Page 39 of So Much More
“No! Why would I do that?”
“Okay, settle down. Did you put a stop to it immediately?”
I cover my face with my hands. “No.”
He huffs out a breath. “Why not?”
“I don’t know, okay? I didn’t set out to kiss her, but her lips were right there on mine, and it’s like my mouth went on autopilot.” I groan. “I’m never drinking alcohol again.”
“So you were kissing her, and then what?”
“I finally remembered Wendy, so I pulled away from Tammy and told her I have a girlfriend.”
“How did she respond to that?”
“She was horrified. Said she’s not that kind of woman. Then she ran into the bathroom and threw up. So did I.”
“Not to add to your misery, but I think you’ve ruined McConnell’s for us.”
I hang my head. “Don’t remind me. I have to apologize to Tammy, though. This wasn’t her fault. I led her on without realizing it.”
“Did you tell her who you’re dating?” Ash asks.
“No.” I peek over at him. “Why?”
“Because she knows Wendy. She and Leslie go to the pub all the time, too.”
I flop back against the couch, my head tilted up toward the ceiling. “How did I think this couldn’t get any worse? What am I going to tell Wendy?”
“The truth—every last detail of it. You can’t keep this from her.”
“Is the fact that I wouldn’t kiss Wendy yet going to make this even worse?”
“You really want me to answer that?”
“No.”
“Do you want to keep talking about this?”
“No.”
“Then go to bed and sleep it off. But don’t put off telling Wendy. She needs to know, and you need to get this off your chest.”
He stands and pulls me to my feet. “Can you make it to your room okay?”
“Yep.” I start to head that way. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“I don’t know. I guess for being here.”
I make a pit stop in my bathroom and then crawl into bed. As I’m about to drift off to sleep, I remember I’m supposed to meet Wendy’s sister in the morning, and I sit straight up, which makes me queasy again. I sit on the edge of the bed and put my head between my knees for a minute until the feeling passes, and then I set my alarm. I can’t mess anything else up with Wendy.
* * *
I wake to the sound of clanging—like something metal hitting the floor—and my head feels like it’s going to split apart.
“Sorry,” Ash calls out.
