Page 23 of Trusting the Fall

No recollection of you, sir. Pass. I delete the message and notice another one left unread.

SEAN OR SHAUN?: Hey babe. Looking to have your world rocked again? Hit me up.

Ew. Seriously. Surely these men had more game than this before I gave them my number. This is just sad. I delete this travesty from my phone and my mind while I brace for the last unread message.

My heart races as I take in the name on the screen. The last time he came over, he demanded my phone so he could put his number in there. He was adamant when he left that I was to call him if I needed release. No going to a bar, no looking for other men. If I needed to get off, he was there.

I open the message, and there’s a photo of a lunchbox with what looks like a home-cooked meal. There’s an arm resting on the table beside it, deliciously golden and veiny with a black beaded bracelet wrapped around a thick wrist.

THE ONLY VIKING YOU NEED: Look what I got, Mama’s beef stew. Turns out it’s my second favourite thing to eat. Your beautiful pussy earns the top spot now.

I purse my lips, trying to fight the laugh that wants to burst free. I stare at the words, imagining him sitting wherever he is in his normal life and thinking about me.

ME: Is that all I am to you Lover Boy. A meal?

Dots dance on my screen immediately, while my foot bounces on the rung of the stool.

THE ONLY VIKING YOU NEED: You’re more like an Oreo. I like to split you down the middle and lick out the centre. And one is definitely not enough. I always enjoy some dessert after dinner. Are you on the menu tonight, Bombshell?

It happens outside of my control, the burst of laughter. When I notice the startled look on Lex’s face, I clear my throat, reigning in the fizzing in my stomach.

“Just a funny meme.” She doesn’t look convinced.

ME: I’ll leave the door unlocked *cookie emoji*

10

“Hey,Claire!Youjustmissed the boss man.”

“Oh, what a shame,” I say with absolutely no sincerity at all as I step through the back doors to Parlour Tricks Beauty.

“It’s all good.” Westley laughs. “You still came at a good time. He dropped off some paint samples for you to look at.”

Nowthatis something I'm excited about. I push my sunglasses on top of my head as I take in my new staffroom.

“Wow!” Last week when I came in, it was just timber frames marking out the space.

Now that the frames are lined with plasterboard, I can see how little sunlight comes through here. There’s enough filtering in for the staffroom, but I’ll bet the main floor and classroom will look even better.

There’s a pit in my stomach as I realise I could have made a mistake sticking with my original floor plan. I guess Lee was right. The bastard.

“Lee left the samples in the front so you can see them in better light,” Westley says.

I follow slowly, ducking my head into the storeroom and bathroom as we pass.

When I step out of the back hallway, I come straight into the salon floor overlooking Main Street and my favourite little bakery, Sweet Escape.

The powder blue exterior and awning couldn’t be more perfect out my front window.

I’m again left feeling so thankful I listened to Lex in waiting for the right space in this part of the city to open up.

When I turn to my left, a gasp leaves unbidden from my mouth. My feet move on their own accord to the classroom where I’ll run masterclasses for learning beauty tips and tricks, and maybe events like hens nights or birthday pamper parties.

As I tentatively approach the double doorway, it’s like my heart can sense what my head wasn’t ready to acknowledge.

I step fully into the room, and my jaw drops when I take in the wide-open space.

The street-facing window overlooks the towering purple jacaranda trees that line the median strip.

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