Those Christmas Angels (Angels Everywhere #5)(102)

That news seemed to shock her friend. “What?”

“Let’s get out of here before he sees me,” Beth urged. Heidi couldn’t possibly have known what John looked like, because she and Heidi hadn’t met until five years ago—and she certainly didn’t keep wedding photos at her desk or in her condo.

Together they hurried around the corner and Beth flattened herself against the side of a building.

“What are you going to do?” Heidi asked curiously.

Beth needed to think. At first she’d been numb with shock, but now she was angry. “He planned this. He knew all along.”

“Beth, that’s not fair. How could he have?”

“We never exchanged last names. And he changed his first name, didn’t he? He tricked me.”

Heidi shook her head. “Didn’t you tell me you shortened your name to Beth after your divorce?”

“I did,” she admitted. “I wanted to make a fresh start, so I decided that from then on, I’d just use Beth.”

“Perhaps John did the same thing,” Heidi suggested.

Beth wasn’t willing to concede the point. “His middle name is Peter,” she said grudgingly. “It never occured to me…”

“He is gorgeous, though.”

“His good looks are the only thing he has going for him,” Beth mumbled.

“That isn’t what you told me earlier.”

“What do you mean?” Heidi wasn’t usually this argumentative. Clearly, she was taking Peter/John’s side, and that infuriated Beth.

“Don’t you remember what you said last week?” Heidi asked. “You told me Peter is everything your first husband wasn’t.”

“I said that?” What an idiot she’d been. What an imbecile. She’d allowed John to make a fool of her. He knew who she was. He had to have known. How could he not? But maybe…just maybe, he didn’t. Could they have found each other online? No one would believe something this random could actually happen. It was more than bizarre. It was completely and totally implausible…wasn’t it?

“You can’t leave him standing there waiting for you like that,” Heidi insisted. “That would be cruel.”

Beth didn’t respond, still trying to figure out how this had happened. It dawned on her that he couldn’t have known, since he’d been the one to suggest she meet him outside the gazebo. If he’d known, he would never have given her the opportunity to see him first and then walk away. Unlikely though it seemed, she had to conclude that he was as much in the dark as she was.

“Did you hear me?” Heidi demanded. “You have to call him on his cell.”

“No, you have to,” Beth said frantically.

“I beg your pardon?” Heidi looked confused.

“Use my phone.” She thrust it at her friend.

“Why me? Beth, you’re the one who should talk to him, not me.” She refused to accept the phone.

“I can’t…He’ll recognize my voice.” He would, too. It might’ve been almost ten years since the divorce, but that wouldn’t matter. John would know her voice the same way she would his.

“You don’t want him to find out it’s you?” Heidi asked, sounding even more confused.

“No. Not yet. I need to think.” This awkward situation had to be handled delicately or John might assume she’d tricked him—which was what she’d suspected about him.

“Here—I’ll do it,” Heidi said and snatched the phone away from her. “What should I tell him?”

Beth hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I—I’m not sure.”

“Should I say something came up at the last minute and you had to leave?”

“But if he asks what it is…” Beth was growing desperate.

“He won’t,” Heidi said. “Anyway, something did come up, so it isn’t like you’re lying.”

Beth shrugged helplessly.

“Give me his cell phone number.” Heidi held out her hand.

Digging through her purse, Beth nearly dumped the entire contents in the snow.

“Relax,” Heidi said in an annoyingly calm voice. “Re-e-lax.”

Beth scowled at her, and as soon as she found the crumpled slip of paper with his phone number, she slapped it in Heidi’s hand.

Heidi punched out the number, holding the phone close to Beth’s ear.

Peter/John answered on the first ring. “Hello.”

“Is this Peter?”

“Beth? Where are you?”

Heidi glanced at Beth, who gestured for her to continue speaking. “I’m so sorry, Peter, but I can’t make it. Something, uh, came up—at the last minute and I can’t keep our appointment. I’m so disappointed.” This last part was said with feeling.

“I am, too,” Peter responded. “I didn’t know what to think when you didn’t show up at four.”

“I’d like to meet you. I really would—just not now. Can we arrange another time?”

Beth glared at her friend. She made a frenzied cutting motion with one hand but Heidi ignored her, turning her back on Beth.

Beth hurried around in order to face her. Once more, she made exaggerated cutting motions, using both hands to emphasize the point.