Page 94 of Mafioso's Muse
‘I’m taking it as a sign that you’re over a certain mafioso,’ Lili added.
Willow dropped her towel onto her bag, saying nothing. As promised, Vaughn had called the day after her dinner with Harrison. It was a brief call with no plans to see each other again, and yet she felt… hopeful. How was she supposed to move on from loyalty like that? If anything, she was in deeper than ever.
The studio door opened, and Harrison walked in, eyes fixed on Lili. ‘I’ve got good news and bad news.’
Lili turned to him. ‘Okay. Let’s start with the bad.’
Willow busied herself with her bag. Fleeing would be a dead giveaway that something was wrong between her and Harrison.
‘Matilda has come down with some sort of stomach bug,’ Harrison said. ‘I noticed her struggling earlier and sent her home. The last thing we want is illness tearing through the place.’
‘Poor thing,’ Lili said, resting a hand on the barre. ‘What’s the good news?’
Harrison clapped his hands together. ‘The good news is you’re going to replace her closing weekend.’
The drink bottle Willow was holding slipped from her fingers, bouncing hard on the ground and drawing the attention of the other dancers around the room. ‘Sorry,’ she said quietly.
She had replaced Matilda opening weekend. She knew that solo backwards and had performed it to the highest standard.
Lili appeared genuinely confused. ‘You wantmeto do it?’
‘Yes,’ Harrison said. ‘It’ll be good preparation for you.’
Lili was rarely speechless, but she stood with her mouth open and no words coming out.
‘What’s the matter?’ Harrison asked, crossing his arms.
‘She’s clearly in shock,’ Willow said, getting to her feet. ‘It’s an amazing opportunity, and she’ll absolutely smash it. Won’t you, Lil?’
Lili looked between them. ‘I…’
‘I’d like to do a run through first thing in the morning,’ Harrison told her. ‘Try to be here by eight.’
Lili drew a long breath. ‘I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but why isn’t Willow replacing Matilda? She’s done the solo before and did anamazingjob.’
Curious as to what explanation he would give, Willow waited for his answer.
He was visibly annoyed at being questioned. ‘I don’t appreciate you second-guessing my creative decisions. If you don’t want the role, then I’ll give it to someone else.’
‘Like Willow?’ Lili asked casually.
Harrison’s nostrils flared as he attempted to rein in his temper. Then, without saying another word, he walked away.
Lili stared after him. ‘Have I missed something?’
It seemed Willow was going to have to share some dinner details after all. But first, she needed to talk to Harrison. ‘I need to speak with him. I’ll be back in a minute.’
She jogged after him, catching him in the hallway. ‘Harrison, wait.’
He stopped and turned to her with a tired look. ‘What is it?’
The audacity. Willow normally avoided confrontation like carbs, but she refused to let him get away with any more bad behaviour.
Bringing herself to her full height, which was still a head shorter than him, she asked, ‘What are you doing?’
‘My job.’
‘Really? Because it feels a lot like you’re punishing me for what happened on the weekend.’