Page 85 of Mistletoe Mistake
“You're lying,” he said, but I could tell he wasn't sure of that. His voice sounded weaker than ever.
“I'm not,” she argued. “I can prove it. Please, just give me a couple of minutes.”
The muscles in his face twitched as his jaw clenched. Whatever she'd said had really shaken him. I hadn't seen anything affect him that way other than when he told me about his ex-fiancée, and my eyes widened as I made the connection. It couldn’t be, could it? Why would she be here? How would Annabel know anything about her?
Those were the same questions Cole just had, I remembered, so maybe it really was her. It would explain a lot.
Cole turned to me, his eyes unsure and conflicted. “I need to talk to her. I won't be long.”
Since he was obviously struggling, I didn't object. “Do you want me to come?” I offered instead.
He shook his head. “No, it's alright. I'll explain it to you later. Maybe Holly can keep you company?” He looked towards the dance floor, trying to seek her out.
“I don't need a bodyguard,” I assured him. “Go ahead. I'll wait for you here.”
He nodded, clearly distracted as he and the other woman headed for the door, looking for a place to talk. I watched them go until I couldn't see them anymore, lost in the sea of people.
“It's such a shame when an ex shows up and stirs up old feelings, isn't it?” Annabel's nasal voice grated in my ear.
That confirmed my suspicions about the woman’s identity, but I still didn’t know what Annabel had to do with any of it. When I turned back to face her, she still held the phone in her hand, waiting for my response, but I had no intention of giving her anything else to work with.
Before she saw it coming, I grabbed the phone out of her hand, threw it down on the floor and stomped on it with the heel of my high-heeled shoes.
“What the... you can't do that!” she shrieked, her face twisted in disbelief and outrage.
“You're not in any position to tell me what I can or can't do,” I pointed out, stepping closer to her. “I'm not your puppet, Annabel. You don't have any power over me. You wanted Edwin? You got him. There's nothing else for you here, so move on and leave me the hell alone.”
I hadn't realized how loudly I spoke, but between the volume of my voice and the smashing of her phone, we seemed to have attracted a small crowd. Annabel noticed it too and I could almost see the wheels in her brain turning, trying to figure out how to use it to her advantage.
“You're the one who hasn't moved on yet, Gemma. It's really sad, bringing your fake boyfriend here to try to make Eddie jealous. Especially after you posed for all those staged photos at the sex shop? Everyone knows you'd never do anything like that for real. It's so obvious. You just want Eddie back.”
She didn't actually believe the words coming out of her mouth, did she? Was she just trying to paint herself as the victim, to get sympathy through some bizarre fantasy she'd invented?
“That is the last thing I want,” I told her, keeping my voice calm but still firm. “Why would I want a man who never satisfied me? I guess it's lucky for him that you're so much easier to please.”
Her mouth fell open in shock, and a thrill of satisfaction ran through me. Cole had been telling me so all along, and I finally saw just how true it was: my lack of response to Edwin had never been my fault, and blaming myself for it was ridiculous.
Even though he wasn't beside me right at that moment, I could hear Cole's voice in my head and feel his support, urging me to stand my ground and not give Annabel an inch.
“Bel?” Edwin rushed to Annabel’s side, apparently having caught wind of the confrontation between us. He gave me an apprehensive look as he took her hand. “What's going on?”
I answered for her. “We were just clearing the air. Annabel seemed to think that I wanted to win you back, but nothing could be further from the truth. I'm actually really happy that you two got together. It seems like you deserve each other.”
Edwin's face went nearly as pale as Cole's had earlier. His eyes darted around the group of people who were watching us, hanging on every word. “Gemma, there's no need to make a scene.”
I couldn't help it: I laughed in his face. “Is that what I'm doing? And what do you call what you and Posh Barbie here pulled on that ridiculous TV show?”
Cole's nickname for Annabel slipped out without me even thinking about it, and I could see several of the people around us snickering at it while Annabel's face turned a very interesting shade of red.
“That wasn't the best way for us to have handled things,” Edwin admitted, which was the closest thing to an apology I'd ever got from him.
“I'm over it,” I assured him. “And I'm definitely over you. Merry Christmas, both of you.”
Before either of them had a chance to respond, I turned and walked away without a backward glance.
Holly and Jackson were immediately at my side. They must have heard at least part of the exchange because Holly was grinning ear-to-ear. “I can't believe you finally told him off! That was brilliant, Gem. Highlight of my year.”
I smiled back at her, but as the adrenaline left my body, my hands began to shake. I wanted to leave before my father found me or anything else unexpected happened. “Let's find Cole and get the hell out of here.”
