‘It was my boss.’
‘That’s all right, then,’ Rhiannon said, folding her arms. ‘He doesn’t count.’
Georgie turned to look at her. ‘What do you mean, he doesn’t count?’
‘He’s not your soul mate.’
This time is was Georgie who narrowed her eyes. ‘Have you been talking to Madame Celestia about me again?’
Rhiannon gave her a sheepish look. ‘I happened to run into her buying a book on anger management at Bondi Junction Plaza.’
‘So she’s not a happy medium, then?’ Georgie quipped.
Rhiannon pursed her mouth. ‘Joke all you like, Georgie. Anyway, I mentioned how you’d had an accident yeste
rday and she warned me that with the current alignment of the planets in your star sign you could very well have another one, and soon.’
Georgie would have rolled her eyes but she suddenly remembered what had happened that morning on the way to work. ‘I was at the scene of an accident this morning but it was nothing but a coincidence,’ she said. ‘That strip of road is notorious for minor prangs, especially during peak hour.’
Rhiannon’s eyes went wide. ‘You see? I told you it’s not a joking matter. Madame Celestia does have special powers.’
Georgie flopped down on the sofa, laid her head back on the cushioned softness and closed her eyes wearily. ‘I wish she did, then I could ask her to make my life a little easier by making Ben Blackwood less prejudiced against me.’
Rhiannon sat next to her on the sofa, her legs tucked beneath her. ‘Is he still giving you a hard time?’
‘I can’t quite make him out,’ Georgie said as she sat back upright and opened her eyes to look at her friend. ‘He turned up at the gym this evening and apologised for a misunderstanding we’d had earlier, but then all the way through dinner he kept chipping away at me about my background. He thinks I’m a rich snob, I know he does.’
‘Yeah, well, you do drive a Porsche and live in a beach-side penthouse paid for by your father,’ Rhiannon pointed out.
‘I know, but what’s the point of having a child if you don’t share your wealth with them?’ Georgie argued. ‘Besides, I wanted to move out to give Mum a chance to rebalance her relationship with Dad.’
‘So, this dinner you had with your boss,’ Rhiannon said with a probing look. ‘Are you sure that wasn’t a date by any chance?’
‘Very definitely not,’ Georgie insisted. Her flatmate leaned a little closer. ‘Did he kiss you?’ she asked.
Georgie felt her cheeks storming with colour. ‘For God’s sake, Rhiannon, surely you don’t think I would consider having a fling with my boss.’ Oh, yes, you would! a little voice piped up in her head, but she quickly shut it out.
‘Is he nice-looking?’
‘Yes, but—’
‘And he’s not gay?’
Georgie recalled the hardened probe of Ben’s body as he’d held her close. ‘Er … no, very definitely not gay.’
Rhiannon inspected her crimson-painted fingernails for a moment. ‘You know, Georgie, we could always call off the anti-dating deal, if that’s what you want.’
Georgie stared at her. ‘Have you found someone?’ she asked.
‘Of course not!’ Rhiannon said, flushing slightly. ‘I just thought we should have thought about the possibility that someone truly decent might come along and if we didn’t respond to their interest we might miss out on our only chance at happiness.’
‘I guess you’re right,’ Georgie said, releasing another little sigh. ‘But so far I haven’t met anyone I want to spend the rest of the year with, let alone the rest of my life.’
‘You have to spend a year with this Ben Blackwood guy though, don’t you?’
Georgie gave a groan. ‘Don’t remind me.’
Rhiannon just smiled.