Page 59 of Just Do It
‘Bella, I have no axe to grind with you. I am truly pleased for you. Friedrich is an accomplished archaeologist and I’m sure you will get a lot from the experience. Obviously I will be sad to lose you from the team but we all have to do what’s best for us.’
‘And for you, that seems to be Finn.’ She raised an eyebrow and I concentrated on keeping things professional.
‘Your news is for you to discuss with Inis. As your direct supervisor, I admit I hoped you’d feel that you could come to me if you’d been considering a move.’
‘And I’d have thought you would have told me that you were seeing Finn instead of letting me think he was available.’
‘That’s personal, Bella. I was referring to work.’
‘It’s personal with me and Friedrich too, so I guess we’re even.’
‘I’m sorry that you think it’s a competition. Perhaps we could move on now?’
‘I suppose.’
‘I’ll let you have your privacy,’ I said, standing from my desk, taking what I needed and heading out of my office. I stopped at the ladies to splash my face and wrists with cold water. My face felt flushed with discomfort from the confrontation. I liked Bella although she had been known to take offence at the slightest thing on more than one occasion and now she was upset I hadn’t called her into the toilets to gossip about Finn. But that wasn’t me. Colette always said getting anything out of me was like getting blood out of a stone, unless it was quite literally ancient history. Besides, what would I say? Oh Bella, you know the guy you’re lusting after, well, a) he thinks you’re way too young for him, and b), we’re seeing each other after I met him at the pub when I was very drunk and went back to his place.
Yeah, that was never going to happen.
I walked out of the loos, head down, lost in thought and bumped straight into a familiar, very solid chest that smelled like heaven.
‘Oh, sorry!’
Finn looked down. ‘You were miles away.’
I shook my head as I began walking towards my destination in a different part of the museum. Finn fell into step beside me. ‘Bella.’
‘Oh, for God’s sake, what’s her problem?’
‘You, I think for the most part.’
‘Oh?’
‘I told you she had the hots for you.’
He gave a shrug. ‘Not my type, like I said.’
‘What is your type, out of interest?’ I asked, looking up at him.
‘Honestly, I don’t think I have one. I’ve no idea why I said that. But the end result is that it isn’t her I’m interested in.’
‘See? That’s the problem.’
‘What about old Friedrich?’
I shrugged. ‘Don’t ask me. Strangely, I don’t think the fact she’s seeing someone is relevant.’
Finn let out a sigh. ‘Some people need to wake up and realise that life isn’t fair. We don’t always get what we want and that’s just how it is. Not everyone gets a trophy.’
I frowned as I looked back up at him. The conversation seemed to have touched a nerve.
‘Is everything OK?’
‘Yeah, sorry.’ He made a comical little hop to the side. ‘Off the soapbox now.’
Laughing, I brushed the side of my hand against his. Almost instinctively he caught his little finger around mine. ‘I’m assuming from the fact I didn’t get a kiss when you walked into my chest, that we’re still doing the “not at work” thing.’
I curled my finger tighter, squeezing it for a second. ‘I’m more than happy for people to know, if they happen to find out.’ Finn pressed a button on the wall to call the lift down to the basement. ‘I just value my privacy.’
