Free An Unforgotten Bet: (A Contemporary Romance) by Emily Marcucci

up?”
    “Don’t sound too happy to see me, sweetie,” she says sarcastically, her tone almost defensive. “I just thought I’d give you a call to see how you were doing.”
    “I’m good, Mom. How are you?” he says, brushing off his guilt.
    “I’m good. Very good, in fact,” she replies. There’s silence on the line for a couple of seconds, presumably because she’s waiting for him to interrogate her further, but he doesn’t, so she just keeps talking.
    “You’ll never guess who I got the chance to speak to on the phone today,” she says, her voice high and giggly. “Remember Rose’s Mom, Shannon?”
    “Yup,” he says curtly, biting his lip.
    “Wait, is everything okay? You don’t sound so good. You haven’t had a fall out with Rose, have you?” The sudden panic in her voice takes him by surprise, and his stomach begins to twist itself in knots.
    “No, of course not. Why?”
    “Oh, good,” she says, sighing with relief. “We’re going over for dinner tonight. I was wondering if you’d like to join us?”
    “Uh,” he says, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I actually have some plans tonight with friends. What time?”
    “Oh, straight after work, honey. About five thirty, probably,” she says, sounding disappointed. “You can make it, right?”
    “Yeah,” he says, attempting to sound as optimistic as possible. “Where are we meeting them?”
    “We’re driving down to their house. It’s just about thirty minutes from our place.”
    “Okay, sounds good,” he breathes.
    “So you’ll come?”
    “Yeah, sure.”
    “Oh, good. I’m so glad! It’ll be just like old times.”
    “Yeah, old times,” he mumbles, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply so he can breathe in the remainder of Rose’s perfume which is still lingering in his car.
 

Chapter 17 - 5th November, 2013
     
    “Danny,” calls Rose, bursting in through the front door and sprinting into the bedroom. She hasn’t even brushed her hair yet and she can still smell Tom’s cologne on her skin. “Danny, we need to talk.”
    Danny stares at her, then stands up slowly.
    “Where the hell have you been?” He begins to move towards her, but Rose doesn’t flinch. Soon, he is standing within only centimetres of her face. His breath smells foul, and she winces as he stares at her.
    “Danny, I’m leaving you.”
    “No, you’re not,” he demands. The expression in his eyes changes instantly, from anger to pain. “No you’re not leaving me, Rose.”
    “Danny, we talked about this last night. I don’t love you anymore and I’m leaving,” she whispers, her voice cracking before she manages to finish the sentence.
    “Rose,” he breathes, reaching out a hand and grabbing her wrist. “Rose, please don’t do this to me.”
    “I haven’t loved you ever since you cheated on me, Danny. People don’t cheat on people they love. And now it’s too late, I’ve met someone else.”
    “Who is he?” asks Danny, his pale bony fingers releasing their grip on her arm.
    “His name is Tom Flynn.”
    He stares at her, opening and closing his mouth. “I don’t know what to say.”
    “You don’t have to say anything,” she shrugs. They stare at each other in silence until her phone rings.
    “Is that him?” he asks, nodding towards it.
    “No, it’s my mother,” she snaps, relieved to have a reason to stop talking to him. “Hey, Mom.”
    “Hey,” she says cheerfully. “How are you doing?”
    “I’m good,” she says. She tries to avoid Danny’s penetrating stare by turning away from him, but it’s almost as if she can feel his eyes boring into the back of her head. “How are you?”
    “I’m good, too. Great, in fact.”
    “Oh? How come.”
    “You’ll never guess who called me — I was so surprised at first, I don’t even know how she got my number. Remember Tom’s Mom? She said you two had met up recently. You never told me.”
    “Oh, shoot, I’m so sorry, I forgot to call. It’s been too long since