Bad Blood by Mary Monroe Page A

I’m going to get drunk as hell.”
    â€œI can meet you, but I can’t stay long. Seth is coming over to talk to me about something this evening.”
    â€œThen why don’t we get together after you’ve talked to Seth? I’m going to need a couple of hours to vent. I can round up Paulette and Patrice, if they’re available, and we can meet at your place or mine.”
    â€œThat sounds fine, but I’m not in the mood for any of Patrice’s stupid comments to me tonight.”
    â€œYou don’t have to worry about her messing with you tonight. All I have to do is give her one of my ‘Don’t you go there’ looks and that’ll shut her shut up.”
    â€œIs that why she never says anything stupid to you or about you?”
    â€œShe has no reason to. A fat, clumsy ox like me with my plain-Jane self . . . I’m no threat to her. But you’re everything she’s not—petite, smart, and beautiful. She’s always been jealous of you.”
    â€œIf she’s jealous of me, why does she come around me and even call me up from time to time?”
    â€œNow, that’s a question I can’t answer. She’s not a mean person, but I would never let my guard down with her if I wore your shoes. I think . . .” Lucy paused.
    â€œThink what?”
    â€œShe used to have the hots for Seth real bad. It took her a long time to realize he wasn’t interested in her, so she got over him.”
    â€œIf she got ‘over him,’ why do you think she has some resentment toward me?”
    â€œShe’s a woman, and that’s what we do. I got over my ex-husband, but I still can’t stand the bitch who took him from me.” Lucy laughed.
    I laughed too. “Well, I hope Patrice finds herself a man soon. And I hope she has gotten over Seth, because I’m not about to let another woman have him.” I laughed again. But it was a hollow laugh. I refused to believe that Seth was not going to marry me, unless he gave me a valid reason as to why he had made that decision. “Anyway, if you want to bring her along, I don’t care. I’ll call you after Seth leaves my apartment.”
    Â 
    Seth arrived at six thirty. He entered my living room, dragging his feet like he was on the way to his own execution.
    What he had told me on the telephone earlier had not sunk in yet, so I was still able to be cordial to him. “Baby, you look like hell,” I told him. “Can I fix you a drink?”
    He held up his hand and shook his head. “Don’t bother. I won’t be staying but a few minutes.” He shuffled slowly across the floor to the couch, where he plopped down with a groan.
    â€œSeth, what’s the matter?” I demanded. I stood in front of him with my arms folded. “Were you serious about calling off the wedding?”
    â€œRachel, I think you need to sit down to hear what I have to say.” He patted a spot on the couch next to him. When I attempted to ease down into his lap, he pushed me to the side and put his head in his hands and moaned. “I hate to do this to you.”
    â€œI have a feeling I’m going to hate whatever it is you’re going to do to me, too.”
    â€œI’m not ready for marriage!” I could not believe how blunt he sounded.
    â€œOh.” I let out a heavy sigh and looked at the wall for a few seconds. From the corner of my eye, I could see him staring at me with a blank expression on his face. I turned sharply to look at him. “After all this time, you just now decided that you’re not ready for marriage?”
    â€œWell . . . ,” he sniffed. Then he nodded. “It’s been on my mind for some time now.”
    â€œSeth, if it’s been on your mind for ‘some time,’ why didn’t you say something before now? Why did you let me go on thinking everything was okay? And here I was, out looking for a dress to get married