Beautiful Player
Page 106
Laughing, George drawled, “Liar.”
Sara leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Ignore them. It’s like watching Bennett and Chloe, but though they’d both rather screw Bennett than each other.”
“I see,” I murmured. A waitress placed our drinks on the table and I took a tentative pull from my straw. “Holy crap,” I coughed, my throat on fire.
I downed almost an entire glass of water while Sara watched me, appraising. “So what’s happening?” she asked.
“This drink is so spicy.”
“Not what she meant,” Chloe said bluntly.
I looked down at my glass, tried to focus on the tiny specks of paprika floating along the surface and not the hollow feeling in my gut. “Have you guys talked to Will lately?”
They each shook their head but George perked up.
“Will Sumner?” he clarified. “You’re banging Sumner? Jesus hell.” He motioned to the waitress again. “We’re gonna need another glass, lovely. Just bring the whole bottle.”
“Actually, I haven’t talked to him since Monday,” Sara said.
“Tuesday afternoon,” Chloe volunteered, pointing to her chest. “But I know he’s had a crazy week.”
“Uh-oh,” Sara said. “Didn’t he go home with you for the holiday?”
George sucked in a breath. “Yikes.”
And now I was that girl, the one with the breakup story I didn’t even want in my head, let alone as something to share over drinks. How did I explain that things had been perfect that weekend? That I had believed everything he said? That I had fallen in—I stopped, the words hardening like concrete in my thoughts.
“Hanna, honey?” Sara reached forward to set her hand on my forearm.
“I just feel like an idiot.”
“Sweetie,” Chloe said, her eyes full of nothing but concern. “You know you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“The hell she doesn’t,” George snapped. “How are we all supposed to make his life appropriately horrible if we don’t know every sordid detail? We should probably start at the beginning and work our way to the horror, though. First question: is his c**k as epic as I’ve heard? And the fingers . . . are they truly quote-unquote magical?” He leaned closer, whispering, “And rumor has it the man could win a watermelon-eating contest, if you know what I’m saying.”
“George,” Sara groaned, and Chloe glared at him but I cracked a smile.
“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean,” I whispered back.
“Look it up on YouTube,” he said to me. “You’ll get the visual.”
“But back to the part where Hanna is upset,” Sara said, eyes playfully stern and fixed on George.
“I just . . .” I took a deep breath, hunting for words. “What can you tell me about Kitty?”
“Oh,” Chloe said, sitting back in her chair. She glanced at Sara. “Oh.”
I leaned forward, brows drawn together. “What does ‘oh’ mean?”
“Is this the . . . I mean, is Kitty one of his . . .” George trailed off, waving his hand meaningfully.
“Yeah,” Sara said. “Kitty is one of Will’s lovers.”
I rolled my eyes. “Do you know if he’s still been seeing her?”
Chloe seemed to be considering her answer carefully. “Well—I don’t officially know of him ending things with her,” she said, wincing a little. “But Hanna, he adores you. Anyone can—”
“But he’s still seeing her,” I interrupted.
She sighed reluctantly. “I honestly don’t know. I know we all gave him a hard time about not ending things, but I can’t . . . for a fact, I mean, say that he ever stopped seeing her.”
“Sara?” I asked.
Shaking her head, Sara murmured, “I’m sorry, honey. I honestly don’t know, either.”
I wondered if it was possible for a heart to break by fractions. I’d been sure I’d heard it crack when I’d read the text from Kitty. Felt another piece break with his lie about Tuesday night. And all week, I’d felt bruised, felt every tiny shard as it fell away until I wondered what could possibly still be beating in my chest.
“I’d overheard him talking to my brother about wanting to be serious with someone but being afraid to end things with the others. But I figured, maybe he just meant officially end them? Things seemed really good with us. But then Kitty sent him this text,” I said. “I was playing with his phone and she replied to a message he’d obviously sent her about getting together Tuesday night.”
Sara leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Ignore them. It’s like watching Bennett and Chloe, but though they’d both rather screw Bennett than each other.”
“I see,” I murmured. A waitress placed our drinks on the table and I took a tentative pull from my straw. “Holy crap,” I coughed, my throat on fire.
I downed almost an entire glass of water while Sara watched me, appraising. “So what’s happening?” she asked.
“This drink is so spicy.”
“Not what she meant,” Chloe said bluntly.
I looked down at my glass, tried to focus on the tiny specks of paprika floating along the surface and not the hollow feeling in my gut. “Have you guys talked to Will lately?”
They each shook their head but George perked up.
“Will Sumner?” he clarified. “You’re banging Sumner? Jesus hell.” He motioned to the waitress again. “We’re gonna need another glass, lovely. Just bring the whole bottle.”
“Actually, I haven’t talked to him since Monday,” Sara said.
“Tuesday afternoon,” Chloe volunteered, pointing to her chest. “But I know he’s had a crazy week.”
“Uh-oh,” Sara said. “Didn’t he go home with you for the holiday?”
George sucked in a breath. “Yikes.”
And now I was that girl, the one with the breakup story I didn’t even want in my head, let alone as something to share over drinks. How did I explain that things had been perfect that weekend? That I had believed everything he said? That I had fallen in—I stopped, the words hardening like concrete in my thoughts.
“Hanna, honey?” Sara reached forward to set her hand on my forearm.
“I just feel like an idiot.”
“Sweetie,” Chloe said, her eyes full of nothing but concern. “You know you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“The hell she doesn’t,” George snapped. “How are we all supposed to make his life appropriately horrible if we don’t know every sordid detail? We should probably start at the beginning and work our way to the horror, though. First question: is his c**k as epic as I’ve heard? And the fingers . . . are they truly quote-unquote magical?” He leaned closer, whispering, “And rumor has it the man could win a watermelon-eating contest, if you know what I’m saying.”
“George,” Sara groaned, and Chloe glared at him but I cracked a smile.
“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean,” I whispered back.
“Look it up on YouTube,” he said to me. “You’ll get the visual.”
“But back to the part where Hanna is upset,” Sara said, eyes playfully stern and fixed on George.
“I just . . .” I took a deep breath, hunting for words. “What can you tell me about Kitty?”
“Oh,” Chloe said, sitting back in her chair. She glanced at Sara. “Oh.”
I leaned forward, brows drawn together. “What does ‘oh’ mean?”
“Is this the . . . I mean, is Kitty one of his . . .” George trailed off, waving his hand meaningfully.
“Yeah,” Sara said. “Kitty is one of Will’s lovers.”
I rolled my eyes. “Do you know if he’s still been seeing her?”
Chloe seemed to be considering her answer carefully. “Well—I don’t officially know of him ending things with her,” she said, wincing a little. “But Hanna, he adores you. Anyone can—”
“But he’s still seeing her,” I interrupted.
She sighed reluctantly. “I honestly don’t know. I know we all gave him a hard time about not ending things, but I can’t . . . for a fact, I mean, say that he ever stopped seeing her.”
“Sara?” I asked.
Shaking her head, Sara murmured, “I’m sorry, honey. I honestly don’t know, either.”
I wondered if it was possible for a heart to break by fractions. I’d been sure I’d heard it crack when I’d read the text from Kitty. Felt another piece break with his lie about Tuesday night. And all week, I’d felt bruised, felt every tiny shard as it fell away until I wondered what could possibly still be beating in my chest.
“I’d overheard him talking to my brother about wanting to be serious with someone but being afraid to end things with the others. But I figured, maybe he just meant officially end them? Things seemed really good with us. But then Kitty sent him this text,” I said. “I was playing with his phone and she replied to a message he’d obviously sent her about getting together Tuesday night.”
