Beautiful Rose (Beautiful Rose 1)

"Oh, honey . . .” I mimicked. She turned and glared at me. “. . . Your insecurities are showing." I look

ed back to Jack and my eyes swept over his chest, stopping briefly at the fly of his jeans. With a devilish smile, I turned back to her. "And thanks for the suggestion. Now I know what I'll be doing in the bathtub tonight." I winked at her.

She gasped and then flounced up the stairs, her heels clicking loudly with each step, followed by the slam of the door. No sooner than it had shut, a collective sigh of relief filled the room.

“Well, she seems lovely,” I joked, trying to break the silence. It worked. Darcy started to howl with laughter and the guys all shook their heads, like they felt sorry for Jack.

“Oh, we are going to get along fine.” Darcy giggled, grabbing my hand. “Do you want a drink? Jack, is that okay?” she said, turning to him. He nodded and waved his hand. Turning back to me, she smiled. “Wine? Beer? Soda?”

“I’ll have a wine. White. Dry, if you have it.”

Darcy chatted as she poured us both a glass of wine. I instantly liked her. She was friendly and not at all catty, the complete opposite of the whirlwind that just flew upstairs. Jack’s girlfriend. The fact that he was taken upset me, but the fact that he was with her baffled me.

I glanced back at Jack. His eyes were on me, and he made no attempt to hide that fact. I swallowed the lump that was in my throat and stared back at him. Our eyes locked for a moment, until he turned away. I breathed out, trying to keep my composure. I will not turn to mush, I will not turn to mush.

What the hell was I even doing? He not only had a girlfriend, he had possibly the worst girlfriend in the history of the world. She would rip my head off and spit down my throat if I even looked his way. Why was he even with that psycho? I tried not to be a judgmental person, but that chick had some serious issues. She made me look sane.

I followed Darcy over to the sofas down near the stage.

“Wow. That was epic.” She giggled. “Seriously, I’ve never seen Harmony so pissed off!”

Harmony? Of course her name was Harmony.

“Do you think Jack was annoyed at me? I mean, she is his girlfriend,” I added, still nervous that I’d taken things too far.

Darcy waved her hand. “Harmony is a bitch. Besides, the way Jack was looking at you…” She whistled, before bursting into another round of giggles. I laughed, my body beginning to relax. I didn’t lose it often, but if someone pushed me far enough, I didn’t hesitate to fight back. When it came to people like Harmony, I didn’t need much pushing.

“Why is Jack with her?” I asked. “I mean, he’s hot, friendly, and I’m sure he could have anyone he wanted.”

“It’s weird. He knows what she’s like, and it’s almost like he’s with her because of what she’s like.” Darcy thought for a moment. “Does that make sense?”

I nodded. It made perfect sense.

“I remember Benj telling me about Jack, back when he first came over here. He was pretty messed up. Drank a lot, and played guitar—that was pretty much all he did. No women at all.” Darcy glanced over at the guys. “A guy like that always has women, you know? Fuck, I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.” She laughed. I joined in, her words rolling around in my head.

What had hurt him so much that he felt like he deserved someone like Harmony?

“So, do you live around this area?” she asked me.

“Just temporarily, at the moment. I’m looking for somewhere more permanent,” I replied, taking a sip of my wine. Not a lie. I was looking for somewhere more permanent. I just left out the fact that I was planning on sleeping in my car until I found that place.

“Oh, really? Are you thinking of sharing, or living by yourself?” she asked. “I know someone who might be looking for a roommate.”

“Really? Yeah, I was thinking of finding a room somewhere. I couldn’t afford to live by myself,” I chuckled. My quick look through the classified ads this morning had confirmed that.

“It’s my friend’s apartment. She lives in the same complex as Benj and me. I’m not sure if the room is still available, but I’ll find out.”

“That would be fantastic.” I smiled. “I’ll give you my number and you can pass it onto her, if she’s still looking.” I waited as she pulled out her phone, and then gave her my number.

“Did you work here before Jack took over?” I asked her.

“Yes, I’ve worked here for about two years now. It’s how I met Benj.” Her face lit up as she glanced back over toward him. I smiled. I’d only known her for two seconds, but I could already tell we were going to be friends.

“You’re lucky, to have someone like that,” I said, an edge of sadness to my voice. I'd never had anything like that. Sure, I'd had boyfriends, but that was ‘Rose trying to act normal’ not the deep unconditional devotion I could see these two had.

“I know I am.” She smiled at me. “I take it there is no special guy in your life? Or girl,” she added, giggling.

“Nope, no one. Not yet anyway.” I forced myself to smile.