Page 19 of The Donor’s Dilemma

She doubted that idiot Toby would recognize her. Not if he kept his eyes glued to the woman whose leg he squeezed.

That piece of shit.

It had been a month since Cora admitted she suspected Toby-the-Flake might be playing away, but she forbade Verity from doing anything. Her friendship was too important to risk, especially if she was wrong. It had been hard to stand by and watch her friend suffer. Why did men like Toby always find the brightest lights?

Last night she’d had enough. Sweet carefree Cora had cried over this scumbag. He came home late, and Verity saw it all. Apparently, he was out looking for jobs, but she didn’t believe him for a second.

So, when he hung his jacket up and ran upstairs to shower, Verity hatched her plan. She didn’t tell Cora, she felt bad for that but couldn’t risk her friend saying no. Instead, she fished the FindMe coin from her handbag. The handy gadget, connected to her phone, meant for finding lost things. She’d also been known to use it for a touch of illegal tracking.

When she hugged Cora goodbye, cursing Toby like she always did, she brushed past the hanging jackets, slipping the coin into his breast pocket. It had been too easy.

Now, she sat across the coffee shop, watching him make gooey eyes with some woman. His companion laughed at something he said and Verity’s stomach churned. She normally enjoyed the chase, but watching the scene in front of her and knowing she was going to upset her friend wasn’t fun in the slightest.

The woman got ready to leave and Verity pulled out her phone, pretending to read something on the screen. Sure enough, Toby stood and kissed her, not bothering to hide it in the crowded coffee shop.

The fucking nerve of this guy!

She let them leave before packing her things away and heading out, walking straight for Cora. Gods, she was dreading this.

A few customers were sat in the Corner Cafe when she arrived, which was nice to see. Her friend sat by the counter on her laptop, oblivious to the world.

Despite her pounding heart, Verity held her head up, breathing deep. It was going to be a long night, but this needed to be done first.

“Hey, babe.” Verity smiled, approaching the counter and taking a stool beside Cora.

“Hey,” her friend said, offering a pathetic excuse for a smile, shoulders slumped.

“What’s up?” Verity asked, resting what she hoped was a comforting hand on her back.

Cora looked around the room, eyes rimmed with silver. “I don’t know how long I can keep it,” she whispered.

“Keep what?” Verity asked, pulling her friend a little closer.

“The café. My dad ran it for years and now I’m screwing it up.” A tear broke free.

“How are you screwing it up? Business is bad right now. That’s not your fault.” People struggled to pay their bills; never mind going out to eat.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s all going tits-up,” she rested her head on Verity’s shoulder. “I don’t know what to do.”

Verity didn’t know either, so she settled for a hug.

“If you need help, I’m doing okay at the minute,” she offered.

“Don’t waste your money on me,” Cora said, wiping her eyes. “Maybe I should join the Exchange too.”

“Hmm, maybe.” The word came out a little higher than it should have and Cora pulled back to look at her.

“Everything okay with sexy Theo?” Cora asked.

“First off, for the millionth time, don’t call him sexy.”

Cora smirked.

Verity went on. “Secondly, some of the other donors are a bit… weird. I dunno, sometimes it’s fine and sometimes it feels a bit off.”

Cora hummed thoughtfully. “Well, right now, it might be that or lose the cafe.”

“I guess it’s something to think about,” Verity said, though she wasn’t keen on her friend joining.