One thing was for sure: she was hiding something. Whether or not it had anything to do with Beth was the question. But if so, what could she be hiding and, more to the point, why?
‘So, well… I’ll see you around, OK?’ She scurried off then, as if afraid to be in the same room as him.
Danny was completely confused. Jodi was treating him like a total stranger, as if they hadn’t known one another for years. What had he done to make her behave this way?
He couldn’t think of anything. Unless, his absences of late had indeed been noticed by Beth, who had in turn vented to Jodi? And now, through some bond of sisterhood and solidarity, she was taking Beth’s side.
He started heading down the hallway towards the men’s department, mentally cursing the fact that his plans for a heart-to-heart had been ruined, when, just then, Danny heard it. Beth’s laugh, like sleigh bells tinkling. He moved quickly towards the source of the sound a little way further down in the men’s section, and saw his girlfriend, giggling like a schoolgirl, near a display of Tommy Hilfiger sweaters.
And she wasn’t alone. She was chatting with some guy.
For some reason Danny stopped in his tracks, and, realising that he was seconds away from being spotted by Beth, he quickly jumped behind a rack of suits. Unsure as to why he’d felt the need to hide, he studied the scene a little away from him, Beth laughing with ease at whatever this guy was saying.
He was a stranger to Danny, but judging by how close together they were standing, and the easy tone of their voices, it seemed the very opposite where Beth was concerned. This was someone his girlfriend seemed to know very well indeed.
‘Ha, as if!Elfisnotthe most romantic Christmas movie of all time,’ she was laughing. ‘I mean, I suppose it’s a love story of sorts, but it doesn’t hold a candle toLove Actually.’ Beth laughed again and Danny listened intently to the tone of her voice. Was shecooingat this guy? He felt his hackles rise, and alpha male instincts coming out. OK, so he hadn’t been the easiest to live with lately, but Beth washisgirlfriend.
It sounded as though they were talking about movies, Beth’s favourite subject.
‘Look, I have my reputation to think about here. If a big macho guy like me admits out loud to likingLove Actually, they are going to take my manhood card away, OK?’
Now he was smiling, showing those cheek dimple things that all women seemed to love. And, what’s more, he wasflirting. Danny recognized a play when he saw one.
His eyes narrowed. Even worse, Beth seemed to be eating this crap up.
‘Anyway,’ said Beth, ‘I should be getting back. Jodi’s been covering for me while I was out and there may be a rush on. Thanks for the sandwich.’
So much for ‘just missing her’, Danny noted, thinking back to Jodi’s insistence that Beth would be gone for an hour. Sounded like her so-called errand was an opportunity to share a sandwich (what else?) with this guy. No wonder Jodi had been so edgy when he’d arrived asking for Beth; she must have known she was out with this guy and was covering for her in more ways than one.
Man, was he getting his payback right now or what…
Danny couldn’t help but realise that maybe this served him right, and he was experiencing a dose of Beth’s beloved serendipity. While he’d thought of this as a harmless opportunity to take Beth to lunch, karma was, in reality, a bitch that played dirty, throwing all of this in his face.
Trying to get his thoughts, never mind his feelings, in order, he watched as the guy smiled again at Beth. It was obvious he had a thing for her and, by the sound of it, very possible that she had a thing for him too. It was written all over their faces. They were acting like high school kids, for crying out loud. And it was driving Danny nuts.
‘So, how about a drink later? We both get off at the same time. Think the universe is trying to tell us something?’
‘Thanks, Ryan, but no.’ This time Beth looked genuinely hesitant, making Danny feel a little better.
‘Don’t you go out with Jodi for happy hour sometimes?’ he pressed, smiling. ‘No big deal. It’s just what friends do.’
Friends. OK, so they were friends; Danny felt somewhat reassured. Not that Beth was that type of girl – she definitely wasn’t a cheater. Or was she?
He knew for a fact that she was flirting. It was written all over her face. And this likely explained her giddy behaviour at home of late… Danny continued to examine their body language and he felt his temperature rise afresh.
He took stock of Ryan’s appearance once again. OK, so he was attractive enough, he supposed, with that whole dimpled smile thing that women seemed to love. Danny’s mind raced as he tried to make sense of what was going on, and how this impacted his plans, and he belatedly noticed that Ryan and Beth had already said their goodbyes to each other, and she was now on her way back to the shoe department. He wasn’t sure whether or not to follow her as Jodi would surely tell her that he was looking for her, and she’d have to wonder why he was still around some fifteen minutes later.
But he also came to the conclusion that Ryan wasn’t just Beth’s lunch companion, but apparently worked in the department Danny was now camping out in. And was, in fact, now making his way over towards him.
He stood up, and was staring blankly at a suit jacket when Ryan spoke. ‘Good afternoon, sir, is there something that I can help you with?’
Danny stood up straighter, coming face to face with the man who’d just been flirting shamelessly with his girlfriend, the woman with whom he’d been sharing his life for the past seven years. Now, the flirty, smooth-talking persona was gone, and the guy was back on a different kind of sales job.
‘What?’ Danny replied, trying to collect his wits.
‘Would you like to try on that jacket? Are you a size forty-four?’ Ryan persisted helpfully.
Danny started shaking his head. ‘No, no, sorry, I don’t want to try it on, I was just looking. I was actually, um, shopping for a Christmas gift for my… wife,’ he muttered, shoving his hands into his pocket – conscious that he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring and didn’t want Ryan to get suspicious.
