Page 52 of The Friend

Abby sat bolt upright, having one of those blinding flashes of clarity that made her want to smack herself in the head. She’d said those very words to Judd when he’d run out on her the first time around, when he’d been young and dumb and filled with macho ideals.

So what was her excuse now?

She was doing the same thing she’d accused him of. There was more to life than work and if she shut him out of her life because of her stupidity at falling in love with him, she’d never forgive herself.

She’d been so cold towards him the last time they’d spoken, not in the least surprised he’d changed his flight and taken an earlier one to avoid her.

Friends didn’t act like that: pretending they didn’t care, deliberately sabotaging their relationship, withholding the truth.

She’d done it all and wasn’t proud. She’d blown off Judd, the guy who meant everything to her, and if she wasn’t careful she’d lose him completely.

Sighing, she pressed her fingers against her eyes, willing the tears to vanish. She’d never felt so alone, had never felt such a strong need to confide in someone.

But that someone was Sydney bound and probably didn’t want to have anything to do with her.

She’d have to move past this and learn to get along with him again, if not for the sake of her job, for her sanity.

If being best buddies with Judd had been the best thing to ever happen to her, losing her heart to him could be the worst.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Judd surveyed his new office. He never thought he’d see the day when he gave up his travelling lifestyle and put down roots in one city.

Then again, he hadn’t banked on becoming so besotted with Abby he couldn’t see straight let alone think.

He clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back in the leather ergonomic chair, wondering how she’d react when she heard Mark’s news. Knowing Abby she’d probably tear strips off the guy. Judd knew how much she loved her job and Mark’s offer would be too good to refuse, but considering who she’d be working with one-on-one…

He glanced at his watch. She should be here any moment and Mark said he’d send her in to see him once he’d presented the offer to her.

Oh yeah, there would be definite fireworks and, lucky for him, he’d have a ringside seat.

Abby might be singing the ‘let’s be friends’ tune, but he had every intention of changing her mind, starting with a celebratory dinner to toast their new working relationship.

Maybe if he was lucky she’d wear those sexy red shoes…

His body tightened in remembrance as an image of Abby, standing in his hotel room wearing lacy briefs, those hot shoes, and a smile, flashed across his mind.

No doubt about it, he had to talk sense into her and ditch the platonic plan she’d stipulated. Either that or face a year of icy cold showers, which wasn’t fair considering Australia was in the grip of a drought and he should be conserving water. Never let it be said he didn’t do his part for the environment.

A knock sounded at the door and he straightened, adjusting his tie as Mark Pyman entered the room. For a CEO of a huge media conglomerate, he appeared surprisingly laid back and lacked the formality Judd had expected.

“What can I do for you, Mark?”

Mark barged across the room and took a seat. “This office okay?”

“Yeah, no problems.”

“Good.” Mark nodded, shot his phone a glare as it beeped and slid it into his pocket. “We didn’t get around to finalising the length of your contract earlier. I was thinking a year to start, see how it suits us both?”

Judd struggled not to squirm in his chair. Twelve months wasn’t a huge amount of time in the grand scheme of things, but for a guy who’d spent the last eight years moving around, it sounded like a life sentence.

Crazy, considering he wanted this; a chance to settle down for a while, to see where his life was headed, to give Abby and him a chance, but having it spelled out in contract terms put a different slant on proceedings.

“A year sounds fair, but considering I haven’t done fashion work before, could we leave the time frame open-ended? Until I find my feet, see if it’s a good fit for us both?”

“Our contracts aren’t usually open-ended.” Mark fixed him with a glare somewhere between disbelief and admiration.“You’re not jerking me around? Or planning to leave me in the lurch?”

“No way. I’m looking forward to the challenge of working here, but I don’t want to be tied into anything long term. Call it a personal phobia.”

---