“Vince, are you even listening to me?” Amy pushed back her long black hair and scowled.
“What?” Holly managed to drag her stunned gaze away from Todd and Rochelle as they sat down in the booth next to them. Though sat probably wasn’t the right word to use.
Lying on top of each other would be more accurate.
Lying on top of each other looking like complete and utter jerks would be even more accurate.
Unbelievable.
She could see the look of horror and concern on Gemma’s face over by the pool table, but the main thing she could see was that her boyfriend—the man whom she one day had intended to love, honor and wash his horrible dirty boxers for the rest of her life—was sticking his tongue down Rochelle Jackson’s throat. In public. As if it was a normal thing to do.
How could he?
She’d only been dead thirteen days. Thirteen. Was she that forgettable? Was there no period of mourning over such things?
Holly could feel the blood thumping in her skull but this time it wasn’t because of her headache. It was because of pure unadulterated anger.
She wanted to kill him.
“I’m talking about us, Vince,” Amy clarified and Holly tried to block out the kissing noises that were coming from the next booth.
What?
What!
Holly blinked as she realized what Amy was trying to say; yet from what she had gathered there was no us between Vince and Amy. And certainly since Holly had taken over his body, she’d done nothing to make Amy think this situation was going to change in a hurry.
Perhaps Amy was delusional, or a sucker for a punishment?
“Look.” Now Amy’s hand was sliding along Holly’s leg. “Why don’t we get out of here and go back to my place? I’ve got some weed we could smoke, and then, well…” She finished with a suggestive lick of her lips as she gripped her fingers further into Holly’s thigh.
Holly wriggled down the booth.
Gross.
Did Amy Jenkins have no dignity? Holly had been going out with Todd for at least three months before going to bed with him. And she certainly hadn’t planned to do it while she was stoned. Or on a week night. Obviously Amy hadn’t come by her reputation by accident.
“Well?” Amy fluttered her eyelashes and Holly flinched.
Were all women like this? So determined to throw themselves at the man of their choice that they didn’t take time to work out if the man in question actually had any thoughts on the matter? And if Amy Jenkins dared to touch her thigh one more time there was going to be some bitch slapping.
Take Todd. She could still scarcely believe that he and Rochelle were kissing in the booth right next door. While Holly was hardly going to forgive him or take him back, she knew exactly who to blame for it.
Rochelle.
She was a man-eater. And so was Amy Jenkins for that matter. Why couldn’t they just stick with guys who actually liked them? Not, Holly acknowledged, that it would be easy for them to find men who liked them, because they were both such TARTS, but that was hardly the point.
They had to stop it because girls like them were ruining lives.
Even if Holly was dead, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt to see her boyfriend cheating on her. Holly had had enough. She removed Amy’s unwanted hand from her leg and turned to her. “Look,” she said in a tight voice. “I don’t want—”
The sound of Rochelle giggling cut off the rest of her words and Holly swung her head around just as the pair resurfaced and were sitting there looking smug.
Holly felt her heart lurch as she stared at Todd’s beautiful face. His mouth was smudged with Rochelle’s bright red lipstick and his eyes were full of lust.
She felt like she was going to die. Again.
This couldn’t be happening.
“What are you looking at, Murphy?” Rochelle drawled as she patted down her ridiculous hair. “Just because you’re not getting any, doesn’t mean you need to perv on everyone else. But you always were a bit weird.”
“You’re disgusting,” Holly said in a low voice as all the pain she had been feeling gathered itself into one long, sharp point inside her. Last time she’d felt like this, the only way to get rid of it had been by cutting herself. Since then she’d worked so hard to make sure she never reached that place again, but now it had happened.
Todd, who had his arms spread out along the back of the booth, jolted into a sitting position and the contented expression fell away to be replaced by one of surprise. “What did you just say to her?” he said in a dangerous voice.
“The same thing I’m saying to you.” Holly clutched at the table and tried to contain the sharp heat of her anger. “You’re both disgusting.”
Over by the pool table, she could see Gemma raising a panicked eyebrow and nodding towards the door, while Simon was bristling with expectation. There was no way Holly was going anywhere. She was mad beyond belief.
Somewhere in the back of her mind was Dr. Hill’s voice explaining to her how important it was that she dealt with her issues, but she blocked it out.
Right now there was only one thing she wanted to deal with, and that was her cheating, lying scumbag of a boyfriend.
Todd now got to his feet. “You’ve got to be joking me, man. First the funeral and now this, anyone would think you’re trying to pick a fight with me.”
“Anyone would think you deserved it,” Holly retorted as she stood up as well. Two could play at this game and she was glad to see Vince was a good two inches taller than Todd, not to mention a good deal broader. “Holly’s been dead two weeks and you’re already hooking up with someone else? You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Hey,” Rochelle squealed in outrage as she looked up from fixing her hair.
“Come on, Vince, let’s just get out of here.” Amy scowled. “Who gives a shit about Holly Evans?”
“Yeah, Murphy, why don’t you listen to your girlfriend for once?” Todd drawled.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Holly said through gritted teeth.
“And Holly wasn’t my girlfriend,” Todd retorted.
“What!”
What?
Holly felt the world stop, and for a minute she thought Dr. Alan Hill was doing his party trick again, but slowly the surrounding buzz of conversation started to ring in her ear and she realized the world hadn’t really stopped at all. It just felt like it had.
“That’s right.” Todd sneered as he folded his arms in front of his chest. “Not that it’s any of your business but I was about to break up with her the night she killed herself.”
“She did not kill herself,” she screamed as his words slowly sunk into her mind. He was going to dump her the night they were supposed to get engaged? Unbelievable. And to think she’d been planning to wear her adorable bra and panties for him. Well, even if she wasn’t dead, or a boy, there was no way in a million years he was ever going to see them now. That was for sure. And what about her ring?
“What would you know about it?” Todd demanded, his navy eyes looking cruel and hard.
“I know she didn’t kill herself,” Holly said firmly. “How can you even say that when you were going to get engaged to her?”
“You have been sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong.” Todd raised a surprised eyebrow before shrugging. “Not that it matters. I was only going to do it to get in good with the boss, but Holly didn’t fancy the idea of announcing the engagement at the ball. Talk about a lucky break, since two weeks ago I had lunch with a client who happened to go to high school with her. Apparently she tried to slit her wrists when she was there. I found out just in time what a nut case she was. Talk about a close shave.”
Holly could feel her cheeks going red with rage. Was this really the same Todd speaking to her? How could he believe those things he was saying?
“It’s all worked out for the best, because I was getting sick of just seeing Todd on the side anyway.” Rochelle purred as she put a territorial hand on Todd’s arm.
Holly started to shake.
“Why would you give a shit about this, Vince?” Amy tugged at Holly’s shirt. “If you ask me, they deserve each other.”
“That’s so not true, you stupid bitch,” Rochelle howled.
“Oh excellent.” Simon Trimmer obviously thought it was time to make his presence felt. “I’ve been looking for an excuse to kick this guy’s butt all night. So can I fight him now?”
“There isn’t going to be a fight,” Holly said in a calm voice. In the background she could hear Gemma letting out a sigh of relief, but it was a bit premature, thought Holly as she bunched her right hand into a tight fist and took a swing at Todd’s picture perfect face.
The result was instant and spectacular and as Todd dropped back down onto the seat in pain, Holly turned to Simon Trimmer and shot him a defiant glare.
“What the—?” His eyes bulged.
“Like I said, there isn’t going to be a fight. Todd got what he deserved. Now if you want to make something of it, then that’s up to you. But I warn you, I’m not in a good mood.”
Simon held up his hands and backed away. “It’s got nothing to do with me.”
“Well, I’m glad we understand each other then,” Holly said as she grabbed her jacket and headed for the door. She’d finally realized that while she was Holly Evans on the inside, she was Vince Murphy on the outside. And Vince Murphy could pack quite a punch.
As she left she could hear Todd screaming out at her. “You crazy asshole. You’ll pay for this, Murphy. You’re already on thin ice because you didn’t deliver those laptops to Peterson’s this afternoon. Somehow I don’t think you’re going to be working at Baker Colwell for too much longer. I’ll make sure of it.”
Holly ignored him as she headed out into the night. As she stalked down the road she could see Dr. Alan Hill standing by the bus stop trying to catch her attention, but Holly just kept walking.
Her head hurt, her knuckles stung and she was about to lose all of her memories. There wasn’t anything the good doctor could say that would make her feel any better. So he might as well say nothing at all.