Tease Me (The Macintyre Brothers 2)

ELLA: I know all about Penny. You're not telling me anything I don't already know.

.....Then how can you continue to see him? He's cheating on you with her and you don't care?

ELLA: Don't contact me again or I'll have the police find out who you are and charge you.

......With what? Telling the truth?

I closed the text and deleted the number. Then, I blocked the number so whoever it was couldn't text me again.

But I kept the link.

I copied it and had it sitting on a document, just in case I decided I wanted to see it.

Did I want to see it?

Was it proof that Josh cheated on me with this woman, Penny? Had he been cheating on me with her all long?

I used my VPN and inserted the link in my browser. It didn't appear to be a suspect site according to my security software, so I clicked on it.

It took me to a website with several images of a woman -- a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, pretty, model-tall. She was smiling, and Josh was beside her, holding up a glass of beer. A younger Josh, and what looked like a very happy Josh. Then another of them leaning in together, taken from behind, in a venue of some sort that appeared to be a club. Finally, one of him with his arm around her shoulder, with her leaning against the counter and him facing her, looking in her face. It appeared to be in a kitchen. I could make out a cupboard, and a sink, plus a window with lacy drapes. The date of the image was the weekend that Josh made the trip to his friend's funeral in Millbrook.

He must have been with her then.

Someone wanted to tell me that my boyfriend was cheating or had cheated on me with a girl called Penelope. Who could it have been? Was it a friend of theirs? Was it someone who knew me and was concerned about me?

Was it this Penny person herself?

I felt sick to my stomach and didn't know what to do with myself. I got up and cleaned my file cabinet out, reordering the files in a different alphabetical order. I rearranged the items on the top of my cabinet. I cleaned out my desk and changed the place where I kept my pens, pencils and other supplies.

I did everything I could not to think about Josh and this Penny woman the person messaged me about, but I couldn't escape the conclusion that Josh had cheated on me with Penny when he was in Millbrook.

He said he wasn't proud of something relating to Grant's death. Had he gone to the funeral and had sex after with this woman named Penelope?

I took out my cell and texted Steph.

ELLA: I need your advice.

A moment later, Steph responded.

STEPH: Shoot. I'm all ears... (or in this case, eyes)

ELLA: You remember that Josh said he had something to tell me, but he wasn't ready yet to talk about it. He said it was something he wasn't proud of that had to do with his trip to go to the funeral of his old Army buddy, Grant.

STEPH: Yes, I remember. Did he get into a fight or something? Did he say something stupid at the memorial? Did he steal the mother's silverware? (Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood)

ELLA: Someone from a phone number I don't recognize just sent me a text claiming that Josh cheated on me with a woman named Penny. That she was his fucktoy. This person sent me a link with pics of Josh and this beautiful woman. One is dated a few days ago when Josh was at a funeral in Alabama.

STEPH: Oh, hun, I'm so sorry. Maybe Penny is an old girlfriend that he saw when he was at the funeral? Maybe it was all in the past?

ELLA: That was what I hoped was the case, but he said he felt guilt about something. Maybe he met her at the funeral and they had sex. Maybe he's guilty about it and is waiting to tell me about it when the right time comes.

STEPH: And what would that right time be?

ELLA: I have no idea. When he has enough balls to tell me?

STEPH: What would you think if he did tell you he cheated on you?

I didn't respond right away. What would I think? Of course, there was only one thing to do.