Page 63 of Always Beth
My heart misses its next beat.She’s seen her.‘What do you mean? How do you know? Did you see her?’God, I sound desperate.
‘I saw her on my walk, she’s clearly missing you. I don’t understand what happened between you. Are you sure it isn’t because of me?’
‘Positive.’ There’s no way she’s getting the truth from me on this one. ‘How is she?’
She peers up from her laptop. ‘She’s okay. Ex-husband is still giving her the run around.’
The hairs stand abruptly on the back of my neck. If I could make it all go away for her I would, but I promised Caroline I wouldn’t get involved. ‘What are you doing anyway?’
Turning the laptop towards me, I see him staring back at me. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t looked him up recently myself, but every time I see his smarmy face I want to reach into the screen and punch his lights out.
‘What are you looking up Beth’s husband for?’
‘She said there’s no proof that he was having an affair and that she’s probably going to have to file under irreconcilable differences or something.’
‘No, she can’t,’ I say hurriedly.
Lauren smiles and the look behind her eyes is mischievous and calculating; I don’t think I’ve seen her this excited in a long time.
My brow narrows. ‘What are you planning?’
‘He’s at this charity golf event at the weekend. It would be a shame if he had one too many drinks at the nineteenth and said some things he shouldn’t.’
‘Lauren, that’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard, as a legal professional I would advise anyone the same.’
My body goes rigid at the very thought. This has disaster written all over it.
‘I’m not anyone, and besides, are you telling me that you wouldn’t do anything to help her?’
She already knows my answer.
The tension slowly eases from my body as I consider how easy this all would be for Beth if he admitted the truth, or she actually had some proof. Lauren prods me repeatedly and before I realise, my grin is mirroring her own.
‘Fine, but you let me do the talking.’
She shuts the laptop carefully as she tries to contain herself. There’s no way she’s going to sit back and leave this to me.
ChapterSeventeen
James
‘Remind me why I let you talk me into this again?’ I force out.
Leaning back in the golf buggy, Lauren peers over my shoulder. I study her out of the corner of my eye, wishing I came alone.
‘Oh my god, there he is.’ Her voice travels across the green and some fellow golfers turn in our direction.
‘Keep your voice down.’ I grind my teeth as I turn and study her. ‘And why are you dressed like Holly Golightly?’
‘You said be low-key.’
‘Take the shades off, you look ridiculous,’ I snap.
Tossing her glasses into the bag at her feet, she moves into the seat next to me and grips the steering wheel. ‘I assume we’re heading in that direction.’ Without a second to draw breath, she pushes on the accelerator, and I’m thrown back in my seat as we charge across the course. The golf buggy rattles as we move over uneven terrain and I grip the frame tightly as we sway from side to side.
‘Lauren, slow the fuck down, you maniac.’
We screech to a halt as we pull up next to the seventeenth hole. No one needs to know that we haven’t played one to sixteen. Jumping from the buggy, Lauren blindly pulls a club from the bag and gestures towards the party about to tee off.
