Beth felt the colour rising in her face, but she forced herself to respond equally flippantly, 'The man, yes. The rock, no. . .'
'Oh, Beth!' Lizzie exclaimed. 'You mean, your engagement is off?'
'Yes. I'm free and single once again.' And, having signed her name, she straightened up and had to look at Lizzie, and the pity she saw in the girl's eyes made her cringe.
'Beth, I am so sorry.'
'Don't be. I'm not. I got to keep the ring—an investment for my old age.' She made herself grin before turning away, then crossed to the elevator that took her to the drawing office.
Lizzie's comment was not the first. By the end of the day, everyone from the director down knew Beth was no longer engaged. The comments varied from sympathy from most of the female members of the staff to jokes from a good proportion of the men. They ranged from 'The briefest engagement in the West', to an offer to 'ring the Guinness Book of Records, no pun intended, and register the shortest engagement in the world'.
Only Mary, her friend, didn't believe Beth's unconcerned attitude. Cornering her in the washroom, she asked, 'What really happened, Beth?'
Beth longed to lean on Mary's shoulder and confide the whole sordid business to her. Pride alone made her say, 'You were right, Mary. Whirlwind romances don't work. Dex and I shared a few kisses. He gave me a ring and I thought it was love. But yesterday, when I met him again after not seeing him for a few days, we both realised there was nothing there, no chemistry.'
God forgive her the lie, she thought. Remembering Dex's kisses was enough to make her ache all over.
'If you say so, but remember, if you need a shoulder to cry on, or someone to confide in, I'm here for you.'
Beth gave Mary a trembling smile. 'I know, but really, I'll be okay.'
* * *
Surprisingly, at the end of two weeks she almost was okay. Setting the small table in her kitchen for three people one evening, she actually found herself humming the latest hit tune. Mike was bringing his girlfriend, Elizabeth, over to meet Beth and have a meal, and later the three of them were going on to a Hallowe'en party. Beth was looking forward to it. Plus, she thanked her lucky stars she hadn't seen Mike since their cabaret act together, and consequently he knew nothing of her brief engagement. So there would be no awkward questions.
Her broken engagement had been barely a three-day wonder at the office. And by throwing herself into her work she'd had little time to think of Dex. Which was just as well, because she had heard not a word from the man. The ring he had given her she had found on the living room floor and stuck in the back of her dressing table drawer, unable to look at it.
It was the nights that were the problem. Alone in her apartment, her traitorous mind would relive the moments she had spent in Dex's embrace. She kept telling herself his every kiss had been a fie. But it didn't stop her body flooding with heat as she lay in her bed, remembering Dex sharing it with her.
Sleep, when it came, was restless. . . His face filled her dreams, and sometimes his whole body. On those nights she would wake up in the middle of the night, her body wet with sweat and aching with frustration.
But tonight, Beth promised herself, as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror, carefully applying thick black eye make-up, tonight would be different. She was going to start socialising again, having fun, even if it killed her. Knowing her stepbrother, if anyone could make her laugh, Mike could.
The doorbell rang and she hurried to answer it. Beth opened the door and a smile of pure pleasure covered her face. Then she burst out laughing.
'Mike, that is you?' she asked, when she managed to stop chuckling. He was wearing a skeleton costume: black from neck to toe, with luminous ivory paint outlining the bone structure.
'Who else, sis? Allow me to introduce you to Elizabeth,' and Beth gasped again as Mike walked into the centre of the room with the most hideous-looking creature on his arm!
Beth
immediately liked the girl. Any woman who had the nerve to meet her boyfriend's sister for the first time dressed in a witch's costume had to be a fun person.
'Delighted to meet you.' Beth grinned, and was struck by the laughing blue eyes that smiled back at her—even if they were set in a face that sported a huge crooked false nose, a mouth with half the teeth blacked out and a large wart on the chin.
'Hello, Beth, and let me say straight off this was Mike's idea.' The girl's eyes turned to Mike, and they smiled at each other.
The look of pure togetherness that passed between the couple made Beth's heart ache, and it hurt even more when Mike caught the girl's hand and held it out for Beth to admire.
'You're the first to know, Beth. Elizabeth and I got engaged last night.'
The ring was beautiful, a brilliant blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds, and Beth congratulated them both, brushing away a tear as she did so.
'And that's not all, Beth.' I was promoted on Monday to sales director, at almost double my present salary.'
'Ah, so I get back all the money I've lent you over the years,' Beth teased.
'Hey, hang on, sis! I haven't got the money yet, but my credit rating has soared.'