Page 8 of Bed of Roses

“Lorraine is on holiday. It’s okay Colin, I’m just going to stay here until the doctors come. I want to make sure you’re ok.”

“My receptionist is here. Sally can look after it,” he looked up at Rose, who tried to smile through her tears.

“Of course I will, Mr. Fennech. But Loretta knows a bit of first aid so she’s going to stay too,” she assured him.

“Well, that dickhead can leave,” Colin snarled as he glared at Blake. “Don’t need workers like him if he’s going to be kissing the receptionist.”

Blake froze. Rose hiccupped and averted her eyes.

“When was that, Colin?” I asked icily.

“Yesterday. Told them to stop the carry on or I’d fire them both. It’s none of your business how I run my company, Loretta. You’ve ruined enough in my life.”

I stayed by Colin’s side until the paramedics came. He was stable and it must have just been a fall because his heart rate and breathing were fine. Blake returned home without a word a few minutes before me, leaving me with Rose. She was grabbing her purse, ready to accompany Colin in the ambulance.

“I’m so sorry, Harriet,” she said softly. “You’ve been nothing but kind to me. We didn’t mean for this to happen. It kind of just crept up on us. I need to go to Dad.” Her tone was uncertain, wavering. I left, hearing her pull the door shut behind me.

But I couldn’t leave without speaking to her.

“I hope Colin will be okay. But you need to remove yourself from our life. Stay the fuck away from me and my husband,” I said, my tone full of ice.

“Haz, it’s nothing. I promise. We both agreed we’re better as besties. I think if you really look deep inside yourself, you’ll realize you were freezing him out. Your experiences with your dad must have really affected you and you’re taking it out on him. But like I said, it’s nothing. It was never anything.” She shuffled off to the ambulance.

How dare she call me Haz.

My dad. My dad. He’d told her about my dad. All of a sudden, I hated Blake. I wanted to rip his face off and then go and cry for a week. Ripping his face off was too little. He needed his whole lying fucking head ripped off.

Chapter 7. Blake – Good intentions

Oh fuck. Haz was going to kill me. This would be the argument to end all arguments. When I’d returned Colin home with Rose this afternoon, she’d kissed me to thank me. It was right on the mouth and made me feel really uncomfortable.

I pulled back from her face.

“Whoa, Rose. Don’t do that. We’re not like that,” I said. I felt strange, like I was out of my body. I didn’t want Rose like this.

“Sorry … I guess I misread,” she said quietly, stepping back further.

“Yes, you did. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. I’m married. My wife is about to have a baby. We’re friends Rose, that’s it.”

“Yes, okay.”

I rubbed my face. Would I tell Haz? No, it would only cause her stress and nothing really happened. I felt nothing for Rose and now I’d set her straight. I left straight after that.

Shit. The texts and the kiss. It all added up to something that it really wasn’t. Had I been naïve? This would take a lot of explaining and groveling. I heard the door and steeled myself to be the most repentant man in the world.

She walked straight past me without a word. I followed her into the bedroom. She pulled out her suitcase and began packing. What? Where was she going? I’d been prepared for a fight, but not her leaving.

“What are you doing, Haz? We need to talk. We can’t do that if you leave. Stay, let’s talk,” I begged.

She turned to me.

“I’m going to Belle’s. I don’t want to look at your lying, cheating face right now.”

Okay, maybe she just needed some breathing space. I felt so bad for causing her this pain. A night with Belle is the least Icould give her. I hadn’t cheated, but I could see why she’d come to that conclusion.

“Okay, I’ll drive you. I don’t want you driving right now,” I said.

“Oh, why? Worried my daddy issues will affect my driving? Yes, Blake. She told me she knows all about my childhood. You’ve never even spoken to Mick about that. How could you do this to me?” She ended her statement with a sob, which turned into full-blown crying within seconds.

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