Chapter 52

“Sorry to interrupt” the male voice says to us “but are you Gill Duncan, you look like you should be but I have not seen you in such a long time. You seemed to disappear of the face of the earth a few years ago.”

I started laughing again when I realised who it was.

“Alan, good to see you, grab a drink and come and sit down, it would be great to catch up and I can tell you where I really disappeared too.”

“Cool, I will go and get Erin and get will be back in a minute, what are you both drinking?”

As Alan walked off I explained to Sidney that Alan was my ex-boyfriend from even before Paul and I were together. Paul and I had been together 6 years when he died and now Sidney and I have been together for roughly 3 years so it really was a long time since we had seen each other.

His girlfriend Erin was always very jealous of me even though she had absolutely no reason to be.

As I seen them approach Erin still gave me an evil look.

“So Gill” Alan starts, “where have you been for all these years? Start at the beginning, I want to know everything.”

So I set about telling him my story.

“… and now Sidney and I are here on our honeymoon.”

“Wow, you really have been busy you have done so well for yourself. Sorry to hear about Paul, he was a good guy.

“What is it like working for the NHL? It must be amazing getting to meet everyone and to be part of an excellent hockey team.”

I explained how much I loved my job and Sidney piped up too also saying that the NHL were great and it was such a buzz getting to be part of something so huge.

Sidney and Alan went off to the bar and I moved over and sat down beside Erin who was yet to say something. During our discussions with Alan he kept looking at her lovingly and holding her close to him, it was clear for all to see he was in love.

“Hi Erin, how are you? You have been quiet.” I say to her trying to make an effort.

She soon retaliates by saying “Don’t patronise me Gill. You are sat there all high and mighty with your famous husband and your cushy job. I know that you will love trying to get your claws back into Alan before you leave.”

As I look her in the eye I explain to her “Erin, I have never been a threat to you and never will be. Why can you not see that Alan is so much in love with you, he would not still be with you if he was not?

“Alan and I were only together for a short period of time and we were friends until you ruined that and he became too scared to talk to me. I don’t want it to be that way. He is a good guy and deserves to be happy.

“I would have thought when I have been living in America for the past 3 years you would have forgotten about me and got over your jealousy. I don’t mean to sound harsh Erin but if you don’t be careful you will loose Alan completely and there will be no one else to blame but yourself.

“You seem a nice girl Erin so believe me when I say that I want nothing more than to be friends with you and Alan and for you both to be happy.”

At that I went back and sat where I had been before the boys went to the bar.

“I think the guys have gotten lost at the bar, do you think we should go and see where they are?” I said trying to lighten the mood.

Erin came round the table and sat down beside me.

“Gill, I am so sorry. I do not mean to be such a bitch towards you. Both my sister and mother have had their men cheat on them and I therefore become so scared that Alan will cheat on me too, I know that he loves me and only wants to be friends with you. I am just so insecure. How did you become so confident?” She asks with a tear in her eye.

“It took a lot of work Erin to get to where I am today, before I met Paul I was so down on myself but he loved me for what I was and he made me very happy. When he died I was devastated and thought that my whole world was going to crumble around me. I decided I could not be here anymore and I took the plunge and moved to America.

“When I first started working for the NHL I was the Office Manager for the Pittsburgh Penguins. I would do my own training every morning and a couple of the players joined me and that was when I was asked to do training on a regular basis for them and that is when I started being more confident.

“The players relied on me more and more and Sidney and I became very close. He rejected me to begin with and I found it very hard as my feelings for him kept growing no matter what I did it would not stop the feelings I was having for him but we got together eventually and he made me realise that it was ok to love again and our relationship got stronger and stronger by the day.

“We have press watching our every move and have fans wanting to see everything and know everything but because we love each other we learn to live with it all.

“Erin, I realise sometimes that things can be difficult but as I said before Alan loves you so much, that is very clear for anyone to see. You need to trust him and just go with the flow. I cannot guarantee that everything will work out but you have to give it your best shot.” I could see the boys standing in the distance but they could tell that now was not the time for them to come back to join us.

I turned around on the sofa so that I was facing Erin and took a hold of her hand.

“I know that we have never really seen eye to eye but I am here for you. I know that I don’t live local anymore but all you need to do is text me and I will phone you straight back.

“Please let your guard down and let Alan love you the way he wants too.”

Erin looked at me and let the tears fall from her eyes. I wiped them clear and gave her a hug.

“Thanks Gill. I am so sorry for being such a bitch to you. I promise I will try to let my guard down and be the girlfriend that Alan deserves. Thank you so much.”

I gave her my phone number and told her to call me whenever she needed me. I then nodded at Sidney so that he knew they were safe to come back.