Turning to Stone (Heart of Stone: Book 2)

Chapter 10: Flowers

Chapter 10: Flowers

A week off work would usually be something to celebrate, but it tasted different when as a result of a suspension. Nevertheless, I synced my calendar with Gabby's shifts, determined to make the most of it.

When we met for breakfast on Tuesday morning, I brought her up to speed on the latest development with Ed. She hung onto every word as she munched on her Eggs Benedict. Rather than mirroring my own optimism, though, uncertainty clouded her heart-shaped face.

"I don't know, Soph..." She put down her cutlery and reached for her mug. "Sounds like a recipe for disaster. I thought you'd already agreed on boundaries?"

Lowering my eyes, I scraped marmalade over a fresh slice of toast, then cut it into two perfectly triangular halves, all to delay answering. I could always rely on honesty from Gabby—and this time it was intentional rather than just a lack of tact.

"Maybe I've been kidding myself these past few months," I said. "We told each other we wouldn't be friends, but I felt like they were just hollow words for the sake of my job."

Gabby peered at me over her the rim of her mug as she took a sip of tea. Setting it back down on the table, she nodded.

"I thought it was a bit weird, to be honest," she said. "You were so close before, and the time and effort you both invested into repairing your friendship after... Well, you know. That kind of history doesn't just disappear, despite your best intentions."

"Hence the revised arrangement. We're not pretending to ignore it now. We're just keeping it out of work."

"And that'll be easy, will it?" She quirked a pointy blonde eyebrow.

"Nothing about his life is easy, but I knew what I was signing up for. He's worth it, anyway."

Somehow that eyebrow seemed to arch even higher. It was too late to backtrack, though. And besides, I meant it. Not a day had gone by where I regretted taking the job. For the first time in years, I wasn't stressing over money or dreading Monday mornings, but how much of that was due to a subconscious desire to be closer to Ed?

"Enough about me." I plastered on a smile and pushed the thought away. "Do you have plans for Charlotte's birthday?"

Gabby's face fell. "I was hoping to get tickets to Hattie Steele's tour, but she's not performing at the stadium and everywhere else sold out in seconds."

"Charlotte a big fan?"

"Obsessed. But I've had to abandon that idea. I'm thinking a weekend away instead. Spa break in Durham with a mad night out in Newcastle. She has school friends up there, so I'm secretly trying to co-ordinate dates where they can surprise her. That'd be fun, right?"

My heart warmed at her thoughtfulness. The pair of them had fallen in love almost instantly after meeting in a club, and while Becca and I had initially warned Gabby about succumbing to the honeymoon phase, they had enjoyed eighteen months together so far without any major bumps. Even better, they both seemed equally enamoured with each other and just as devoted to making one another happy.

"Sounds perfect. Make the most of the mad nights out before you outgrow them."

Gabby scoffed, and her cherry-red lips scrunched into a smirk. "Like you're outgrowing them, you mean?"

"Touché. But I'm getting sex out of mine."

"So am I. And I guarantee the relationship sex I'm getting is much better than your two-minute stands with guys who don't know where a clitoris is."