Page 31 of Awake in Cheshire Bay
However, when I touched a bottle of wine, I was instantly transported to dinner last night and the smooth way Antonio ordered the wine and tasted it first. He knew then I could be played, and he prepped me with wine to weaken my defenses. Damn him. But the wine was surprisingly tasty – one I needed to add to my order list.
I counted out the rest of the wine bottles, imagining them as women in Antonio’s life. How many others had there been before me? Did he have some kind of disease? Is that why Sorcha said I should be tested? If I didn’t want word to spread through this town like fire, I’d need to see a doctor in another town. I flipped over to my calendar and set a reminder to look up clinics, preferably in Port Alberni.
Back to the counting.
When I got to the Jack Daniels, my first impression of Antonio flew to the forefront of my mind. He came across as arrogant and super serious, a total jerk. I should’ve kept my distance and listened to what my brain was saying. I shouldn’t have offered to drive him to his motel. That had been my undoing, and that’s when he probably figured out the way to weasel into my heart. Had I just let the rich billionaire find his own way, I wouldn’t be stuck in the back room holding a bottle, with tears falling out in rapid fashion. Nope, had I just left him alone, I wouldn’t haven’t fallen for the handsome stranger.
A knuckle rapped on the door.
“Miss Amber? A guest up front is asking for you.”
My heart skipped a beat. Was it him? Did he come back?
“Thank you, Dale.” My back was to him so thankfully he didn’t see the tears I was wiping away. “I’ll be right there.”
Confident he was gone, I dashed to the staff backroom and checked myself out in the mirror. Yeah, I looked rough, but whatever. I pinched some colour into my cheeks and with a spring in my steps, headed into the pub, scanning for him.
A hand near the back shot up and waved. It wasn’t Antonio, because this was real life, and my heart dropped into the pit of my stomach.
I walked over and sat down with my best friend. “Hey.”
“Geez, did you manage any sleep?” Cedar rubbed my back.
“A little, but I tossed and turned.” I fiddled with one of the disposable coasters. “Did you find out anything?”
She sighed, a tell that the incoming news wasn’t what I wanted to hear. “I talked to the guys up in the tower and they had nothing. So… I did a little digging.”
My eyes lit up and a shiver of hope wiggled through my body.
“Nothing illegal,” she warned, “but I called over to ATC to simply inquire if there was a flight that had left our region around the time you came over.”
“Yeah?”
“There was an outbound helicopter flight from Port Alberni to Victoria, but other than that, he wouldn’t give me anything. I’m sorry.”
“Would he leave via helicopter?”
“I honestly don’t know. Their airport is smaller than ours, they only use helicopters and float planes. No runway, just a helipad. I don’t think that was your guy.”
My head fell onto my arms, and I stared at the floor. More lies. Probably wasn’t on a plane at all. Had the fancy limousine to drive him all the way back to Victoria, to some gargantuan board room where he’d make the big real estate deal and then move on with his rich, fancy, Amber-free life.
“I’m sorry, Am.”
I sat up, shaking away the utter disbelief. “I’m such a bloody idiot. I can’t believe how stupid I was and how easily he played me. He’d only been the first guy to make me feel comfortable and desired, so of course, he’s a jerk. Sorcha was right. I found pictures of him on the internet – different girl every time.” I hated myself so much, it was turning my stomach. “You know, last night we tried to do the deed.”
Not surprising, Cedar’s eyes doubled in size.
“But I couldn’t do it. Too much hesitation. And you know what, he was okay with that. Can you imagine?”
“That’s huge.” Because she knew about my track record with the male species, not the finer details mind you, but just enough to understand I didn’t give it away to just anyone.
“It was all an act. Proved he was a good guy by not forcing himself on me. Bam. One point for the jerk – show her sex wasn’t important, because he liked who I was in here.” I stabbed my chest. “Make her want it more, right? It’s like the universe keeps giving me a giant finger, only now I finally see it.”
A sad smile teased her lips. “You got played, Am, and I’m so deeply sorry I sent him to you. That wasn’t my intention.” She bowed her head so we were forehead to forehead.
I sighed and straightened out, rolling my shoulders back now that my little rant was over. “Maybe it’s time for me to rethink my deal here. Maybe I need to stretch out my wings and explore.”
“I think you need to rethink that idea. Get a solid night of sleep first before committing to changing your whole life. You’re seriously sleep-deprived and you’re hurting. Don’t do something you’ll end up regretting.”