The Christmas Party by Carole Matthews

Author:Carole Matthews [Matthews, Carole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Carole Matthews INK Ltd.
Published: 2014-10-16T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-one

Since her meeting with Tyler in the library, Melissa had just wanted to cry. Eventually she could hold her emotions in check no longer and she’d stolen away from Lance for a few minutes. She’d gone and locked herself in one of the cubicles in the powder room. Now she let the tears flow untrammelled; they felt as if they were pouring straight from her heart.

Surely it was only teenagers who allowed themselves to get into such a terrible state over the opposite sex? How could she have reached half a century on this planet and not realised that they would all, eventually, let you down?

Melissa sat on the loo seat and hugged herself. Damn Tyler Benson for reducing her to this. Taking a tissue out of her diamanté clutch bag, she dabbed at her eyes. At the age of fifty-five she’d hoped that her life would be settled. That she and Lance would be growing old gracefully together. How had that plan gone so very dreadfully awry?

Melissa wondered whether it was too late to change things now. Was there any way that she could get Lance to address the problems his drinking caused? Fossil Oil would probably pay for him to go into a rehab programme. The first step, of course, was getting him to admit it. Lance was actually quite happy to be a drunk. It was only those around him who had to contend with the devastating consequences.

She knew that the answer to her problems wasn’t to blot them out by having affairs. Until now, she’d managed to kid herself that they were meaningless to her. That was until she met Tyler Benson. He was cut of exactly the same cloth as Lance and yet she’d still fallen for him. Perhaps it was because he reminded her so much of Lance when he was younger and in his prime. It was heartbreaking for her to admit this, but Tyler had made this year worthwhile. Without their illicit trysts to look forward to, she didn’t know how she would have managed her empty life. Lance hadn’t made love to her in years and it was a horrible thing to know that she had to turn to strangers for affection, no matter how fleeting. Despite his not-so-hidden agenda, Tyler had made her feel attractive, wanted once more.

Well, this time, she’d been the one who got burned. That was the price you had to pay for playing outside the rules. And, God, the pain seared through her. It was enough to make her turn to drink herself.

Still, she couldn’t sit here all night. Lance would be waiting for her. There was no doubt he needed her. In his own way, he adored her. It just wasn’t in the way that she wanted him to.

Straightening her back, she held up her head and let herself out of the cubicle. In the powder room there were about six girls, all in their best party dresses, chattering away. They flicked blusher on cheeks that didn’t need it and slicked layers of lip gloss on to their full, plump mouths.

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