Page 106 of Fierce-Hyde

She laughed. “Don’t worry aboutthat,” she said. “I don’t pay too much attention to those things myself. Or if I notice them, I don’t care. As for Jax…I was interested in what he had to say. His employee in my position is retiring at the end of the year. He hasn’t gotten any good applicants and he was thrilled when I reached out. I thought for sure when I did it’d be too late and the job would be filled.”

“Is that why you waited so long?” he asked. “So if it was filled you’d be like, guess it wasn’t meant, rather than being put into a position of having to decide?”

He didn’t want to use the words self-sabotage again, but he was thinking that avoidance might be an appropriate term to describe Tori in some areas of her life.

Like not telling her mother about him.

But he wasn’t going to push.

From what he knew about Emily Miller, it might be best to just let Tori handle things the way she was used to.

“You could be right,” she said. “I honestly put little thought into it. When he first told me, I thought it was nice to hear but brushed it off. I like my job a lot. Then I got thinking it’s always nice to have options. I don’t want to settle in my career. Or anything in my life.”

“Good for you,” he said. “I feel the same way. I hated I pretty much got a demotion when I came here, but I didn’t take that huge of a pay cut.”

“Which means when you reach the same title as before you’ll be making more,” she said.

“I will. And I know I’ll get there. Not because of who I am to the family but because I’m damn good at my job.”

“The same with me,” she said. “I’m good at what I do. I love it like you love what you do. And I looked at where I was and where I could go. My boss’s job, that is it. She’s only forty, so she isn’t going anywhere any time soon.”

“I know I pick on you for planning things out, but in this case, it’s a good thing.”

“I think so too. I just wanted to meet with him and see what the job was about. I explained I loved what I was doing and where I was. I’ve been here almost two years and have been promoted to this position. I was only in my last position about eight months when they promoted me.”

“And you worry they will be upset if you leave?” he asked.

“Kind of. I know I have to make these decisions for me and not the guilt factor.”

“Put that all aside. Are you interested in the job with Jax?”

She frowned. “Very.”

“Why that face?”

“Because it wasn’t an official interview. I mean it kind of was. But he said if I was interested, he’d like me to come in and meet with the person I’d be replacing and a few others.”

“And then you are worried it’s going to get back to Molly and if you don’t get it, it could be awkward?”

“That is a big part of it,” she said. “The other part is change.”

“Oh,” he said. “Trust me, I know change is hard, but it’s not all bad either. I’m looking at something good right now.”

She smiled at him. “I’m doing the same. I worry this thing with us might fizzle.”

“Or it’s going to spark,” he said. “Don’t think those things. Passionate. Remember that.”

“I’m trying,” she said. “I really am. I don’t want you to think that you’ve put more work in than me. I worry about that. Or did in the beginning.”

“Can I confess that I did too? Not just that CeeCee brought it up, but it made me wonder if I was setting myself up.”

When she frowned again, he worried she’d get ticked that he might compare her to Shana.

“And I wondered if it was healthy for you to do it and not me. I felt bad about it too, but when your mother sided with me, she explained it in a way that I never thought of, and it made sense. I’m glad you worked harder than me and came back again. If you hadn’t, I’m not sure we’d be here now.”

He snorted. “I’m pretty sure we would be.”

“Why is that?” she asked.

---