Page 125 of Trying Sophie

Claire’s words echoing in my head, I tried not to let her get to me.

“Excuse me,” I responded, moving to step around her friend. “I’ll just be getting back to the party.”

The blonde blocked me in and Maggie joined her. “I don’t think so.”

I looked between the two, so different and yet so alike. Both had hard, angry eyes they were using to try and intimidate me, and their mouths were pinched tight. I was pretty sure their matching oversized breasts were courtesy of the same (bad) plastic surgeon.

“Are you really not going to move?”

“We just want to have a friendly chat,” the blonde said. “About Declan.”

As if she needed to clarify what she meant. As if they weren’t completely obvious.

I set my bottle on the counter and leaned back, my arms angled over my (natural) chest. “Chat away then ladies.”

Since I wasn’t going to bulldoze my way past them, the only way I was getting out of here was to let them say their piece. I abhorred conflict; had shied away from it my whole life. Whenever I was faced with a scenario like this—which, thankfully, wasn’t often—my stomach dropped and I felt ill. That reaction was the main reason I’d never defended myself when Declan and I had been kids. Right now I felt like I wanted to wretch.

“You must be good,” Maggie sneered.

Even though I knew I was walking right into her trap, I had to know what she was talking about. “I don’t follow.”

“To keep him coming back,” the blonde answered. “That’s new for him.”

I bit my tongue to keep from responding. I will not be baited, I will not be baited, I will not be baited I chanted in my mind.

“She’s not from here though. Maybe she doesn’t know how Declan really is,” Maggie said, her angry eyes scrutinizing me before her face split into a snide grin. “Actually, I think she does.”

“Yeah, I’d say she knows he won’t be faithful. That he hasn’t been faithful,” her companion added, her head angled to the side as her eyes roved my face. A face I knew had turned a deep, mottled red with anger, shame, and embarrassment.

Do not let them see you flinch,my subconscious implored.

“Aww,” Maggie drawled. “Look at her. She actually doesn’t know.”

Lifting my chin high, I bit out, “Whatever game you’re trying to play, you can stop. It’s not going to work.” Inwardly I sighed with relief. My voice hadn’t shaken at all. While my blotchy skin might have given away my feelings, at least my words hadn’t betrayed me.

Maggie continued, undaunted. “I heard the lovely Claire say you and Declan have been together for a couple of months now.” Her statement, spoken with disdain, wasn’t one she’d meant for me to respond to. At least I hadn’t thought it was until after a couple of tense, silent moments she drawled, “Well?”

“Well, what?” I shot back, tiring of this game.

“You and Declan have been together what, two months now?”

“Yes, that’s right,” I answered, bile churning in my gut as I figured out where this was heading.

“That’s interesting Annie, don’tcha think?” Maggie asked, her eyes gleaming with malice.

“Very interesting,” Annie agreed.

I knew they wanted me to ask why it was interesting, just as I knew I wouldn’t find it interesting at all. I knew I shouldn’t ask … and yet despite the many reasons why I knew I shouldn’t, I did anyway. “Alright, I can see you’re dying to tell me. Why is that interesting?”

“Oh goody!” Maggie cooed excitedly and clapped her hands together. “Sophie here’s going to play along,” she sing-songed, confirming what I suspected. This was all a game to them, one they enjoyed. Immensely.

Annie pulled her phone out of her purse and flicked her fingers over the screen while Maggie said, “It’s interesting, because I was with Declan one month ago.”

My heart plummeted to my feet and then kept on going, straight through the building to burrow in the earth below. When my breath hitched, Annie shoved her phone in my face triumphantly. “Declan’s always so cagey about pictures, so when he wasn’t paying attention, I took that first one.”

The picture in question showed Declan, Aidan, and Liam sitting around a table that was littered with beer bottles. They were surrounded by fans and other clingers-on, each with a woman perched on their laps. Declan’s arm was wrapped tightly around Maggie’s waist and her hand rested comfortably on the nape of his neck.

I felt my broken heart shatter as I took in the easy way he held her, how comfortable they looked together. How out in the open it all was. Swallowing around a giant lump in my throat, I croaked, “When was this?”

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