Beauty and the Bridesmaid

Chapter Twenty

I blink rapidly a few times in some sort of attempt to erase everything that's just happened.

Ash is still staring at me, waiting for an answer. Behind him, I pick out a few other familiar faces looking curiously in my direction. The mothers, Diane and Jill, are whispering something to each other. Diane's probably trying to defend her daughter's honour. The groom's friends are still in their battle stance, with only Damien lagging behind them. He's looking at me the way that Lela had. And Emily looks a bit concerned too.

They think this is my fault. They think I've set this up. And I can't explain it. I've got no idea what Josh is doing here. Lela said it was over between them.

"I...I don't know," I finally say, more to Damien and Emily's accusing looks than as an answer to Ash's question. "I don't know what's going on."

"Lela hasn't said anything to you about Josh?" Ash says.

I can't lie to him. I just can't do it.

"She hasn't said anything to us," Kerry says, holding her head up high. "Why would she tell Jade?"

I wish I could slap the smirk from her weasel face. Everything must be so amusing to her. Of course she thinks it's hilarious that Lela would share something so personal with me. We haven't exactly been acting like best friends recently. 

"Kerry's right," Steph chimes in. "We don't know anything about this."

Ash looks at all three of us in turn, accepting that we don’t have anything to tell him about Josh. I sink backwards into the group of people in the hope that nobody else will talk to me.

Kerry and Steph are talking quietly to each other. I hear one of them mention my name and they cackle in that irritating way of theirs. I have to stop myself from going over there and telling them exactly what I know about Lela and Josh, proudly emphasising how it was me Lela chose to confide in, and not either of them.

But I shouldn’t feel proud about any of this situation. It’s not like I asked to keep Lela’s dirty secret. And what sort of person does it make me if Ash finds out that I knew all along and never said a word to him?

He’s standing next to Emily now, interrogating her. I know she’s no expert liar but she’s holding firm on this. Lela’s her sister and she’s going to remain loyal to her no matter what.

I hunch my body over the bar, wishing I could just disappear. Someone slides in next to me. I assume it’s Damien and turn to defend myself. But it’s not the person I’m expecting to defend myself to. Instead of Damien, I turn to face Emily.

She must have given Ash enough answers to get him to back off for now, and he’s standing in a circle with his friends at the end of the bar. Damien is with them, but he’s standing with his back to me.

I tear my gaze away from the group of men, and look up at Emily with an inpatient sigh. It’s obvious from the way she’s standing particularly close to me with narrowed eyes that she’s got something to say, and I know that it isn’t going to be anything good.

“So,” she hisses, “I suppose this was your doing, was it?”

“Of course not!” I bite back. “Why would I have anything to do with Josh being here?”

“You must have told him where we were,” she declares. “Now you’ve totally humiliated Lela without having to do any of the dirty work yourself.”

“I’ve humiliated her? I think Lela’s quite capable of doing that herself, don’t you? I’m not the one who cheated on her fiancé.” I turn my body away from her, looking for a way to escape this situation.