Claiming Ally: Esperance Valley: Book Three by Mary Waterford

Author:Mary Waterford [Waterford, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-03T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

Ally

“Just ‘fess up, you’ll feel so much better.”

“There’s nothing to confess.”

“Bullshit. Have some more chocolate.” Zara pushed the box of truffles closer to me and I took one, biting into it while I absently stared at the pattern on the living room rug. “And some more wine.”

I held my wine glass out to her, letting her fill it right to the top. Fuck knows I needed it. “Look, I know you’re shipping us, but it was just a one-night stand. You really shouldn’t read so much into it.”

“Two nights, actually.”

“One, two, whatever.” I knew she was looking at me, so I kept my gaze averted, sipping the wine as a thousand thoughts tumbled through my mind. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“What doesn’t?”

“Any of it. That I think he’s so hot, for a start.”

“M’kay…”

“Or that I melt when he wears his glasses.”

“Mm hmm…”

“Or the way his smile makes me…”

“Makes you?”

I shrugged. “Nothing.”

“You can tell me, Ally.”

Her tone was so gentle, so kind, that all of a sudden, I was blinking back tears. “I just can’t do this, Zee.”

“Can’t do what, exactly?” she asked softly.

“Feel…all of this.”

I heard her sigh, but I still couldn’t look at her. “He’s not Josh, Ally. You can trust him.”

“It’s not him I don’t trust.” Ah, there we go. That was it.

“I see.”

“Yeah, so…”

“I get it. What happened with that fuck stick was devastating and you didn’t deserve it one bit. It breaks my heart to know that it still hurts you this much. I wish I could find the words to help you move past it, because you deserve all the love and happiness in the universe.”

I picked up a truffle, examining it from all angles instead of taking a bite.

“Maybe you could talk to Gabe.”

I hastily dropped the chocolate back in the box. “Fuck no! Absolutely not! Could you even imagine?” Yeah, so anyway, in case you’re interested, I loved this guy years ago, until he…No. No way was I opening myself up to that. There was way too much shame and humiliation attached to all of that bullshit to risk bringing it out into the open. No one but Zara knew about Josh and his laughing, sneering ridicule. Telling her had been hard enough. “Besides, he’s got enough going on right now, he doesn’t need me adding to his drama.”

“Judging by what happened today, I think maybe you’d be more help than hindrance.”

“Doubt it.”

“Jesse’s a great kid.”

Glad that she’d dropped the subject of Gabe, I said, “He is.”

“He seems drawn to you.”

“Not more than to anyone else.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. He doesn’t message me on Roblox. Or Lucy. Or even Ellen, I’d bet.”

“Since none of you has a Roblox account, I think that makes sense.”

“Girl, listen to me. You can resist the truth all you like, but I think it’s gonna catch you in the end, one way or the other.”

“Why does that sound like a threat?”

She didn’t say anything, just sipped her wine and gave me a knowing smile.

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