of the diner.
I don’t realize my hands were balled into fists until I feel my nails digging into my palm. It’s been years since I’ve been this mad. I shake my head, not wanting to believe everything I just heard, but it’s hard not to because he’s told me from the beginning he doesn’t do relationships.
“What the hell did she say?” Benita is so mad her hand is trembling.
I shake my head, but Benita encourages me to tell her.
“She basically said Alex is known for sleeping around, and he’ll probably get sick of me, just like all of them. The line of them.” My voice sounds weak.
Betty sets our food in front of us, and unfortunately, my appetite vanished the moment Carly sat down and opened her big mouth. Benita doesn’t touch her food either.
“Is it true? Am I the town joke right now because I’m with Alex?”
Letting out a long sigh, Benita gives me a soft smile. “You are not the town joke. If she said that, she’s a liar. They’re all just jealous, River. And yeah, maybe Alex is known for his history with women, but that’s because no one was ever good enough to steal his heart the way you did, and they resent you for that.”
