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vanishes.
I feel like all the lights are directed down at me, glaring and bright. Heat blazes across my face as I sit, stunned, staring at Tabi who’s realised too late what she vomited across the table.
“Fucking hell,Tabi," Jen grits out.
“Oh, Ava, I’m sur ssorry, I didn’t mean tuh . . . but there was probably lossa men, and . . . can’t remember—”
Josie stands. “Tabi,shut up.”
I struggle for breath, mortified, wishing the floor would open and swallow me whole. From my periphery, I can tell heads are swivelling from Tabi to me, but I’m frozen, unable to look anyone in the eye.
Quietly, Ben says, “We should go.”
“Yeah,” Max agrees, equally softly.
Chairs scrape against the floor. I feel Max’s sudden absence from my side as he moves from the table. I stare at the wall, getting sucked back down into deep, black waters.
“See you tomorrow, Ava,” Max says, as he rounds the end of the table. “You’d better be in your swimsuit at nine AM sharp because you’re not getting out of the lake swim.”
I blink, resurfacing. “W-what?”
“No excuses. And then we’ll thaw out in the hot tub.”
His retreating form captures all of my attention, my outrage at Tabi’s gross abuse of trust dwindling.“Hang on,” I call feeling confused.Is he not going to ask me if I’m okay?
“See you at nine,” he says, not stopping as he heads for my front door.
I rise, following him, something low in my belly stirring in desperation as he takes another, then another step away from me. Tabi is forgotten about; my focus is on the swim tomorrow. And Max. He’s all I see.
Almost at the front door, he turns to send me one final look. Seeing me on my feet, following him, seems to make him happy because he nods, once.
Laurence, Ben and Sam have already left. The girls are standing in a haze of worry and anger.
Needing to draw out his departure, I ask, “Is wild swimming listed as an interest on your CV?”
He thinks about it. “No.”
“You seem pretty passionate about it,” I add dryly. There’s an almost bashful look to him and I like it. Unpretentious, natural and easy, his face is full of expression. “You should add it to the hobbies section.”
A smile breaks free. “See? Knew I needed you,” he says softly.
And then he’s gone.
CHAPTERFIVE
MAX
With a heavy heartI enter our cabin, Logan rejoicing at our return. His boundless energy and love is what I need right now. Abandoning Sam who was giving him a fuss, my dog practically tap dances his happy way towards me. I sink to my knees and gather him into my arms and chest.
“Jesus, fuck,” Ben says forlornly, falling onto the sofa. “How does someone get over that?”
Laurence casts worried eyes over my brother-in-law before heading into the kitchen to fill up the kettle. Like me, he has no idea how to tackle that question. And he doesn’t know Ben all that well. They’ve met a few times, but Laurence is here to support me. Sam is here to support Ben, as am I.
