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She folded her arms. “I don’t fit here, Beau. Not just here, but anywhere in the kind of life you lead. More, I don’t want to fit. This isn’t who I am. I’ll never be the kind of person you are.”
Her words stung. Worse, they felt like a punch to my gut. “Am I truly that horrible?”
“I didn’t say you were. I said I’m different. I’m comfortable in my skin, Beau.” She pointed at her shoes again. “In my Chucks. I’ll never be like the women who seem to know you quite well, even if you say you don’t know them at all. And, as I said, I’d never want to be.” She pointed to people walking by. “Her, for example.”
I looked at the backside of the woman she’d motioned to, the one wearing five-inch stilettos and a black dress tight enough to look sewn onto her body. “Who would want you to be?”
Sam looked up at me. “No one. That isn’t the point.”
“What is the point?” Admittedly, I was baffled by this conversation.
“Everyone in that restaurant is appropriately attired. I’m not. Saying I’m ‘fine’ won’t change how uncomfortable I feel.”
“There are other options, Samantha. We’ll simply—”
“Beau?” Unlike some of the others who’d called out my name, the woman standing in front of me was one I recognized. I’d known her almost as long as I’d known Sam.
“Daphne?What on earth are you doing here?”
7
SAM
“I’m on holiday.” Daphne turned to me. “Sam? How lovely to see you.”
“Same,” I said when we cheek-kissed. I’d met the woman many times, and she’d always been friendly.
“Go ahead, I’ll catch up,” Daphne said to the two men and one woman who’d stopped a few feet from us. She looked at me. “Forgive me, but would you please excuse us for a moment?”
“No,” said Beau, hooking his arm through mine when I turned to leave. “Whatever you have to say to me can be said with Samantha present.”
“Very well.” Daphne stepped closer to him. “First, I was so sorry to hear of your mum’s passing, and I do wish you would’ve allowed me—” Her voice broke, and her eyes filled with tears.
As uncomfortable as I’d felt a few minutes ago, this was so much worse. “Please, Beau,” I whispered, imploring him to allow me to leave.
He shook his head, then turned back to Daphne. “The arrangements didn’t allow time for people to fly in.”
She wiped her tears. “As I said, I was very sorry to hear of Susannah’s passing. She was like a second mum to me.”
“Your sentiments are appreciated.”
Beau’s tone sounded so cold that I couldn’t help wondering what had happened between the two of them.
She leaned closer to him. “People are worried about you, wondering where you are. Frantically, I might add.” She looked from him to me, then back again.
While my first inclination was to concur, then to defend myself for being with him and not alerting anyone about where he was, this conversation had nothing to do with me.
“You’re exaggerating. My father knows where I am. Otherwise, it’s no one’s concern.”
Daphne stood up straighter and squared her shoulders. “Very well,” she repeated. “Perhaps we’ll speak another time.”
“Good to see you, Daph,” said Beau, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. If it wouldn’t have embarrassed all three of us equally, I would’ve jerked out of his hold. He had no right to use me—his supposed best friend—to make his ex-girlfriend jealous.
She looked at me and smiled. “As always, it’s so nice to see you.” When she returned her gaze to Beau, she scowled, said goodbye, and walked away.
“Shall we?” he asked as though the awkwardness of the last few minutes hadn’t happened.
“I’m going back to the room. I’ve lost my appetite.”
