Turning to Stone (Heart of Stone: Book 2)

Chapter 18: Distance

"Don't patronise me, Ed."

"I'm not trying to patronise you—"

"Exactly." I stepped closer, throwing my arms out. "You're not trying because you don't even realise you're doing it. We can't all have an endless supply of money, a choice of places to live, and a tight-knit team to fix our mistakes. I need this job, and honestly, I don't know how I still have it thanks to the number of times I've tested Helen's patience recently. So, no, I am not going to give her an excuse to fire me by taking away the one strategy that she thinks will sort this latest fuck-up."

Sighing, Ed tipped his head back against the door, fists clenched by his sides as swallowed down his own patience. When his blue eyes met mine again, they'd lost their earlier tolerance.

"You say I've not moved on since last spring? Neither have you. You still think I live in a perfect world with no challenges. Maybe you do deserve to lose your job if you're not taking notice of all the crap I have to deal with every day."

Ouch. His cold words barrelled into my chest, wrapping around my lungs and squeezing. As I opened my mouth to reply, my throat tightened with a thick lump. Anger prevailed, though. I swallowed down the hurt and speared him with a steady glare.

"Get the fuck out of my room."

Rather than comply, he stepped closer to eliminate the distance between us, and I craned my neck to hold his stony gaze, refusing to shrink away.

"You weren't the only one who got hurt last spring." His low voice sent an inconvenient tremble of desire through me, but my anger pushed it aside. "So if you are picking a fight to put distance between us, that's more than okay with me."

And just to prove we'd come full circle, I was left to wonder whether we were both playing the same game or if one person was on track to come out of this worse.

*

"This is a safe space, so please be honest and open. It's just the three of us."

Helen, Ed and I sat in a small circle, our chairs spaced far enough apart that it didn't feel invasive, but close enough to create the illusion of intimacy. Two days after Ed and I had locked horns in my room, Helen had set up this meeting to discuss our strategy. She probably knew we weren't talking, but Ed wasn't the only issue plaguing my mind.

Mac hadn't replied to any of my messages. While I knew there'd be a good reason behind that, it still niggled away at me. Two friends lost in as many days.

"Firstly, background to the relationship," Helen continued. "Stick to the truth as much as possible. Sophia has already been seen around our team, so we can't pretend you only just met."

"So, team member who fell in love with me?" Ed suggested lightly.

He was trying to provoke me, so I didn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Instead, I bobbed my head once at Helen to confirm I was on board with that narrative.

"Now, Sophia, is there anyone you know, past or present, who may see you in the media and try to sell a story?"

"You mean anyone I've pissed off?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, but not just that. Anyone who has anything on you that could be damaging."

Ed turned his bored gaze onto me. "People you've slept with in public bathrooms, for example."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Thanks for clarifying." Then I turned my attention back to Helen. "I was pretty wild at uni, but the only people who'd know about any of that would be my friend Gabby, her girlfriend Charlotte, my ex Mike, and Becca—who you already know about. Oh, and Logan McIntosh, but I don't think we need to worry about him for obvious reasons..."