Page 96 of Toy Boy
“You want me to lie for you?”
I take another long, deep breath. “Alright. Tell her I’ve gone to find Megan, she’ll understand.”
“She will?”
“Yes, she will. She knows the score, she knows I want Megan back. And if I don’t find her soon, that imposter is going to fill her head with all sorts of shit that just isn’t true.”
“Scott, what the hell is going on?”
“Ask your wife. Apparently she should be able to tell you something.”
I leave Tim and head back out onto the terrace, which is still packed, the air heavy with the hum of conversation and music spilling out from inside.
“Ah, Scott, just the man I was looking for.”
“Greta, I don’t have time…”
“I’ve just seen Megan leave in rather a hurry, after a very short exchange with that new man of hers. Both of them seemed a little – I don’t know… It looked as though words may have been exchanged, I’m assuming.”
Her eyes lock on mine, is she expecting me to give her details?
“Did you see where they went?”
“They headed down onto the beach. Looked like they wanted to get out of here pretty quickly. You’re not thinking of following them, are you?”
“I can’t follow them if I can’t see them.”
She smiles, but it goes nowhere near her cold, grey eyes. And it amazes me how Greta Featherstone turned from this lively, lovely woman into a hardened, icy bitch who refuses to forgive and forget. She could make grudge holding an Olympic sport.
“This has got something to do withyou, hasn’t it? And what about Tania?”
“What about her?”
“You came to this party with her, Scott, and now you’re just abandoning her, to go on some wild goose chase?”
“Wild goose chase…?”
“Just leave Megan be. You’ve done enough damage, and whatever it is that’s happened tonight, because something quite obviously has…”
I lean in to her, dropping my voice to a low whisper. “Why don’t you go and find your husband, help him celebrate his birthday, and stop poking your nose into other people’s business.”
I walk away before she has a chance to come back at me, but I quickly realise I have no clue where I’m going. Megan’s gone, so what am I supposed to do now, exactly? Trek around town all night trying to find her? What good would that do anyway? She’s with him.
Defeated, I lean back against the railings and drop my head, closing my eyes, and I breathe in deeply, exhaling slowly.
“Now that sounds like a man who’s got some heavy load on his shoulders.”
I look up at Tania, and I smile. “I’m so sorry, Tania. I had no idea things…” I turn my head away, I’m embarrassed and ashamed of my behaviour tonight. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Come on, it isn’t like I didn’t know how you really felt – reallyfeelabout Megan.”
I look at her again, and she’s the one smiling now. “It doesn’t excuse the way I treat you tonight. I just – I can’t get her out of my head, and seeing her with him…” Him. A man who came here solely to let me know how much he hates me. Blames me. And now all the guilt and the self-doubt, it’s back, and my head’s spinning.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I shake my head, because I don’t, want to talk about it. I don’t want to dredge the past back up, but Xander, he might have other ideas. “No. Not really.” I force another smile, and I look at this woman in front of me, and I wish I could feel something for her, I do, because she’s warm and kind and funny, and so different to Megan. But it’s Megan I want. Yeah. I still want her. I’m not done fighting yet. “Do you fancy getting out of here? Maybe go into town, have a few more drinks? I know we were going to go to Mika’s but I fancy getting out of Beachcastle Bay for a little while.”
She laughs quietly and reaches for my hand. “That sounds like a great idea.”