Page 10 of Our Little Wedding

“I’ll be right back.”

I’d taken a few moments to gather myself before I opened the door to the stall and approached the sink. I ran my hands under the warm water and lathered the soap as I looked at myself in the mirror. I could see the tension and worry on my face. I let out a breath and grabbed a paper towel to dry my hands. I pulled my mascara from my purse and was about to apply it when the door to the washroom opened. My heart started to pound when I saw Brittany walk in.

She said nothing. I frowned as I watched her bend down and look under the stalls. Then she turned to me. Her eyes ran the length of my body before they met mine.

“You think Spencer is marrying you because he loves you, don’t you?”

I stood there, my heart racing as she waited for my response. When I said nothing, she let out a small laugh.

“I thought the same thing when I was pregnant with Nikki. Boy, was I wrong. Don’t get too comfortable, because when the next best thing comes along, Spencer will be gone.”

“That’s not true,” I said, my voice cracking.

“It’s not? Let me guess, he isn’t interested in anyone else. He only wants you to be happy and secure.”

I blinked hard. I could feel the tears burning behind my eyes as her words hit me. Words Spencer himself had said to me time and time again.

“You’ll find out. Trust me.”

I wanted to fire back at her. I wanted to ask her if she didn’t want me to have him, then why did she cheat on him? I stood there, courage growing inside me and just as I was about to, the door opened, and a woman came walking in. She stopped in her tracks and looked at both of us clearly sensing the tension between us. I looked at the woman, and that was when I dashed out the door. I made my way over to the table where Spencer stood speaking with, I assumed, the manager. I slid into my seat and wiped my eyes.

“What is it?” Spencer demanded. The gentlemen he was speaking with turned and looked at me.

“It’s nothing,” I whispered, wiping my eyes again without looking at Spencer.

“She approached you, didn’t she?” he questioned. “In the bathroom.” Anger lined Spencer’s face.

I looked up to meet Spencer’s eyes, only to see that he and the man he’d been speaking to were now looking over toward the washrooms, just in time to see Brittany step out onto the floor. She made brief eye contact with them before she cleared an empty table.

“I’ll take care of it, Spencer,” the man said, shaking his hand. “Again, I am sorry about this. Please enjoy your meal tonight. It’s on the house.”

Within seconds, the manager had pulled Brittany from the floor. Spencer looked at me, worry lining his face. “I’m sorry about this,” he said. “Now, what did she say to you?”

It took me only a few seconds before a tear escaped my eyes. I knew deep in my heart that what she said wasn’t true. I knew their past; I knew why they’d divorced, but what I didn’t know was why Brittany was doing this. I decided not to tell Spencer what she’d said. I just wished this was going to be the last time I ever laid eyes on Brittany.

Spencer

I was exhausted as I sat at my desk going over reports the next morning. It had been a long and somewhat stressful night for the pair of us after we’d returned from dinner. I’d put Nikki to bed, while Ainsley had crawled into the soaker tub and had a hot bath. Afterward, we’d sat up late, talking about what had happened with Brittany at the restaurant. Ainsley had burst into tears many times as I tried to get her to talk to me about what Brittany said in the washroom, but she refused to tell me. Instead, I could only imagine all the cruel things she’d said, and even though she assured me she knew what Brittany told her wasn’t true, I was still upset that I wasn’t able to defend myself. She finally curled up in my arms and fell asleep, but I stayed awake for hours, staring at the ceiling.

I heard a soft knock on my office door. I looked up to see Ainsley holding a steaming cup of coffee, a soft smile on her face.

“You are a godsend,” I said, throwing down the report I’d been going over as she set the mug down on the warming plate she’d gotten me last week, after I’d complained that I kept drinking cold coffee.

She said nothing. Instead, she nodded and turned, heading toward the door.

“Ainsley? Is everything okay?” I questioned.

“Yep.” She smiled, but I knew it wasn’t a real one. She appeared to be far more upset than she was when we’d left for the office this morning and that concerned me.

“Ainsley, shut my door and come over here.”

She stopped. I watched as she clenched her fists at her side and then shut the door and approached my desk. “What?” she demanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest, completely closing me off.

I pushed my chair away from my desk and studied her. “Come over here,” I said, nodding to the space between me and the desk.

She let out a sigh and reluctantly walked over to me, wedging herself between me and my desk. She leaned against it and looked down at me. “What is it?”

“I think I’m the one who should ask you that.”

---