Ari refrained from rolling her eyes. Was it too late to leave? She bet Pretty Miss Rosie was going to try to get her paws on Dylan again tonight. She didn't think she'd be able to take it if Dylan flirted back. She just might scratch them both.
Her eyes stung, not because of the onion she was chopping, but because her heart was being squeezed tight. If Dylan did flirt with Rosalie tonight, it would serve her right. She was pushing him away, and it was only a matter of time before he got sick of it.
Deep in her heart, she knew Dylan was suffering just as much as she was. She could hear it in the phone messages he'd been leaving and the texts he'd been sending.
Could she really be so unforgiving? Could she really be so proud that she was closing the door on the man she was in love with?
I love him.
Tears fell from her eyes and she hastily wiped them with the back of her hand.
"Ari!" Linda cried. "Don't use your hand. You'll just make your eyes burn more. Here." Linda handed her a tissue.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"Hello, Mu —. Ari, what's wrong?"
Ari glanced up, her eyes locking with stunned blue ones that made her heart stutter.
"She was chopping some onions and then used her hands to wipe her eyes," Linda tut-tutted.
"Are you okay?" Dylan asked, his tone laced with concern.
She gave him a watery smile. "Yeah," she said, sniffing.
Oh Dylan. I've missed you.
"Dylan," Rosalie purred, placing her hand on Dylan's arm. "How come we haven't seen you at the clubs for weeks now? What's been happening, darling?"
Darling! Grrr.
"Been busy," Dylan answered rather brusquely, then turned to Linda. "Mum, I'm afraid I can't stay tonight."
"Oh? Why not?"
"Too much to do. I just came by to say hello."
Disappointment stabbed at Ari. Now that she'd seen him again, she didn't want Dylan to go. In fact, she wanted to throw herself at him right there in his mother's kitchen, with his mother and Rosalie looking on. But she was too shy to do that.
"But you must stay for dinner, Dyl! You can leave straight after, if you really need to," Linda insisted.
"Yes, Dylan," Rosalie interjected. "Sounds like you're working way too hard. Chill out with us tonight."
"Yes, Dylan. Please stay," Ari heard herself echoing the other women.
"Okay," Dylan agreed, gazing at her with an unreadable expression.
*******
Ari sat uncomfortably next to Jasmine at the dining table. She was seated opposite Rosalie, who had placed herself conveniently between Dylan and Linda.
After her fake greeting when she arrived, Rosalie had practically pretended she didn't exist. Not that she cared. She couldn't bear to look at the woman either, when every time she did, Pretty Miss Rosie was making cow eyes at her Dylan.
Yes. Her Dylan.
It took her a while to figure out that not being with him killed her more than her fear of being judged. Besides, if Dylan said he didn't think of her as a gold digger, then she'd take that at face value.
She was ready to move on now—with him.
If only he'd look her way. She could tell he was at pains to avoid her. Why was that, when just two days ago he'd sent her a very sweet text saying he was missing her and to please talk to him?
Come to think of it, she hadn't received anything from him after that. She used to get at least two messages daily without fail, even though she never responded.
She swallowed down the panic that gripped her chest. Had he given up on her?
"How's your online shop going, Rosalie?" Linda asked.
"Oh, very poorly, Linda," Rosalie replied with a sad pout.
"You have an online shop?" Fred asked.
"Yes, it's for international orders of products we sell. It was my idea, so my parents said I could run it however I want. The website's been up for three months now, and I'm hardly making anything from it. My marketing efforts are not getting me any return on investment."
"Ask Dylan. He knows all about this online stuff," Linda suggested.
Ari took a sip of water to distract herself. It hurt that Dylan's mum was constantly pushing another girl at him. Hadn't Linda ever thought of pairing Ari up with her son?
"What kind of marketing have you done so far?" Dylan asked Rosalie.
"I'm paying for Adwords and for someone to work on SEO for the website."
"How much have you shelled out?" Dylan prodded.
Rosalie detailed her current marketing expenses.
"What? That's crazy!" Dylan exclaimed. "For that kind of money you can do far better. By the sounds of it you might be getting ripped off."
"What do I do?" Rosalie cried, genuinely upset.
"I'll have a look at it," Dylan offered.
"I can't afford you, Dylan."