Then, evidently realising he was being watched, Roan looked up.
“Karen - hey,” he smiled easily.
She didn’t smile back. “I thought you’d be at work at this time of day,” she said coolly.
“I could say the same for yourself,” he quipped.
She looked at him, frowning. The guy didn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed.
Yup. Her instincts had been spot-on.
Sir Galahad, my ass.
That evening,she chopped peppers and onions in preparation for dinner. “I bumped into Roan in the shopping centre earlier,” she told Jenny breezily.
“I know.” Her friend looked up from the magazine she was reading. “He said that you were acting weird. What’s going on? It’s painfully obvious that you don’t like him but could you not be civil to him – for my sake at least?”
Karen was taken aback. Smart git was obviously covering his tracks.
“I was acting weird for a reason. He was with this girl and they –”
“For goodness sake, it was an old college friend. Is he not allowed to have friends now?” Jenny threw down the magazine and stood up to face her at eyelevel. “It’s not fair. I don’t go on like that with you about Shane.”
Karen felt annoyance rise from within. Why couldn’t Jenny see through this guy?
“You didn’t see what I saw. They were joking and laughing and -”
“So, because he’s joking and laughing with another girl, he’s automatically cheating? That’s what you’re trying to say, isn’t it?”
“Well …not exactly but – ”
“But what?”
“I just don’t want you to get hurt. He has a history and … ” Karen trailed off.
“A history? For goodness sake, we’ve been over this time and time again. OK, he was engaged to somebody and it didn’t work out. Is he not allowed to move on? I have a history too. I can’t understand what the big deal is.”
“Jen, do you truly believe that it’s all over between him and the fiancee?”
“Naturally, I believe him. If Shane tells you something, you believe him, don’t you?”
“But Shane’s different and –”
“Oh comeon….” Jenny reached for her coat.
“Where are you going?”
“Out.Where I can get some peace, and I don’t have to listen to you constantly undermining my relationship.” She stood in the doorway, eyes flashing.
Karen furiously resumed chopping. “Fine, suit yourself. But you’ve changed a lot lately, you know. Yourworld seems to revolve entirely around this guy. You don’t ask about stuff that’s happening in my life, and you tell me nothing about yours. You don’t even come out with the gang any more and –”
“Why would I want to – when all I hear is you badmouthing my boyfriend?” Jenny marched out the door, slamming it loudly behind her.
Karen stood transfixed in surprise. The two of them hardly ever fought; it was a longstanding joke throughout their friendship that it was impossible to argue with Jen.
Shane had warned her not to get involved, but how could Karen sit back and watch her best friend get hurt?
She picked up the knife again and tried not to treat the misfortunate onion like it was Roan Williams’s head. The guy evidently had Jenny wrapped around his little finger.
