After Dark
Page 44
She shrank in her chair. “Well, I did tell you. Sorta.”
“Yes, sort of.” I stroked her knuckles. “I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before, to be honest. People are so fucking crazy. But I deserve to know, and I would rather not learn about it in our collaborative story, do you understand?”
She nodded and stared at her lap.
“I’m not chastising you. I’m guilty of the same, more or less. The journal…” I shrugged. “We were both keeping secrets. As it happens, though, your mysterious lunch companion was not a friend of Bethany Meres. She was Bethany.”
Hannah jolted, her knee banging the table.
“What?”
“It’s all right.” I cupped my hands around hers. I let the information sink in, and then I continued, “I knew when I read the description. Her hair, her physique. It was enough. A quick phone call confirmed it.”
Hannah blanched.
“Yes, I called her. I paid her a visit, too.”
“Wh-when? Why?”
“Earlier, while you were at work. And because I like to deliver my threats personally.”
“Threats?”
“Mm.”
“Matt, what—” Another shade of pigment faded from her face. “God, I feel so stupid.”
“Don’t. You know how vindictive she can be. Think about what she did when I broke up with her.” I frowned and glanced around the empty restaurant. If not for Bethany revealing M. Pierce’s identity—me—Hannah and I wouldn’t have to dine alone to get a little peace. People in Denver wouldn’t recognize us instantly. I would never have faked my death, lived in Kevin’s cabin, and connived to drive Hannah to me with Night Owl.
Our story would be so different.
And maybe I deserved Bethany’s vengeance, but Hannah didn’t.
She was innocent.
I clasped her hands tighter and closed my eyes.
“Did she approach you more than once?”
“A few times,” she whispered. She told me how Bethany had claimed to be “Katie” and reluctantly divulged lies about my sexual appetites. My brutality, my forcefulness. Hannah cringed all through the telling. “She was trying to sabotage our fucking engagement. I get it now. She was planting those ideas, that you wanted other stuff, or trying to scare me.”
The server arrived with our appetizers.
“Drink your wine,” I said.
Hannah obeyed, guzzling half the glass under my gaze. I kissed her knuckles. I wondered how close Bethany had actually come to fucking up my happiness with Hannah. What if Hannah had found my black journal before I got a chance to explain? My entries, combined with Bethany’s lies, could easily have scared Hannah off …
I frowned and tilted my head.
“Did you ever mention Chrissy’s pregnancy to Bethany? Specifically, Seth’s part in it?”
Hannah stared at the tablecloth, brow furrowed. “No, I—” Her eyes widened. “Wait. She was there the day I met Chrissy for lunch, to talk about it. We did talk about Seth.”
I stabbed my fork into a chunk of lobster. Of fucking course.
My appetite was fading; I fed the bite into Hannah’s mouth. She washed it down with a swig of wine.
“She eavesdropped.” I leaned my brow into my palm. “That e-mail I received in New Jersey … who else would send such a thing, and benefit from sending it?”
We sat in silence, wondering at the depth of Bethany’s anger.
I had broken up with her nearly a year ago, but she wasn’t moving on—clearly. Maybe our saccharine appearance on the Denver Buzz had rekindled her anger. All that talk of love and marriage … and Night Owl, our passion made a public spectacle.
Throwing our happiness in Bethany’s face.
“What if she tells someone?” Hannah plucked at my sleeve. “About Seth and Chrissy. I don’t know who would listen, but … tabloids? Gossip blogs?”
I shook my head briskly, mostly to allay my own anxiety. “No audience for that shit.”
“There’s an audience for every sort of shit, Matt. He’s the lead singer of a pretty major band. You’re … you. And Chrissy and I are sisters. Someone would find that luridly interesting.”
“I told you I paid Bethany a visit. I promised her that if she takes another step in your direction, I will solicit Shapiro’s assistance in finding some grounds to sue her out of every penny she’s got. You know legal threats are very … compelling.”
Hannah frowned. I couldn’t set her at ease, much less myself, and any pity I’d felt for Bethany began to crystallize into hate.
Our entrees arrived. We picked at the artistically arranged dishes, barely denting our small portions. Hannah drank a second glass of wine.
“We want to see the dessert menu,” I snapped at our waiter. He scurried away and returned with it. I barely read the page. “She’ll have the stout float. Nothing for me.”
“Hey. You’re too tense.” She massaged my hands.
With two glasses of good wine in me, I might not be so fucking tense.
I winced at the thought.
“I wanted us to have a nice time,” I said. “I thought I had control of the Bethany situation. But now, with her knowing about Chrissy…”
“Now you don’t have control.”
“Well put,” I muttered.
“But you have me. And nothing Bethany does can drive us apart, especially now that we know her game. So let’s have a good time.”
“Yes, sort of.” I stroked her knuckles. “I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before, to be honest. People are so fucking crazy. But I deserve to know, and I would rather not learn about it in our collaborative story, do you understand?”
She nodded and stared at her lap.
“I’m not chastising you. I’m guilty of the same, more or less. The journal…” I shrugged. “We were both keeping secrets. As it happens, though, your mysterious lunch companion was not a friend of Bethany Meres. She was Bethany.”
Hannah jolted, her knee banging the table.
“What?”
“It’s all right.” I cupped my hands around hers. I let the information sink in, and then I continued, “I knew when I read the description. Her hair, her physique. It was enough. A quick phone call confirmed it.”
Hannah blanched.
“Yes, I called her. I paid her a visit, too.”
“Wh-when? Why?”
“Earlier, while you were at work. And because I like to deliver my threats personally.”
“Threats?”
“Mm.”
“Matt, what—” Another shade of pigment faded from her face. “God, I feel so stupid.”
“Don’t. You know how vindictive she can be. Think about what she did when I broke up with her.” I frowned and glanced around the empty restaurant. If not for Bethany revealing M. Pierce’s identity—me—Hannah and I wouldn’t have to dine alone to get a little peace. People in Denver wouldn’t recognize us instantly. I would never have faked my death, lived in Kevin’s cabin, and connived to drive Hannah to me with Night Owl.
Our story would be so different.
And maybe I deserved Bethany’s vengeance, but Hannah didn’t.
She was innocent.
I clasped her hands tighter and closed my eyes.
“Did she approach you more than once?”
“A few times,” she whispered. She told me how Bethany had claimed to be “Katie” and reluctantly divulged lies about my sexual appetites. My brutality, my forcefulness. Hannah cringed all through the telling. “She was trying to sabotage our fucking engagement. I get it now. She was planting those ideas, that you wanted other stuff, or trying to scare me.”
The server arrived with our appetizers.
“Drink your wine,” I said.
Hannah obeyed, guzzling half the glass under my gaze. I kissed her knuckles. I wondered how close Bethany had actually come to fucking up my happiness with Hannah. What if Hannah had found my black journal before I got a chance to explain? My entries, combined with Bethany’s lies, could easily have scared Hannah off …
I frowned and tilted my head.
“Did you ever mention Chrissy’s pregnancy to Bethany? Specifically, Seth’s part in it?”
Hannah stared at the tablecloth, brow furrowed. “No, I—” Her eyes widened. “Wait. She was there the day I met Chrissy for lunch, to talk about it. We did talk about Seth.”
I stabbed my fork into a chunk of lobster. Of fucking course.
My appetite was fading; I fed the bite into Hannah’s mouth. She washed it down with a swig of wine.
“She eavesdropped.” I leaned my brow into my palm. “That e-mail I received in New Jersey … who else would send such a thing, and benefit from sending it?”
We sat in silence, wondering at the depth of Bethany’s anger.
I had broken up with her nearly a year ago, but she wasn’t moving on—clearly. Maybe our saccharine appearance on the Denver Buzz had rekindled her anger. All that talk of love and marriage … and Night Owl, our passion made a public spectacle.
Throwing our happiness in Bethany’s face.
“What if she tells someone?” Hannah plucked at my sleeve. “About Seth and Chrissy. I don’t know who would listen, but … tabloids? Gossip blogs?”
I shook my head briskly, mostly to allay my own anxiety. “No audience for that shit.”
“There’s an audience for every sort of shit, Matt. He’s the lead singer of a pretty major band. You’re … you. And Chrissy and I are sisters. Someone would find that luridly interesting.”
“I told you I paid Bethany a visit. I promised her that if she takes another step in your direction, I will solicit Shapiro’s assistance in finding some grounds to sue her out of every penny she’s got. You know legal threats are very … compelling.”
Hannah frowned. I couldn’t set her at ease, much less myself, and any pity I’d felt for Bethany began to crystallize into hate.
Our entrees arrived. We picked at the artistically arranged dishes, barely denting our small portions. Hannah drank a second glass of wine.
“We want to see the dessert menu,” I snapped at our waiter. He scurried away and returned with it. I barely read the page. “She’ll have the stout float. Nothing for me.”
“Hey. You’re too tense.” She massaged my hands.
With two glasses of good wine in me, I might not be so fucking tense.
I winced at the thought.
“I wanted us to have a nice time,” I said. “I thought I had control of the Bethany situation. But now, with her knowing about Chrissy…”
“Now you don’t have control.”
“Well put,” I muttered.
“But you have me. And nothing Bethany does can drive us apart, especially now that we know her game. So let’s have a good time.”
