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‘I understand.’
I grabbed a piece of cheese from the antipasto platter and began to nibble it. ‘I really enjoyed this chat and the food. Thank you.’
‘My pleasure. I’m glad you came.’
I smiled, and he smiled back.
We took the platter outside onto the patio and stared out at the moonlight glimmering along the water. A fresh, salty breeze filled my lungs and rocked the speedboats stationed near the docks. The mansions along the water were mostly lit up, providing a stream of warm light over the darkened river. Patrick looked up at the almost full moon.
‘Did you see last night’s full moon?’ he asked as his linen shirt billowed in the wind.
‘No, I missed it.’ I frowned, disappointed that I hadn’t been paying attention to the moon and the stars.
‘Something as beautiful as that is hard to miss. I can’t get enough of nature. Every spare moment I get, I am out here enjoying the sunshine or the moon.’ He smiled as his eyes lingered on the sky.
It was a magical night. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I could be myself and let my guard down, even more so than if I was talking to Deb or Mum.Hmm? Why does it seem so effortless with Patrick? I can only dream of being with someonelike him. Whoever ends up with Patrick Vitello will be one lucky girl.
22
Broken Friendships
‘I screamed at Daniel last night,’ Deb said as she pulled out a cigarette and chucked the packet on the kitchen bench next to her box of Nurofen. The silver packet of capsules had three lines missing and was squished. ‘He’s a fucking idiot, and I can’t stand him. I’m not taking the blame for his marriage breakup. Hechoseto sleep with me.’ She sparked up her smoke and sucked in a deep drag. Her eyes were the reddest I’d seen, and her face still had last night’s makeup on it, but her outfit was different. It consisted of a black, lacy G-string and a singlet that just covered her stomach.
Before I could get a word in, she started speaking again.
‘Oh, and thanks for ditching me on my birthday. That was bloody nice of you.’ She blew out the smoke and let out a cough. A waft of her perspiration mixed with tobacco and a hint of perfume flew my way, making my nose crinkle.
‘I’m sorry, Deb. I was so upset about my dad, and you know I don’t enjoy drinking.’ I thought about last night, having oneglass of wine with Patrick, and instantly felt guilty. Maybe drinking with the wrong people was really what I didn’t like.
‘Yeah. I know.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘I got home at three-thirty, and you weren’t here, so explain to me what you were doing.’ She took in another drag.
‘I went to Mum’s.’ I stepped back and waved my hand in my face to try to avoid breathing in the smoke.
‘Don’t lie to me. You left your car here, and I can’t see your mum picking you up late at night when you’re perfectly capable of driving. You weren’t even drinking last night, so tell the truth.’ She stood in front of me with one hand on her hip as her ebony eyes looked at me questioningly.
‘I’m so sorry for leaving, Deb, but as I said, I was sad about my dad and didn’t want to have a breakdown in front of your guests and steal the attention away from you. Plus, it’s not like you haven’t left me before, like on your eighteenth, and at least you had people around you. I was all on my own that night.’ I folded my arms defensively because, in the pit of my stomach, I could feel things were going to get nasty.
Deb was clearly caught off guard and didn’t say anything. She finished the rest of her cigarette, then flicked it into the sink. The ash sizzled as it landed in the residue of water.
‘True, true, but that’s in the past, and that guy was hot, and he managed a bank … Look, whatever. Stop avoiding the question. Just tell me the truth.’ Her defiant attitude weakened for a moment.
‘I was visiting a friend … And I don’t questionyouabout who you’re seeing.’
‘Seeing?’ She raised a curious eyebrow.
‘You know what I mean. Hanging out with,’ I quickly corrected myself.
‘But you never hang out with people, so who would be so important to see?’ Her eyes squinted with interest.
I didn’t answer her question because I didn’t want her to know. Instead, I looked over her shoulder, hoping she would drop it so I could relax before I got ready for work.
‘We made a promise we would tell each other anything and everything. Does our friendship mean nothing to you anymore?’ Her nose flared with fury.
‘It does, Deb. I’m just tired, and I’ve got to go to work soon.’ I let out a yawn.
‘Dodging the question, hey, just like a bloody politician.’ She rolled her eyes again. ‘Oh, and if you’re sleeping around on Seb, you’re so fucking low.’
I could feel my face redden with anger and my heart rate speed up as soon as she said those words.
