Page 51 of How to Get Even

Chase bracketed his mouth with his hands, exhaling his thoughts into his palms. This was good. A bit of distance between them was good. He’d be out of the office much more and she’d be too busy to look his way.

‘A bad friend would let you get away with avoiding my question. I’m not a bad friend, Chase. Is it wise for you to help Levy, when just one meeting with her results in this?’ Tej asked, waving a hand between their glasses.

Chase swallowed. ‘You are a good friend. Which is why you’re going to sit here and watch me get blind drunk, get me home safely and pour me into bed and never speak of it again. Just tonight,’ Chase said, shaking his head. ‘I just need to get it out of my system,’ he said, like a promise he hoped to keep true.

Chase held his breath while Tej considered his request and then nodded once.

Chase signalled for another drink.

Is that why you stopped painting?

No, Bella. That’s not why I stopped painting.

10

If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight.

THE ART OF WAR, SUN TZU

Bella hit the sidewalk at a jog, her breath fogging the morning air, ear buds Bluetoothed to her phone and playing a song that she hadn’t heard since her teens. She thought of the girls’ WhatsApp messages. Astrid seemed happy enough with the progress she was making with Aiden, Sienna was being extra careful with Harvey. He was such a slippery one that she needed to be. Because really, of all of them, Harvey was the one that absolutely everyone wanted taken down. Bella had already messaged Sienna offering any kind of help she needed. Because somewhere along the line, she’d actually discovered that she was quite good at this.

It hadn’t taken Carlton long to take the bait. And when his email arrived, it had been full of false obsequiousness, in what Bella presumed was an attempt to lull them into a false sense of security about what she was 99 per cent sure would be a hit piece on Chase.

At least, it would be if she had anything to do with it.

And she did.

So, it would.

But reading through the WhatsApp messages again earlier that morning, she’d realised what was niggling at her. Paige had been unusually quiet and Bella couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong. It wasn’t the first time that Bella found herself thinking of Paige and not Olly, or the revenge. And it was happening more and more.

Bella checked the time. It would be early morning in the UK and Paige should be up. She pulled her phone from the case on her arm as she did calf stretches just inside the entrance to Central Park. But every time she went to type something out, it sounded either too formal or too familiar.

Hi Paige. How are?—

Delete.

Paige, how are things going?—

Delete. Delete.

Hey hun?—

Delete, delete, delete!

Hun?? She’d never said ‘hun’ in her life. Finally, Bella told herself off for being stupid and creating tension where there wasn’t any.

Bella

Just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing. Hope everything’s okay.

She put her phone back into the case on her arm and set out along the full loop that would give her at least six miles if she did it only once. She’d seen Chase the day after the meeting with Sascha, looking and sounding like a bear with a sore head.

She’d also seen him roll back and forward on the chair that she’d doctored again since he’d last sat in it. But her greatest delight had been watching him hover over the coffee station in his office, eyeing the sugar packets suspiciously, tearing off the top of one and gently tasting the contents and promptly hurling it into the bin, accompanied by a wholly unnecessary amount of cursing for a place of business, in Bella’s considered opinion. The cherry on top was the rather concerned glances Maurice sent his way, before masking his features in a ‘business as usual’ visage when he caught her looking at him.

But since then, she’d kept missing him. He’d sent emails and updates, and had assured her that if she needed anything he’d be available. Meanwhile, Ali had been in a state of perpetual bliss as Ye-Joon made use of his office space to work on the written part of his BA while also arranging the early deliveries of some of the other artists’ work that would be showing their work for the opening.

And as much as she hated to admit it, she could see how Chase’s vision was beginning to develop. And it was exciting. Her mind was waking up with the challenge work presented her with, under the creativity of it. But no matter how good it made her feel, she had to remember that once she was done with Chase, she was done with the gallery.

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