Page 12 of The Fool
“There’s my girl,” he calls out while getting up to slap his arms around my back. “I’d forgotten what you look like!”
I beam at him, comforted by the fact that no matter how bad things are at the time, he instantly puts me at ease with myself. If only there was more between us than friendship, he might have been the man to break me out of my abstinence from all things relationships.
“You say that like it’s down to me!” I pout at the same time as I chuck my coat on the stool next door to his. The waiter from before knocks back his shot, looks me up and down, then grins unashamedly. His unsubtle approach isn’t missed by my best friend who simply shakes his head at him.
“No way, brother, this girl is all mine, and you are so not good enough for her,” Finn teases. His waiter friend merely smirks, gives him the finger before taking my hand and kissing the back of it.
“Another time, beautiful,” he whispers, then saunters into the kitchen and out of sight.
“Jerk!” Finn scoffs before turning back to face me.
Finn and I have known each other for a good few years now, but honestly, it feels like a lifetime. If only he had been at high school with me when I truly needed his kind of loyal friendship. Instead, we met at a support group that Ben had railroaded me into. We took turns sharing our sad little stories, consolidated one another with words of reassurance, then felt the immediate need for something cold and alcoholic. We’ve been as thick as thieves ever since.
About a year into our friendship, I went as his plus one to a work event. His friends jibed him about why he hadn’t yet snapped me up, to which we laughed and brushed it off. But come the end of the night, when he was dropping me home, he admitted he kind of liked me, so we agreed to try and kiss, to see what would happen. After all, he was the only unrelated man with whom I felt safe. Alas, it felt like I was kissing Ben. As soon as it was over, he sort of grimaced, and we both burst out laughing. Funnily enough, the first thing he said was, “I feel like I’ve just committed incest!” We agreed to stick with the friendship, which to me, after everything I had been through, was worth so much more than having a boyfriend.
A swell of guilt whirls around inside my stomach because part of the reason for coming tonight is to cancel our long-awaited plans for next week. From the look on his face, he’s already guessed, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
“Go on, say it,” he says with a strange concoction of a smirk and a wearisome sigh. “You’re about to cancel on me aren’t you.” I offer him no words, just wince, and slump on top of the stool. His smirk morphs into disappointment which has me feeling shitty all over again. “You’re kidding me, Bea!”
“I’m sorry,” I tell him as I slap a hand over his dropped shoulders. “My boss screwed me over and now I have to go to London.” He peers through his fingers, looking thoroughly pissed off, but when he sees my pathetic attempt at a smile, he ends up laughing at me. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m just as annoyed as you are.”
“It doesn’t,” he sulks, so I wrap my arms around his shoulders to try and soothe his sad expression.
“Finn, that was another excellent meal! I…Oh, Miss Summers? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were here. What a coincidence to find you in a restaurant like this; we’re obviously paying you too much. No offense, Finn, but this place is ridiculously priced.”
Finn and I both shoot our faces up to look at the man who has just interrupted us. Finn smiles with what looks like a genuinely happy expression, whereas my mouth drops open in horrified shock. Why the hell is my asshole boss looking at my best friend like they’re old buddies?
“I hope I’m not interrupting a personal moment?” He grins with his million-dollar kilowatt smile that makes most women swoon at his Italian leather-encased feet.
“No, no,” Finn says rather too quickly for my liking, “Bea and I are just friends.” He says it like he can’t get the words out fast enough, as though to admit to us being anything more would be beyond embarrassing. This isn’t the Finn I know and love; has Nathaniel Carter got magical powers whereby he can infect others with his utter dislike for me?
“How do you know Bea, Mr Carter?”
“Please, I’ve told you before, Finn, call me Nate.” My frown of curiosity only deepens the longer I watch this vomit-worthy display between my ass-kissing friend and my mean girl of a boss. Nathaniel, however, ignores my confusion and slaps a large hand over Finn’s right shoulder, smiling like they’re long-lost frat brothers. “Miss Summers is my personal assistant,” he replies, grinning at me like he’s the nicest boss in the world. “We’ve been together for, what? Eighteen months now, is it?”
“Mm-hmm,” is about all I can muster, with a fake smile and a quick gulp of Finn’s drink.
“I was just coming to see if you would like to join us, Finn?” Nathaniel asks as he waves back at his table of beautiful people, including three busty females, all scantily dressed and full of lip enhancers and fake tits. While I silently judge them for fawning over men like Mr Big-Bank-Balance Carter and his modelesque features, Finn’s eyes are practically falling out of his head. “We’re heading over to that new place that’s just opened a few blocks from here.”
“Put your tongue away, Finn,” I mutter, sounding completely unimpressed by how unsubtle he’s being. “Drool isn’t a very attractive trait, even in a strip club where you can pay for flesh.”
“I would invite you too, Miss Summers, but we do have that early flight tomorrow. Besides, I don’t think it is quite your scene,” he says, looking me up and down in my casual outfit; and by ‘outfit’, I mean something I threw on quickly so I could catch my best friend before I have to leave for a trip my asshole boss didn’t even think to mention until it was too late.
“That’s very considerate of you, Mr Carter,” I reply with a strong hint of sarcasm in my voice. Being as arrogant as he is, he doesn’t take the hint and merely smiles back at me.
“Well, Finn, are you game?” he asks, turning his back on me so I may as well not even be here. “Only if I’m not interrupting something here,” he says, still with his back to me. I want to scream, but then I notice Finn looking completely torn, so I decide to take myself out of the equation and make it easy on him, even if the whole thing has pissed me off.
“Go on, you go,” I tell him with a sigh. “Besides, Mr Carter is right; I’ve got that flight in the morning.”
“You sure?” he asks, at least pretending to look guilty. But as soon as I nod my confirmation, he almost fist bumps the air. He only stopped himself because he knew that if he had done, I most likely would have kicked him in the balls. Instead, he kisses my temple before whispering, “Call me as soon as you land in London.”
“Mmm,” I just about reply.
I turn away to purposefully ignore him jumping off his stool to go and get his stuff from out back, all with a gleeful bounce in his step. Conceding defeat, I tap out a text to Ben to come and get me, only to realize Nathaniel is still here, watching me with keen interest. I tentatively look up at him, with my furrowed brow back in place.
“Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr Carter?”
“No, not right now, Miss Summers,” he says without expression, “but make sure you’re on time tomorrow.”