Acting on Instinct

Unsteady

"You deserve better."

Dianne's mind raced with a million different thoughts about Joe's words. It was getting increasingly more difficult to figure Joseph Sugg out - one minute he was annoying her and the next he was full of compliments that made her stomach fill with butterflies. At this very moment in time though, it was impossible for her to use any spare brainpower on the topic of Joe, while she attempted to walk through the construction site they had just arrived at.

"Fuck my life," she muttered under her breath as her heel got stuck in yet another crack in the particle board floor, the large hardhat that has been tossed her way by the crew sliding precariously to the side as she reached out blindly for something to catch herself on. Intending to grab a wall for support, her hand landed on something much softer, and she immediately realized it was Joe's flannel shirt.

"Woah there," Joe chuckled, reaching out to grasp her elbow and help her stand upright again, his other hand reaching up to straighten the heavy hardhat.

"Sorry," Dianne muttered sheepishly, gesturing down toward her sky high heels. "I should have dressed more appropriately."

"No worries," Joe spoke softly, his hand still holding her elbow as he began to lead her through to another room of the new store. "You didn't know you'd be doing this today."

She shot him a weak smile, allowing him to continue holding her upright as she stumbled over a few piles of debris, knowing that if she tried to walk independently she'd likely end up on the ground, which would have been an extra level of embarrassment that she didn't think she could handle today.

"So, this is where the registers will be," Joe finally released her arm once they'd reached some even ground in the center of the store. "And then it will be a bunch of wall shelving units for products. Separated by type - bath, make-up, skincare, etc."

Dianne nodded, taking in her surroundings. The shop was small - as most downtown shops were - but she could already envision how it would come to life. It was in a good part of town, and with the high ceilings and big windows, it would be exactly like Zoe herself - bright, sunny, and full of life.

"I can already picture the big Zoella logo on the back wall," she grinned, unable to help herself. Somewhere in the last two hours, she'd felt herself begin to warm toward the man who had done nothing but push her buttons from first meeting.

"Exactly!" Joe grinned back. "It's the perfect size space for it."

"So, what are the next steps?" Dianne asked curiously, leaning up against a wall.

"Well, once construction is finished, we go into the design phase - which I'm guessing Zoe would love your input on. And then we hire retail staff, and we open. Timeline is still being figured out, but likely before the end of the summer."

"Wow, things move fast when you've got money," Dianne muttered under her breath, surveying her surroundings as a few design ideas immediately popped into her head.

"Hm?" Joe asked distractedly as he fiddled with a few of the window casings.

"Oh, I was just saying things move really fast when you're a...proper company," Dianne blushed, hoping he hadn't actually heard her bitter inner thoughts.

"Have you worked for an improper company?" Joe smirked.

"No," Dianne shook her head. "But I was...still am, really...interested in opening an independent shop. There's a lot of hoops to jump through when you don't have brand recognition or a powerful board backing you."

"Oh yeah," Joe replied in a thoughtful voice, "I remember Alfie saying you were an aspiring entrepreneur...what does your future shop look like?"

Dianne's eyes widened at his honest tone. Joe had been surprising her today with his seemingly genuine interest in her life. First her dance studio, and now her shop plans?