17. Rosie
17
ROSIE
“ Y ou’re back from Dubai,” I say, popping my head into Ivy’s office.
“Yes, come sit down, close the door behind you,” she says, so, I do.
“How was it? I bet you had the best time. I saw your photos on your socials, it looks magical.”
“The place is amazing. The level of opulence and innovation is mind-blowing. The meeting went well, and I think we can come to an arrangement. They are aiming for the office to be open in months not years. Things work quickly in Dubai.”
Oh, wow that is fast.
“I know a lot has happened in a short time with you personally and you probably haven’t thought much about what we spoke about before I left. But have you had a chance to think about Dubai?”
“It does sound exciting …”
“But your mind has been elsewhere.” I nod. “How is everything then?”
“Emily is doing so much better.”
“And how are you?”
“I’m doing good,” I answer.
“I’m here if you need anything. I mean it, please don’t be shy my door is always open.” I nod. “I just heard that you’re working on the Kent house for Daniel.”
I swallow. “Yes, I am.” My palms start to sweat as I try and remain as neutral as I can regarding him.
“It looks like such a gorgeous house. I think you’re the perfect person for the job. He mentioned how much he liked the Suffolk house.”
“Yeah, we’ve gone over some concepts. I haven’t had a chance to get down there with everything that’s been going on.”
“Don’t think it’s been Daniel’s priority either. I’m sure the project will be full steam ahead when he gets back from New York.” Ivy smiles.
“I’m looking forward to the project,” I tell her.
“You should, it’s a stunning property, I can’t wait to see what you do. Now, please take the time to think about my offer regarding Dubai. It’s a lot of me to ask you to move half-way across the world and if it isn’t something you see yourself doing that is okay too. Saying no won’t harm your place in the London office,” Ivy reassures me.
“I haven’t been to many places. I grew up in a fishing village on the coast, and there wasn’t a lot of money for overseas vacations. Us going to see our cousins in Ireland was the extent of my travel experience,” I confess.
Ivy’s face softens. “Aw, now I understand. You know what I think? You’ve given me a brilliant idea. I’m assuming everyone has traveled like me, but I think there are many people in this office who haven’t. For the people who are interested in relocating maybe we need to take an office tour of Dubai and see if they could picture themselves living there. We have so many clients in Dubai, we might do a catch up with them, too.”
“That sounds amazing, count me in.” Career-wise, I know Dubai will be a game changer, but moving half-way across the world to somewhere unknown and different to my life here in London is daunting.
“Perfect, let’s talk again in a couple of weeks. I’ll have more information by then.”
It’s Saturday night, and I’ve called the girls over because it’s been days since Daniel visited, and Emily still hasn’t mentioned once about him being here or offering her New York. Daniel told me that she broke down in his arms and he consoled her, and that when he left, he felt optimistic about it, but he still hasn’t heard from her.
“I so need this girl’s night. Work sucks.” Georgia sighs.
“What’s going on?” I ask, pouring her a glass of champagne, while Ava and Emily plate up our Indian takeout.
“I went for a promotion at work, and I found out yesterday that they gave the Social Media Manager’s position to the club owner’s grandson. A guy that has no idea how to run the social media of a premier league football club.”
“That’s bullshit,” I say.
“I know. He starts next week. No one is looking forward to that.”
“Your talents are wasted there,” Ava calls out from the kitchen as she walks in with bowls of food.
“I need the money.” Georgia groans.
“You guys were able to find me a job, I’m sure we can find you one.” Emily smiles as she takes a seat, placing the basket of Naan on the table.
“She’s right. I can ask around at work if anyone knows of any suitable vacancies,” Ava states. Seeing as she works for a huge PR and influencer company, Ava might be the perfect person to help Georgia.
“Yeah, I’d appreciate that, hun,” Georgia says.
We dig into dinner and chat about mundane things for a while until Ava drops a bomb.
“I heard Daniel came over,” Ava says as she pours herself a wine.
Shit.
“How would you know that?” Emily asks before her eyes narrow on me.
Busted.
“Rosie told me,” Ava says.
Gee, thanks.
“And how would Rosie know?” Emily questions me.
“He came into work,” I tell her.
“You never told me that,” Ava says.
“My boss is his best friend’s fiancée. I told you that.”
She nods. “Was that the only time?” Ava asks.
“We’ve spoken a couple of times since we got back. He’s been worried about Emily. He just wanted to check in while giving you some space.”
“Is something happening between the two of you?” Ava question.
“What? No.” I can feel my cheeks burning as the lies fall from my lips.
“Do you want something to happen?” Ava’s eyes narrow on me.
“No, you’re the one with a crush on him.”
“Only because I didn’t know you were interested.” Ava smirks.
“I’m not interested,” I lie.
“He’s pretty hot,” Georgia adds.
“And his accent is delicious,” Ava chimes in with a smirk.
“Guys, come on. He’s a friend of my boss, nothing more.”
“How can you not have a crush on him?” Ava states, fanning herself.
“I’m not going to deny he’s a good-looking guy.”
“And?” Georgia pushes.
“And nothing.”
“You’re saying you wouldn’t say yes if he asked you out?” Emily now chimes in.
“No. Ava’s the one with a crush on him,” I reiterate, wondering why my friends are suddenly pestering me about my love life.
“That’s before I knew you and he have something brewing,” Ava says.
“We don’t have anything brewing,” I argue.
“He didn’t message me to check in on Emily.” Georgia smirks.
“Me either, even though I wish he had.” Ava giggles.
“I was probably the easiest to get a hold of because of where I work.”
“Hang on, didn't you say you hooked up with a guy from your boss’ party?” Emily says.
My face drops, I thought Emily would have forgotten that tidbit. “No.”
“That’s right. You said it was the best sex of your life.” Georgia smirks.
“You guys have lost your minds,” I say, walking toward the kitchen and grabbing another bottle of wine.
“Totally him,” Georgia whispers to Emily but I can hear her.
“So, what did Daniel want?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Oh. Yeah, about that. He wants me to join Louis in New York to showcase my art.” The room falls silent. “Apparently, Louis showed him my art in Ibiza. He pretended he didn’t know the artist to see what Daniel’s real reaction would be. He loved it and wanted to sign the artist right there and then.”
“That’s amazing, Ems,” Ava says excitedly.
“Louis asked Daniel to find out if the gallery owner would allow him to share the space with me in New York. After looking at my work, the gallery said yes.”
“This is huge,” I tell her, pretending I didn’t already know.
“And what do you think?” Georgia asks.
“I don’t know. It feels like the wrong time with everything going on. I don’t know if I’m up for it,” Emily confesses.
“You have us here. We will be with you every step of the way,” I say, giving her hand a squeeze. There is no way in hell the three of us are going to miss out on her exhibition, even if I have to sell my soul to the devil to get there.
Emily’s eyes glisten. “I showed Daniel the art I have been working on in the studio. He loved this new direction.”
“Did you show him that piece you did of you and Louis?” I ask.
“Yeah. I gave it to him to give to Louis.”
“You did?”
“If it helps him stay out of the darkness,” Emily states and my heart breaks for her.
“Aw, that’s nice of you.” Ava smiles.
“I think you should do it,” I tell her.
“That’s because it gives you an excuse to stay in touch with Daniel,” Georgia teases.
My eyes narrow at Georgia. “You deserve this. You’re so ridiculously talented, and you haven’t had many, if any, breaks over the years. If anyone deserves this, you do.”
“I’m only getting it because I slept with Louis.” Emily huffs.
“What? No, you’re not. Do you seriously think Louis or Daniel would do you this sort of favor simply because they know you?” I question her.
“You said Louis showed Daniel your art without him knowing it was you. You got this on your own merit. Why not take a chance?” Ava asks.
“Also, the gallery isn’t going to take a chance on an unknown if you're crap,” Georgia says sternly.
“After everything you’ve been through over the years, you deserve this break,” I tell her.
Emily starts to cry. Shit, did we push her too far? “I want to take a chance, but I’m scared, guys,” she confesses.
“You have us,” Ava reassures me.
“We’ll help you get to where you need to be. If that means we have to get you coffee so you can work all night, or buy you paints, we’ll do it,” Georgia tells her.
“I’m sorry, guys. I said those horrible things to you all, you didn’t deserve that. You were trying to help me, and I threw it all back in your faces,” Emily apologizes.
We let her down in Paris. I would have screamed and called us every name under the sun, too, if I’d been drugged and kidnapped by some vengeful asshole who wanted to take advantage of me, and my friends were having too much fun to notice.
“What happened was disgusting, and you were in shock. We don’t hold a grudge over your words,” I reassure her.
“But it wasn’t your fault, and I took it out on you all.”
“You needed to blame someone to make sense of it all. We understand, and we’re happy to take your angry outbursts as long as it helps you. We all love you, and we knew you were hurting. We’ve all been so worried about you,” Georgia tells her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you all,” she says.
“You were processing, we understand that. You take all the time you need. We’ll always be here for you,” Ava says.
“I love you guys.”
“We love you, too.”
“One day at a time … that’s the only way for me to move forward,” Emily says.
“Then we’ll be there every step of the way. One day at a time if that’s what it takes, right beside you,” I say, hugging her.
“But I do have a question?” Ava asks. “What about Louis?”
“Yeah, every day he sends you sunflowers,” I say, looking at the flowers surrounding my living room.
“I’m going to work on myself, and focus on my art.”
“But he’s going to be in New York?” Georgia says.
“Fingers crossed, I have my shit together by then so there’s a chance we might be able to start again,” Emily confesses.
This is progress from never again to possibly starting over.
“Louis will wait for you, I’m sure of it,” I tell her.
She gives me a small smile.
“Like Daniel will wait for Rosie,” Georgia teases. I flip her off. Which makes her laugh.
“What about you and Matthieu? You seemed to have clicked while we were there,” I question Georgia.
“He was all I had to talk to as we watched the love triangle between the three of you.”
“That’s not fair. I didn’t know there was a history between Rosie and Daniel.” Ava pouts.
“You know Georgia is going to keep pushing until you break. And you’re going to break.” Emily giggles.
I stare at my three friends, and the secret that I’ve been hiding from them for months now starts bubbling to the surface, and I burst out crying.
“Shit, I broke her.” I hear Georgia curse.
“We were only teasing, Rosie,” Ava says as she wraps her arm around my shoulders.
“Babe, is everything okay?” Emily asks.
I shake my head. “I’ve been keeping a secret, and I can’t do it anymore.”
“Whatever it is, we love you,” Georgia says, reaching and touching my knee as I look up into my best friend’s face. I don’t think I’ve ever kept a secret from them, actually I’ve got a couple. I’m a horrible friend.
“We need shots, liquid courage,” Ava calls out as she jumps up, rushes over to the cabinet, and grabs the tequila bottle. “Screw it, we are drinking it from the bottle,” she says, bringing it back to where I’m seated. “Here,” she says, shoving the bottle into my hand.
Maybe she’s right, I do need a bit of liquid courage. I open the bottle and take a sip, shivering as the alcohol hits the back of my throat and starts to burn.
“Feel better?” Ava asks.
“Not really.” I chuckle.
“It’s stopped you crying so that’s a start.” She grins as she takes a swig and then passes it on to Georgia and Emily, then they all look at me expectantly.
“You were right, Daniel was my one-night stand.” The room erupts into squeals, and I told you so’s. But I do feel lighter after finally telling them. “I’m sorry I lied to you,” I say to Ava.
“Girl, please, I was bored, and he was there, it wasn’t that deep,” she states before wrapping her arms around me and hugging me tightly. “I knew his dick was going to be good,” she teases.
“Wait, did you know who he was when I got the job?” Emily asks.
I shake my head. “No, that was pure coincidence. The first time I realized who he was, was when he stepped off the private plane to greet us.” Ava and Georgia let out gasps.
“Knew something was off.” Georgia smirks at me.
“Why didn’t you tell me to back off? I feel like a bit of a dick knowing I was trying to hit on your man,” Ava asks.
“He’s not my man.”
“Do you want him to be your man?” Emily asks.
“You two could be sisters, if you got married to Daniel and Louis,” Georgia adds before bursting out laughing.
“He’s a client now. I’m doing his cottage in Kent.”
The room falls silent.
“He’s hired you?” Georgia questions me.
“Yeah, he saw a house I did in Suffolk on my socials and wants something like that. We haven’t had a chance to do much, but we will when we get back from New York,” I explain to them.
“And that’s why you’ve been keeping him at a distance,” Ava adds.
“Yeah.”
“This is wild,” Emily says, shaking her head.
“Have you hooked up with him since the first time?” Georgia asks.
My silence is all I need for my friends to erupt into giggles again. “We hooked up in France, but that’s been the only time. I told him it can never happen again. I literally drew a line in the dirt and told him he needs to stay on one side and me on the other.”
“That doesn’t sound like fun,” Ava states.
“He’s my client. I can’t have people thinking I go around sleeping with clients, that would ruin my reputation.”
“No one needs to know.” Ava smirks.
“I would.”
“You have more self-control than I do.” Ava grins.
“What’s going to happen in New York then?” Emily asks.
“Nothing. We are friends and have a professional relationship.”
“And when he’s no longer a client?” Georgia asks.
“Then we will be friends.”
“Because he’s friends with your boss?” Emily questions.
“Yes. You know how much I look up to Ivy. I don’t think she would take too kindly to me dating her friend.”
“Has she said anything?” Georgia asks.
“The first time I met him she warned him not to touch me,” I tell them.
“Bummer,” Emily says.
“You said you were hiding a couple of secrets, or was it all Daniel?” Ava asks.
“No there’s more.” Georgia and Emily gasp. “This is for the vault, actually Daniel is, too. I mean it guys, in New York, please don’t say anything,” I say, pointing to my friends. They all cross their hearts. “Ivy has been asked to open an office in Dubai and is considering me for it.”
The room falls silent. The only noise I can hear is my heart thumping in my chest.
“No fucking way, that is incredible,” Ava says.
“Dubai? That’s so far,” Georgia adds.
“I know,” I say.
“And you’re interested?” Emily asks. I nod as I nibble my bottom lip with worry. “You should do it.”
“I agree,” Ava adds.
“It’s so far but what an opportunity,” Georgia states.
I burst out crying at my friend’s support.
“We are so proud of you, Rosie,” Ava says, giving me a squeeze. “Emily is exhibiting in New York, and you might be going to Dubai.”
“And I hate my job.” Georgia moans.
“No. Something better is coming for you, the universe hasn’t produced it yet,” Ava explains to Georgia. “And because you bitches have inspired me, I’m going to see if I can have a meeting with the New York office while we are there and see if there are any opportunities for me.”
“Wait, you want to move to New York?” I ask her.
Ava nods. “It was always a dream to live there, but I never wanted to leave you girls,” she confesses. Oh, wow. “I thought if they put a face to my name that I might have a chance if any openings come up.”
“This is huge, Ava. Fingers crossed,” I tell her.
“Thanks, babe. You, too.”