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“And what do you expect me to say? ‘I love you, but not like that’?”
“That would work. It’s to the point.” Carly frowns. “I’m in this house with you, so I would like to have some harmony here.”
“I thought we had harmony.”
“Not when I can sense the tension coming from Ben. He’s going to make a move soon, and you’re going to end up turning him down. That will just make things worse.”
“Telling him I don’t care for him in that way is going to do the same thing,” I point out.
“This should have been sorted out years ago.”
I don’t respond. I know she’s right. I sensed something change between Ben and myself while I was struggling to learn how to be a mom without my mom around, but I didn’t want to address it. Maybe I should have, so Ben wouldn’t have dealt with this for years. This is my fault, I know that much.
I’ve made a mess, and I don’t know how to clear it up without hurting people.
And this is something I don’t want to think about right now. I have an important job to do, and I have to get on with it. Putting the cloth I had been using to clean in the washing machine, I walk past Carly towards the hall.
“I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Diane said I didn’t have to worry about anything after this shoot, but it’s going to take quite a while.”
“I’m sure you won’t mind, given you’ll be around several burly football players.” Carly sighs. “I’m really jealous. Some of those guys…wow.”
She fans herself. I shake my head with a smile as I find my coat and bag.
“It’s not going to be that arousing, trust me.”
“I don’t know about that. Plenty of hot guys to drool over.” Carly pushes off the table and follows me into the hall. “Just remember what I said, Elle. You and Ben need a talk sooner rather than later. Otherwise both of you are going to get hurt, and I don’t want my best friends to fracture.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” I don’t look at her as I head towards the door. “Hopefully, I’ll be back before Amy is. I’ll get takeout tonight.”
“Make it Chinese, and I’ll stop bothering you about this.”
I acknowledge this and head out to my car. I wish Carly hadn’t mentioned anything about Ben now; it’s all I’ll be able to think about, and it’s going to be distracting. It’s not that I don’t like Ben. He is my best friend, after all, and he’s a great guy. He will make any woman happy.
It just won’t be me. I feel like that I don’t have the capability to do what he wants of me. It wouldn’t be fair on him if I tried when I’m not prepared for it.
I don’t want to think about this anymore. It’s just going to put me in a low mood, and I can’t be at work today with a scowl on my face. I have to be bright and upbeat. The Cleveland Bulldogs were coming for a photoshoot with their new owners, along with an interview that one of the most popular sports journalists was undertaking. I have to be on hand for everything, and we will get paid handsomely.
This is not the type of job I can walk around in a bad mood.
I get to the studio and head up to our room. Diane is already there, sitting at her desk and going through her computer. She looks up and smiles as I come in.
“Morning. You’re just in time.”
“Just in time?” I check my watch. “You told me to be here for nine-thirty, didn’t you?”
“I did, but I got a call from the coach. They’re asking to come in early so they can get the photos out of the way before they meet Mr Ward and Mr Daniels.”
“Mr Ward…are those the two people who have bought the bulldogs?”
“That’s them. Their interview is at twelve, so they’re flying in right now. Coach Maxwell wanted to get this part done faster, so we agreed to start at nine-thirty instead of ten.”
I sigh.
“I suppose there’s no hope of having a coffee, then?”
“In this job? We’ll be lucky.” Diane gestures towards the cloakroom. “Get your things away and set up the lights. It won’t be long until they get here.”
And it wasn’t. I am barely out of the cloakroom before the players come wandering in. God, it’s been a while since I’ve been in the same room as some fine specimens. I’ve helped shoot several sports teams, but somehow this feels different. Probably because they’ve been dubbed as the surprise team to pip all the other teams to the Super Bowl. I don’t know who is starting these rumors, but the Cleveland Bulldogs are running with it. I’m not about to argue with statistics.
