Sweet Caroline

#52 The master plan

I try to calm my erratic breaths as I stand in front of Annabel's door, ringing the doorbell. Even though Nathan doesn't think that it's a good idea for me to talk to her, I insisted to confronting her without him present. I need to do this. Woman to woman.

"Caroline?" Annabel frowns at me. I don't know who she expected at her front door, but it obviously wasn't me. "What are you doing here?"

"You know exactly why I'm here," I reply, not in the mood for games. "You're trying to fuck up my relationship with Nathan and I need you to stop."

Her eyes go wide. "Caroline, I don't-"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. So cut the crap and let me in."

She steps aside and grudgingly lets me into her apartment. We're both in jeans and a T-shirt, but she looks a hell of a lot better in the outfit than I do and I hate her for that. She may be 38, but her body puts mine to shame. Her breasts are at least a cup bigger than mine, yet her belly is flatter and she's got a great ass. It baffles me that Nathan choose not to date her when she asked him out after his divorce. Or at least sleep with her. I get why he doesn't want to now – he's in love with me, after all – but back then there was no reason not to go for her.

"I take it Nathan told you about my run-in with Elise," Annabel says, finally no longer pretending that she doesn't know why I am here, fresh from work and worked up more than I want to admit. She sits down on her couch and motions for me to take a seat as well.

"Like I said, I know that you're trying to hurt my relationship with Nathan," I counter. "And I get why, because you obviously still want him to end up with you. I just didn't expect you to sink so low and actually go to Elise to get what you want. You know as well as I do that you can turn my whole life upside down by telling her that it's me he's dating. Are you really that vindictive?"

Annabel raises an eyebrow at me. "If I was truly the horrible bitch you seem to think I am, I would have dropped that bomb already. I just hinted that he's involved with someone. Your name never came up."

"Annabel..." I sigh, trying to reel in my anger. It's not going to get me anywhere. "Elise is not going to rest before she finds out who it is. And she can't find out it's me. I'll lose my job and if there's a chance that the headmaster won't want to give me a good recommendation, making it impossible for me to find another job. Teachers who date the kid's fathers aren't exactly a hot commodity."

"You took the man I've been trying to get with ever since he got divorced." I can tell she's not faking the hurt in her eyes. "I thought Nathan was finally coming around. I honestly thought we were dating. And I thought you were my friend. It hurt like hell when I discovered you'd both been lying to me."

"I get that." It's not a lie. I really do understand why she's upset. "And if he wasn't Rose's father, we wouldn't have hidden it from you. Still, he didn't even realize you were still interested. He never even did so much as kiss you. And we only had tea a few times, Annabel. It's not like I'm your best friend or anything."

"Never kissed me?" She lets out a sharp laugh. "Did he tell you that? And you believe him?"

She's lying. She has to be. Nathan wouldn't lie to me about that... would he?

"He gave me every reason to believe he was serious about dating me," she goes on, obviously enjoying the fact that I'm tongue-tied. "If you think you're the only one who he's sleeping with, you're crazy. Nathanial Storm has been turning heads long before you came around, Caroline. And no matter what he told you, he acts on it. Not just with me, either. Why do you think Elise is so upset knowing he's dating someone? He's been screwing her even after the divorce."