When they reached the back door, Beth was so tired that she could barely keep herself standing up. “Oh, dammit, I forgot my purse at the restaurant!” she muttered.
“Go get some rest. I’ll go back and get it for you,” Nick replied. “Do you have your key?”
“Yeah, I do. Are you sure you don’t want me…” she paused for a moment and stifled a big yawn, “…are you sure you don’t want me to come back with you?”
“No, you can barely stay awake. Go on.”
Beth obliged and watched as he got back in the car. Then she turned and opened the door. She walked upstairs, but stopped when she heard giggling coming from the room Christina and Nick shared. There were two voices, a man’s and Christina’s.
“You have to go, baby. They’ll be home soon!” Christina said through giggles. “No, you know if we start that, you’re never gonna get out of here and you’ll be here all night.”
“Mmm…sounds okay to me,” the guy replied.
As Beth stood there open-mouthed, Christina opened the door and stepped out in a just a thin bathrobe. “Oh, uh, when did you get home?” she asked.
“Just a few minutes ago. Nick went to pick up my purse. I forgot it at the restaurant.” She paused. “Who in the hell is in there with you and what’s going on?”
Christina’s eyes narrowed. “It’s one of my boyfriends, and I swear to God, if you dare say one word about this to Nick, I promise you I will make your life a living hell.”
Beth ignored the threat. “I can’t believe you would cheat on a guy who loves you so much!”
“Look, I don’t care what you think about me and my other relationships. All that really matters to me is that word of this does not get back to Nick. If you have any idea what’s good for you, you will just keep your mouth shut. Do I make myself clear?”
“I’m not gonna be the one to tell him his girlfriend is cheating on him and hurt him so bad like that, and you’re damn lucky I feel that way, because I’m not afraid of you or your threats.”
“Maybe you should be,” Christina spat as she ushered her boyfriend out of her room and downstairs to the back door.
Beth was dumbfounded. How could anyone cheat on a guy as wonderful as Nick?