Page 10 of Wish You Once More
I turned my attention back to the messages.
Ellie: Thanks for a lovely night, it was good to spend some time with you. Call me when you get back? xx
It had been fun. I think. From what I could remember, Ellie had been great company; we’d talked, laughed, danced, drank, all the things you’d usually do on a date. I wished I could see her as more than just a friend.
Mat: Agreed, we had fun! I’ll call you next week. Enjoy your weekend x
Ellie: Shame I couldn’t come with you because of work. Maybe next time! Xx
There had been talk of her joining Scott and Rosie’s trip, but there was a shoot for the lingerie brand Ellie was involved in, which meant she couldn’t. In hindsight, it was probably for the best. There were already so many balls I’d be juggling, if another got thrown into the mix, I’d drop something.
There was also one from a number which didn’t appear to be assigned to a contact.
Hi Mat, just checking everything’s okay for the weekend? Let me know if you need anything x
The number appeared familiar, but I couldn’t place it straight away. I scrolled back in the message history, reading the words from four years ago, each of them placing another nail through my heart.
I swallowed hard.
No wonder I recognised it.
Bree Sheridan.
Why the hell was she contacting me about the weekend? What did she have to do with the Dart Sundowner?
And why the fuck hadn’t Jonny warned me?
I tapped the edge of my phone against my chin, wondering how best to respond. Not replying would be plain rude, and I wasn’t like that. It looked like she’d assumed I still had the same number - which I did - but I didn’t know how I should react.
Mat: Who is this?
The coward’s way out. I’d acknowledged the contact, now I’d have to wait and see what happened next. I turned my phone face down on the table in front of me and stared out of the window, drinking in the unspoilt countryside as the train trundled closer to home. Leaning my head back against the headrest, I closed my eyes for a moment, wondering if Bree would message back. I didn’t have to wait long before the phone vibrated its way across the table. Tempted though I was to ignore it, burning curiosity won out and I flipped it over to see the reply.
Bree: I’m Bree. I’m helping out with the Dart Sundowner. Darla Charlton asked me to check in with you. Did you have any questions?
No kiss this time, I noted. The formality of her answer amused me.
As if she didn’t know who I was. That we hadn’t spent years together, or knew each other intimately, or didn’t know what made each of us come apart. Or that I didn’t know the one touch that could send her spiralling towards utter ecstasy.
I hadn’t thought about Bree like that in years. My dick twitched in active response.
Why didn’t thoughts of Ellie make that happen?
I drummed my fingers on the table, earning a disapproving glance from the woman sitting at the table across the aisle.
Did I want to create a shit storm before I even arrived? Bree didn’t deserve that. Nor did Jonny, even though he’d failed to warn me that she would be involved. The response needed to be polite, neutral, and nothing to suggest I was in the least bit at seeing her again. I dragged a hand across my jaw. Why was this so hard?
Letting out a hard breath, I picked up my phone.
Mat: Thanks, Bree, no questions right now. Jonny’s filled me in on a lot of the details. But I can contact you if I think of anything?
Asking a question; a great way of keep the dialogue open. I wasn’t cutting her off or dismissing her request to help.
The three dots on the screen jumped, indicating Bree was typing a response. Then they stopped and disappeared.
Shit. Maybe I had scared her off. I thought I’d been direct, nothing too out of the ordinary.
Bree: Sure, that’s fine.
