Page 75 of Toy Boy
I frown. Where’dthatcome from? “Of course it is.” I might’ve protested a tad too much there, but that question came from out of nowhere. And then her expression changes, and I throw my head back and sigh. “What’ve you said to him?”
“Nothing…! Okay, well, maybe not nothing, but I only asked him to clarify that he still has no intention of staying in Beachcastle Bay after Ray returns, you know, to try and see how the land liesvis-à-visyour relationship.”
“Vis-à-vis ourrelationship?”
She crosses her arms and bites down on her lip, and even though her expression is conveying full-on “I’m sorry”, I’m disappointed – and fucking angry – that she decided to take that tack with Xander as soon as I left him alone. Looks like my fears were founded.
“I’m sorry, Megan, I just… Look, you deserve to be happy, and if he’s just going to up and leave…”
“I thought you were all for me having some fun?”
“I am.”
“So let me have some. Without the pressure and unobtainable expectations relationships sometimes put on people.”
She glances back over her shoulder, outside into the garden where Xander is helping Russell at the barbecue, both of them laughing and chatting like they’ve known each other for years instead of a little over two hours.
“He’s very personable, isn’t he? People seem to take to him quite quickly.” She looks back at me. “I mean, you know how difficult Russell finds it to mix with strangers.”
Is she trying to say something here, because if she is, I’m not getting it. So I don’t respond.
“Are you okay, Megan?”
“I’m fine. Look, what’s with all the questions, Laney? This is why I was afraid to bring Xander here tonight, because I knew you’d go all “lawyer” on him.”
“You sure that’s the only reason?”
That one stops me in my tracks. “I’m sorry?”
“You’ve been a little distant, at times, tonight. That’s all.”
Have I? “I’m just…”
“Don’t say you’re tired. Everyone says they’re tired when they can’t pluck another excuse out of thin air in a hurry.”
Images of Scott flick through my mind, like a speeded-up slideshow, I can’t stop thinking about him. And I hate that, I do, I’m trying to push all those thoughts away; shut that slideshow down, but the images still manage to find a way to push themselves forward.
“I saw Scott tonight. At The Swan. And before you start, I didn’t say anything to him, we didn’t speak, he was at one end of the terrace and I was at the other. There were dozens of people between us, and we’re going to see each other all the time now anyway, aren’t we? Now he’s back. It’s something I’m just going to have to get used to, I suppose.”
Laney’s brows knit together, her face a full-on disapproving frown. For no reason, I haven’t done anything.
You let her know he’s still on your mind.
Big mistake.
Big. Mistake.
“Why bring it up?”
“Hmm?”
“Why bring it up. If it’s just something you’re going to have to get used to, why mention it? You don’t want anything more to do with the man, so seeing him shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
Oh, great, nowI’mgetting the lawyer treatment, she’s turning the questions onto me.
Yeah, because you allowed her to do that, by mentioninghim…
“I don’t know why I brought it up, I think… He was with someone.”