Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Rose

As soon as Phillip pulls out of the car park, I'm assaulted by visions of all the ways this could go wrong, especially when he appears to be going the wrong way.

"Home is that way." I jab my thumb in the opposite direction.

"This route's quicker. Your taxi driver was padding their fare if they brought you out here that way."

A reasonable explanation, but a practiced abductor would have excuses handy. I fire off a quick text to Aria letting her know Phillip's driving me home. Just in case . Phillip turns on the radio and classic rock filters out from the speakers at a low volume.

I doubt dimples over there is actually a serial killer, but you always hear about people who say "they seemed so normal" when their neighbours are arrested. It's possible I watch too many crime dramas but they're just so good . I can't do true crime because it's too scary but I like the ones where the police have to profile the criminals and speculate on the reasons why they've done whatever crime they're being chased down for.

When I start recognising the streets we're on, I calm down for real. Phillip clears his throat, his grip on the steering wheel tightening for a moment before he forces himself to relax.

"Do you…?" He shifts uncomfortably then tries again. "Would you be interested in joining in with more of the project?" My brow furrows and I cock my head.

"How so?"

"When Aria first approached me, it sounded like if this first show of hers does well, she'd like to do more in the future, that'll mean more sets. I know you only agreed to work on this one as a favour but I thought you might like to see how the whole process works in case she asks you to do another one down the line."

"That's actually a really good idea. I'm not sure she'll ask me to do another one though, it will depend on how this one turns out." I shrug apologetically.

"Well, it can't hurt to be prepared?" he presses.

"I guess not…" I bite my lip, mulling it over. "Yeah, I'd like to learn if you're sure you're happy to teach me, I know this is a first for you too."

"It's not a problem." Phillip waves off my concern, one hand still on the wheel. "What Aria's asking for isn't all that complicated. I might not have built a set before but I've done my research. We'll be fine," he assures me.

"Alright, just don't expect me to use any power tools."

"No worries there, I'd like to keep all of my limbs right where they are." He smirks at me and I roll my eyes at his teasing.

"How did it go today?" I look up from the bowl of stir-fried vegetables and noodles I've been demolishing to find Aria entering the kitchen.

"It was fine. We got almost everything we needed but had to order the wood panels in. Phillip's going to let me know when they arrive so we can get started."

"We? Surely there won't be anything for you to do right away?"

"Actually, he asked if I'd like to be involved in the whole process so I can see what goes into building a set, just in case you need me to design another one down the line. I told him that wasn't likely to happen but it sounds interesting so I didn't think it could hurt. You've already covered all of my party bookings anyway."

"You're getting on well then?" she asks, taking the seat opposite me at our small kitchen table. "I thought I noticed some sparks between you the other day." She smiles and I choke on a mouthful of noodles at her insinuation.

"There are no sparks," I wheeze, reaching for my glass of water.

"Come on, Rose, there was definitely something there, I saw the way he looked at you when I introduced the two of you."

I sigh knowing it's time for me to tell her everything.

"I… actually have a confession to make." Resting my fork on the side of my bowl, I decide to just dive right in. "I kind of yelled at a guy in the supermarket over a misunderstanding last Saturday night. But then he was really nice about it and even let me have the last tub of ice cream," I blurt out then shove another forkful in my mouth to keep me from rambling. A shocked laugh escapes Aria.

"How does one kind of yell at somebody? Feels like more of a you did or you didn't situation. And what does that have to do with Phillip?" Eyes widening with mounting horror she asks, "Wait, was he the?—"

"Yes," I interrupt. "I yelled at Phillip in the supermarket before we officially met. I yell at strangers now," I admit, throwing up my hands in defeat.

"I'm going to need you to tell me everything." She leans forward, a devilish glint in her crystal-blue eyes.

A full three minutes later, I finished recounting my tale of humiliation (I checked the microwave clock) and Aria is still laughing at me. Every time I think she's done, another laugh escapes.

"You could at least pretend to not be enjoying this so much."

"Could I?" she asks before releasing another cackle. It's good to hear her laugh, even if it is at my expense. Lately she's been working so hard to expand Dreamer Entertainment that she doesn't allow much time for anything else. Even her beloved romance books have been replaced by hefty tomes with titles like ‘ 10 Ways to Scale Your Business' and ‘ Small Business to Business Empire '. It's a lot . Hanging out at Bel's yesterday was a start but I need to convince her to take a proper break soon.

After another minute, Aria finally gets her breathing under control.

"Whew, I needed that." She grins at me and I offer a flat expression in return.

"So glad I could help," I reply drily. Admittedly, I'll probably be able to laugh about the whole thing eventually but right now it's still too fresh.

"Sorry, I'm done." Lifting her hands in surrender she settles back into her seat. "And I'm sorry for unintentionally ambushing you with someone you hoped you'd never run into again, but I am proud of you for standing up for yourself even if it did kind of backfire. Thank God he didn't refuse to work with you. There's no way I could have found another new artist on such short notice."

I pin her with a look . "Really? That's your take away here?"

"Sorry," she replies sheepishly. "He's really being cool about it then? You don't need help smoothing things over?"

"You know at first, I thought he was only playing nice because he really wanted the job, but now I think he's actually just unbothered by it." I cross my arms. "It's kind of weird."

"Only you would find someone being forgiving suspicious."

I raise an incredulous brow at her. "Can you blame me?"

"Rose," she begins softly, gently taking my hand in hers. "I know Malcolm was a manipulative shit, it's completely understandable that you're exercising a little extra caution, but not every guy is out to mess with your head."

"I know." I sigh.

"Phillip sounds like a good guy. Genuine. Solid. And he gets bonus points for not spilling your supermarket secret at our meeting. It couldn't hurt to get to know him a little better while you're working together." Aria shrugs and I stare back, mouth agape. Is she joking?

"I'm just glad we've landed on good terms after how we met. Today was fun but hoping for anything more than a pleasant working relationship is pushing it."

"I wouldn't be so sure. He seemed pretty taken with you on Monday and inviting you to shadow him for the whole building process is absolutely an excuse to spend more time with you." She smirks knowingly.

"As my boss, isn't it inappropriate for you to encourage me to pursue a co-worker?"

"Technically, yes. But we were friends before I became your boss so it doesn't count. Also, you're only working together for a few weeks, then it's a non-issue."

"It's already a non-issue because it's not happening," I snap. Her smile falls and I instantly feel guilty for taking my frustration out on the one person who's been there for me through everything. "I'm just not sure I'm ready yet," I explain softly.

"Alright, but you have to put yourself back out there eventually. You can't hide forever."

She has a point—one she's been bringing up more often recently but, despite being a little pissed off to learn Malcolm already has a new girlfriend, I'm not ready to start dating again. With my long, honey-blonde waves, green eyes and fair skin that stays on the right side of pale unless I have a flare-up, I'm what a lot of people consider to be conventionally attractive. But Malcolm knocked my confidence in a way that's more than just skin-deep. It started with little things that I let slide, not wanting to cause a problem, but months into our relationship I looked up and barely recognised the person I'd become.

After a lot of soul-searching, I can see Malcolm for the narcissist he really is. But that doesn't mean I'm willing to risk falling into that trap again. Focusing on getting my painting career back on track is the most important thing right now. Dating can wait.

"It's just not a good time." I shake my head. "Besides I really don't think Phillip's interested, he's just being friendly."

"OK. Just be open to the possibility, that's all I'm saying."

"Fine. I'll keep an open mind but I'm telling you, you're wrong."

Aria drops it after that, even though I can tell she wants to keep pushing. Maybe once I find my footing with my art again, I'll give dating another try. Right now, it's too risky. I can't say Malcolm broke my heart, but he did his best to break my spirit. That's been hard enough to come back from. If I put my trust in someone else, only for them to treat me the same way? I'm not sure I'd ever fully recover.