Page 17 of Finding New Dreams

“Yeah,” she whispered, then cleared her throat and said more strongly, “Yes, it’s my studio and gallery.”

So my mystery woman was an artist as well? Then my gut feeling about fate connecting the two of us was spot-on. “Perfect. Are you free now?”

Her eyes widened with something that looked like panic. “No! Er, no, actually I have to help out a friend…”

I shrugged. “No worries. I’ll come by later.”

“And maybe you could fill out an application as well,” Gina added.

This time, both Rose and Chloe glared at her. Hunter sipped his coffee and watched with amused interest.

But I perked up, knowing when I was being thrown a bone. “Application? Are you hiring?” I asked Rose.

Hesitating a moment, she nodded. “Just an intern for a few months. Usually a student heading to college or taking a break from college. Unpaid,” she added quickly as if that would deter me.

I grinned and leaned across the counter to wink at her. “I’ll bring my résumé.”

Her face flushed, and she stood abruptly. “Okay, well, I have to get going. Dogs to walk, errands to run. I’ll talk to you all later.” She barely looked at me and sent Gina a pointed scowl instead. Gina merely waggled her fingers in an innocent wave.

Chloe walked Rose out, Hunter trailing after them.

“Thanks for that,” I told Gina, nodding after Rose.

She smiled, clacking her shimmery nails on the counter. “I like you, Flynn. But heaven help you if that ever changes.”

I put my hands up in surrender. “Reading you loud and clear. And I like you too.” Crossing my arms, I rested my elbows on the counter. “So what else can you tell me about Rose?”

She laughed and took a sip of her orange juice before answering. “I opened the door for you, lover boy. The rest is on you.” She cocked an eyebrow at me. “But from what I heard about last night, you don’t need much help.”

Smug satisfaction coiled in my chest. So Rose had confided in her friend about me. And if Gina was pushing us together, it must’ve been good.

I gave her a little bow. “Then I hope to see you again soon, Gina. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an interview to prep for.”

Her laughter followed me out of the kitchen as I hurried back to my bedroom. Thankfully, I didn’t bump into my sister or Hunter. They were probably canoodling in a closet somewhere. I didn’t want yet another lecture from Chloe, especially since she didn’t know half of what was going on with me. Or with me and Rose, for that matter.

That could all wait.

Right now, I had a nervous agent to appease and an interview to ace. Working with Rose in her lair—studio—could be the answer to my current predicament. And it came with a beautiful, intriguing perk.

6

ROSE

I literally ran from Chloe’s house.

As soon as I’d said goodbye to Chloe and Hunter and apologized for taking off so soon, my walk morphed into a run. I waved to neighbors and friends as I jogged past, and they all smiled back, thinking nothing was out of the ordinary. That I was simply Rose Rafferty, out for one of her runs around town.

I could only thank my lucky stars that I’d thought to put on jogging clothes and shoes. Otherwise, this run would look as panicked as it felt.

But I’d been prepared. Because I liked to be prepared. I wasn’t one for super-detailed schedules like Chloe, but knowing what I was walking into helped ease the pit of anxiety that never seemed to fully go away.

Preparation meant safety. Not like life or death, but safety from embarrassment or confrontation or disappointing someone. And lo and behold, I hadn’t been prepared for Flynn, and all three had happened.

Technically, Chloe wasn’t disappointed yet, but she probably would be when she realized I hadn’t been completely honest about knowing Flynn. But he hadn’t spoken up either.

Maybe he’d thought our meeting wasn’t a big deal.

But that didn’t seem right with how much he’d been flirting with me just now. Unless he was always like that. But then, wouldn’t he have flirted with Gina? He’d been nice, but not flirtatious.

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