Page 95 of Mafioso's Muse
He rubbed his forehead. ‘It’s not always about you, Willow. Can’t you just be happy for your friend?’
‘Of course I can. You know I’m Lili’s biggest cheerleader.’
His hand fell to his side, and he brought his face closer to hers. ‘Socheer.’
He was unbelievable. ‘I’d never take anything away from Lili, but I was the most logical choice for that solo and you know it.’
Harrison looked up at the ceiling. ‘Willow?—’
‘I did nothing wrong, and you’re punishing me. I was prepared to let the entire thing blow over. What I’mnotprepared to do is let you play these games with my career.’ She lowered her voice. ‘With mylife.’
A throat cleared behind Willow. She looked back and saw Lili standing by the door. It was clear from the expression on her face that she’d heard some of the exchange.
‘Everything all right here?’ Lili asked.
‘Yes, fine,’ Harrison replied. ‘We were just discussing casting.’
‘And you realised in hindsight that Willow would be a better choice?’ Lili replied, giving him an out.
He brought his hands to his hips, his cheeks flushed. ‘She did do a great job opening weekend.’
Lili smiled and crossed her arms. ‘I agree wholeheartedly.’
Harrison’s guilty eyes returned to Willow. ‘I’ll see you here at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. Don’t be late.’
She nodded. ‘I’ll be here.’
He turned and walked off down the hallway towards his office. Only once his door closed did Lili walk over to join Willow.
‘Um, would you like to get some dinner with me and perhaps explain what the hell is going on between the two of you?’ Lili asked.
‘Sure.’ Willow released a sigh she’d been holding in. ‘Anything but Turkish.’
They ate at a pub in the heart of South Melbourne. It was reasonably busy for a Thursday, with groups gathered around tall tables by the bar and couples cozied up in the corners. Old photographs decorated one wall, and a fire burned on the other side. It was a casual venue, which was exactly what they needed after a hard day in the studio. They sat picking through their salads and casting envious glances at the people seated at the next table eating chicken parmigiana as wide as the plates they were perched on. The intoxicating smell of thick-cut chips had taken over the air.
‘I’m coming and ordering that exact meal on Monday,’ Lili said between mouthfuls of lettuce.
‘With a giant glass of red to wash it down,’ Willow added.
‘Two glasses, at least.’ Lili set her fork down and looked at Willow. ‘Harrison’s a real prick for putting you in that position. He brought you here to Melbourne like a pet he couldn’t leave behind.’ She took a drink of water before continuing. ‘Hate to admit it, but Vaughn was right about him. I sensed some jealousy, but now I see it was a lot more than that.’
The corners of Willow’s mouth lifted. ‘Vaughn has good instincts about people. I know this because he really likesyou—despite the hard time you give him.’
‘I wouldn’t be doing my job if I just accepted every thug you brought home, would I?’
Willow laughed, drawing the attention of a man drinking alone at the bar. He looked familiar. ‘I swear that guy was at the Star when we left.’
Lili glanced discreetly over her shoulder. ‘Oh yeah. I saw him talking to one of the contractors this morning. He must work for DeLuca.’ She leaned in. ‘Did you see the new stage going in today?’
‘I didn’t, but I heard others talking about it.’
Lili picked up her glass. ‘And we get to dance on it tomorrow.’
‘It’s going to be amazing forGiselle.’
‘Yes! We’ll get to use the trapdoor.’ Lili’s expression fell a little. ‘Hopefully he’s still considering me for the role of Myrtha after all the weirdness today.’
Willow had told Lili everything except for the comment Harrison had made about why he was considering her for the role. ‘His tantrum is with me, not you. Plus, he’ll be well and truly over it by the time casting comes around.’ She plucked a piece of tomato off her plate and ate it. ‘You were born to play Myrtha, and you’ll be the talk of the city once the audience sees you.’