Chapter 3 – Rose Woods
It was the last meeting of the week before I went back to South America for a little while. Erin was still camped out on my couch and I would be blind to not know and see that it was because of the very man that I was supposed to be waiting for. When I had first seen Drake, I’d seen him as a handsome man. It was impossible not to. But I didn’t know he would go on to break Erin’s heart. I felt protective of her, and in a way I felt guilty for even finishing his job. But with the iron-clad contract that he’d had me sign, I didn’t have much choice.
So I waited for him as composed as I could be. He had wanted me to come into his office, but I had chosen a place that both of us would be unfamiliar with. The coffee shop wasn’t far from my apartment, and I liked the idea of such a wealthy man coming to my side of town. I had liked Drake at first, but after what he had done to Erin, I knew that he was not the type I would do business with in the future. I had learned my lesson, one way or another.
When I heard my name, my thoughts were on everything else but what I was supposed to be doing. He smiled down at me and I invited him to join me. I had gotten him a coffee, but I didn’t know how he liked it, so I kept it black. I had liked Drake, working with him was nice, but after I had heard about what he did to Erin, it was hard not to give him a dirty look. When he started with the compliments on the photo shoot and talking about how he wanted me to take care of another PR event that he had in mind, I just kind of shook my head no. The offer took me off guard, and while I needed the work, I knew that I had to refuse because of Erin and what had happened with her.
“I am sorry, Drake, but I must decline your offer of more work. I don’t think that we are supposed to work together. There is a conflict of interest, and I think it is best that we part ways.”
It was hard for me to say it out loud. Drake paid very well, enough that I could finance another long-term trip if I took it. He pressed me and I just shook my head again, telling him that I just couldn’t.
“I don’t understand, Rose. Is my rate not high enough?”
I kind of smiled at him and disagreed. “No, your offer is quite high, but I just can’t.”
“So why then? I would at least like to know why you won’t work with me again, Rose.”
“I can’t because of Erin.”
“Erin?”
His ears perked up and it seemed like he was listening then. I should have known that Erin was wrong about Drake. It was clear to me that Drake was into her. I started to wonder if everything was just a misunderstanding. I knew that she would be mad about it if I told her, but I had to press for more from his reaction. “Yeah, you and Erin know each other well from what I hear.”
“You have seen her?”
I kind of shrugged and really looked at the devastatingly handsome man in front of me. He was filled with emotions and I couldn’t help the pang of jealousy. No one ever looked at me like that. I wished someone did, but even my boyfriend wasn’t as into me as Drake was into her. That much was clear, and I knew that I had to do something to get them back together. By the look in his eyes, they were meant to be together.
“Yes, we are best friends, and that is why I can’t work for you again. I don’t think that Erin would like it very much.”
“Is she that mad at me?”
Drake looked hopeful and I was surprised once again that he was showing that kind of emotion. I knew that everything was strange between them, but I was starting to think that it really was just a lack of communication.
“Well you promised her that you would keep the museum running and she had to find out from some vile woman that you had lied about everything. That is going to make someone mad, especially if they have already fallen for you.”
“She has fallen for me?”
I knew then that I had said too much. I wished that I had just kept my mouth shut. It wasn’t like I was trying to make it worse, but I was positive that Erin would not appreciate that last slip. She wouldn’t want him to know that she cared, because she wanted to pretend that nothing had happened. She was going to pretend like he didn’t exist. I knew my best friend quite well.
“You didn’t hear that from me, Drake, but you hurt her. I am not going to say that she was in love with you, she didn’t tell me, but what I do know is that you hurt her and I don’t like that. She has been my best friend since college and I don’t think I ever remember her being like this, so whatever you did to her is not okay with me.”
He sat back and kind of grinned for a moment until he saw the way I was looking at him. “Sorry, this is not funny. I just don’t understand what happened. We were having a great time and then she just disappeared.”
“That is what girls do to lick their wounds. They go to their friend’s house and drink, talk about their problems.”
Drake didn’t get it, that much was clear, and I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure that I wanted to help him get it. What he had done to her had hurt her. I had never seen my friend so distraught before, and I hated to think that it was all going to be for nothing. If it was all for nothing, it seemed to make everything worse.
“I didn’t mean to hurt her, Rose. You have to believe me. I just couldn’t stop the deal. Too many people are depending on the profits, and the place is perfect for my new club.”
I just kind of shrugged. I knew that he had a point, men like him always did, but it didn’t seem like he was going to get how that had made her feel. I wondered if he even cared. It looked like he did.
“If that were the case, you should have never struck up a deal with her. If you knew that you were going to buy it and tear it down anyways, why would you make such a deal with Erin?”
I wasn’t going to pull any more punches with him. I had to let him know that I knew more than just a little bit about what had happened between them. I knew what he had said and I knew that he had taken advantage of my friend. Not that Erin didn’t need someone to give her life a little spunk, but it didn’t make sense for it to be a man like him who was going to hurt her in such a way.
“She told you?”
I kind of nodded. “Who do you think she came to? So I know quite a bit about the two of you, and I know what you did. That is why I can’t work for you, Drake.”
He didn’t know what to say, but he tried several times to tell me that he had not meant it. In the end, though, the truth came out. “It was the only way that she would go out with me, that’s why. I would have never agreed to anything if I didn’t have to. Do you know how many women have told me no?”
“Not enough. Erin is different.”
Drake shook his head that he knew and paired it with a sigh. It didn’t seem like he was so happy about the fact that she wasn’t like all of the rest. “I know she is different. That’s why I can’t stop thinking about her and that’s why I need to see her. I need to tell her that it is all wrong and I was wrong. I don’t want to go on anymore without her, because I just can’t.”
It was a moment of weakness, and I felt for him then. I knew it was hard for a man to admit such feelings, and especially to do it with the emotions that he had. It was hard not to melt a little inside for Erin and wish that someone would say the same thing about me.
“She is staying with me, but if I told you where she was, I don’t know if she would be able to forgive me for it. You would have to do a good job of convincing her to forgive me.”
“Your secret would be safe with me. All I want to do is see her. I can make it right.”
I wasn’t sure if he could, but it felt like both of them needed a second chance. It seemed a shame that a man who loved her as much as Drake seemed to would walk away. I shouldn’t let that happen to Erin. She was stubborn because she had been hurt before. I didn’t want this to be one of those times and I finally gave in and gave him the address of my apartment.
“I am going to stay gone a couple more hours, so if you are going to convince her, you need to do it now before I get back and she is mad at me. Then she won’t listen to either one of us.”
“Do you have any advice for me?”
I kind of smiled at him and got up from the table. I had a lot of advice, but most of it, I was not going to be able to say out loud. How was I supposed to tell him what to do when I knew that she was hurting so bad? “Whatever it was that made her fall in love with you, Drake, that is what you need to do.”
The man had a devilish grin on his face and it was contagious. Again I felt the same pang of jealousy that went through me as when he was talking about her before. I could imagine what had come into his mind, and I hoped that Erin took the bait. Drake was gorgeous and really loved her. What more could a girl want?