Mr Spencer (Mr. 2)

“I’m not okay, Edward. We need to start thinking about making peace with this. She’s not coming home.”

“Trust me, he will hang himself… we just have to wait.”

Charlotte

“Anthony called me,” Beth says casually as she sips her cocktail.

I gasp and look over at him standing up against the wall with Wyatt. “Oh my God, when?”

“Last night.”

“And?”

“Shh, I don’t want Lars to know.”

“Why not?”

“Because if she is getting it on with Edward like we suspect, she’s going to tell him.”

“Hmm, good thinking.” We’re in a cocktail bar on a girl’s night out. Spencer and Sebastian are at our place watching football. Lara is in the bathroom of the bar right now, but she’s staying at our place tonight.

“What did Anthony say?” I whisper.

“He asked me if I wanted to go out some time. He told me that Spencer warned him away from me a few weeks ago—said he didn’t want us to date because if we didn’t work out then he didn’t want my friendship with you to suffer.” My face falls. “What?”

“Apparently, Spencer knew that Anthony had the hots for me all along.”

My mouth falls open. “You’re kidding, he said that?”

“You know, Spencer is more like Edward than you think.” She huffs.

“God.”

Lara smiles warmly, arriving back at the table. “Another round?” she asks.

“Please.” I smile.

“Sure,” says Beth.

We both watch as Lara saunters to the bar. “I think she’s definitely sleeping with Edward,” I whisper.

“But why wouldn’t she tell us that? We tell each other everything. I don’t get it. Why is she hiding this?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “All I know is that in the last month my family haven’t talked to me, Lara has been to stay at Spencer’s house five times. That’s more than she’s ever seen me. It’s as if she’s checking on me for Edward.”

“But surely she can see how happy you two are together.” She frowns. “He dotes on you, for fuck’s sake.”

Lara arrives back at the table with three drinks.

“Thank you.”

“Tell me all about your new business venture.” Lara smiles. “Where are you up to with it?”

“It’s not a business, it’s a charity.” I smile proudly. “So far, I have the office space I wanted, and I hired two people who I was working with at the mailroom in my old job.”

“Who?”

“Sarah and Paul.”