Read Online For Bear Or For Worse (Pure Blood 1) by Meredith Clarke - Free Book Online

clenched again and I hoped it wasn't Cole calling me back. Looking at the phone I realized it was Zoey. Shit. I did not want to talk to Zoey .
                  I clicked on it knowing I had to talk to her sooner rather than later. We did work together, after all. I couldn't avoid her forever. I didn't want there to be any bad blood between us, either.
                  “Avery, thank God. I have been messaging you all day. I was starting to get worried about you.”
                  “Ya, I'm sorry. I'm just not feeling very well.”
                  “Oh, no problem. Look, do you want to meet for a few drinks? Hair of the dog will probably do you some good.”
                  I paused and thought about my options. Ahh, what the hell. “Ya sure, where do you want to meet?”
    ***
                 
                  When I met up with Zoey I had to remind myself to stay calm. I felt awkward being around her at first because I essentially knew I was going to be lying to her. I really liked Zoey and I didn't feel it was fair for me to lie to her, but I also didn't want to cause a fight between Cole and her. Not to mention she probably wouldn't be very pleased with me either; if she had feelings for Cole she wouldn't like the fact that I slept with him. Cole had filled me in on what my back story was, and I was sticking to the fact that I left shortly after he did. He was certain that no one had seen us leave through the side exit, so we were fine with our alibis. I hated lying, but I felt it was my only option at that point. I would not be seeing Cole again, so there was no reason to make waves between the three of us.
                  I saw Zoey at the bar and she waved me over. She had already ordered me a glass of wine and I thanked her as I sat down. The wine actually looked delicious in the midst of deception. I should drink it fast. If I got a good buzz going down then lying might become easier for me to do.
                  I settled in my seat and took my first long sip. It went down deliciously and I grinned. It tasted fantastic, and the cool liquid made me feel so much better.
                  Zoey giggled, “That bad, is it? So what happened to you last night? One minute you are going to the bathroom and the next you disappeared. I thought something may have happened to you.”
                  I looked into my drink as I talked. “No. I think the booze got to my head quickly because when I left the bathroom I felt kind of dizzy. Cole saw me and said goodbye, he had work or something and I just left after. Got in a cab and headed home.” I was surprised how easily the lies came out. I should probably feel ashamed of myself for doing that to Zoey. But a few little white lies should be okay if it means you are trying to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, right? That's what I was going to tell myself, anyways.
                  “Well, you should have at least told me, silly.”
                  “Oh, I know. But I saw you with that guy and I didn't want to bother you or make you leave. I just got in a cab, really it was no big deal.”
                  There was a rather long and awkward silence between us as Zoey stared at me. I was starting to think that she didn't believe me. I held my breath in and willed her to believe me. God, I did not want to be a part of Cole and Zoey's relationship drama. I don't know why he hit on me in the first place if he was worried about Zoey's feelings. It really didn't make any sense. Nervousness swelled inside my stomach as Zoey continued to stare at me. The girl was rather intimidating, and she made me feel like she could see straight down into my soul. I took another sip of my wine and I noticed my hands shaking. I willed them to stop shaking before Zoey noticed that I was shutting down right before her eyes. I took a few