After a quick glance at her watch, Tasha raised her eyes and stared in disbelief as she witnessed an exchange between Mickie and Jim, right there before her, in the street. He was kissing her, albeit a peck on the cheek, but he was supposed to have cut her off completely so how could he have done that and still be with her? Tasha could feel her heart beating at what felt like a million beats per minute. Part of her wanted to storm out and confront them as they hugged.
This couldn’t be happening, it just couldn’t. She’d given up everything for him and uprooted her whole life to be here with him and they were due to get married in less than two weeks. She calmed her own breathing and gathered her thoughts. There had to be a logical reason for this. He wouldn’t cheat on her, he wouldn’t, she truly believed that and certainly not with Mickie, so what the fuck was going on? Mickie. That’s what was going on and enough people had warned her that she shouldn’t trust or turn her back on this woman who was still completely and utterly in love with Jim, yet she had and this was the outcome. Between thoughts and mutterings to herself she watched Jim drive away while Mickie stood at the roadside smiling, no, grinning, like the proverbial Cheshire cat. She was up to something for sure.
Tasha watched Mickie move away then leapt to her feet and headed for her own car where she called Abby.
“Abby, it’s Tasha. I’m really sorry, but something has come up so we’ll have to rearrange our get together,” she said to her disappointed sounding friend.
Tasha had no idea if she was masking her concern, anger, any of the many feelings and emotions that were coursing through her in her confused state, but she didn’t care, she just needed to do something about Jim and Mickie.
“Are you okay? Is it because I’m late?” Abby asked.
“No, of course not. I just have some really urgent things I need to sort, but we will rearrange soon, okay?” Tasha needed to hide anything untoward from Abby otherwise Jim would know what was going on before she did.
“I’ll see you soon then,” said Abby before they hung up.
Tasha was sitting in her car and wondered what to do now. Juan, Amanda and Katy Myers had warned her about Mickie, so maybe they would be a good place to start. She rummaged through her bag until she found Katy’s card and quickly dialled the number and was relieved when it was answered quickly.
“Hello, Katy Myers,” said Katy abruptly.
“Hi Katy, it’s Tasha Winters. I was wondering if you still wanted to meet up,” said Tasha nervously, unsure if she really could trust this woman.
“Hi, yeah sure, is this Mickie related?” she asked suspiciously.
“Maybe,” admitted Tasha and hoped she could stop herself from crying.
“I see. When are you free?”
“Whenever,” replied Tasha, wondering if she was doing the right thing in not speaking to Jim first.
“I’m free at three this afternoon if you can make it, at the studio?”
“Thank you,” agreed Tasha, relieved and thankful that Katy worked from a small independent studio and not Jim’s.
She hung up and considered her next move as she again wondered whether she had made a mistake in not talking to Jim. She rolled her phone in her hand then called Amanda.
“Amanda, it’s Tasha. Is Jim there?” She silently prayed she would say yes, confirming that he wasn’t on his way to hook up with Mickie.
She held her head in her free hand and bit down hard on her own lip to try and stem any tears that were going to escape. She needed to feel something other than the hurt of what her mind was imagining Jim and Mickie to be doing together.
“He’s out at the moment, but he’s due back anytime. Are you okay?” Amanda’s concern seeped down the line.
“No. I don’t think I am, but don’t tell him I called, please,” she pleaded.
“If I can do anything—”
“Yes, thanks, Amanda, bye.” She hung up abruptly. “Shit!” she cried loudly as she hit the steering wheel for all she was worth.
After several minutes of sobbing Tasha formed a plan in her mind, wiped her face and put the car into drive.
****
As she arrived at the studio she called up to Amanda who came down to meet her.
“Oh Tasha, what is wrong?” asked the other woman as she took Tasha’s arm and led her towards the lift.
“I don’t know. I saw Jim earlier, with Mickie,” she told a shocked Amanda.
“I thought he’d kicked her to the kerb once and for all. What are you going to do?”
