Page 50 of Love Me Ever After
Ems had wantedto come to the airport with me, but I told her there was no point. We argued and she cried—although the make-up sex was fantastic—but she finally realised I was right.
Heathrow was a good four hours away from Ealynn Sands, with a change from the train to a bus. I didn’t think it made sense for Ems to spend her one day off that week travelling with me. Besides, I’d only be gone for three days.
Despite a snarl up on the motorway, I still got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. As my flight was just before half past four, it made perfect sense to chill out for a while with a beer. Finding a table, I settled down to wait. While I did, I started to make plans for the evening.
Mason: Hey, you up for dinner tonight?
Whit: What time do you get in?
I flicked into my British Airways app to check my flight details. If everything went to plan, I should be at JFK for seven twenty-five. Then getting through immigration and travelling into the city could take a while. Even at that time of night on a Sunday, traffic would likely be a nightmare. I’d learned to budget for jams and delays while I was there the last time.
Mason: Should be at the hotel by half nine.
Whit: How about I meet you there and we can get food? It’s Sunday and I’ve got so much work to do tomorrow it can’t be a late one.
Mason: Sounds good. Jet lag will probably be kicking in by then anyway.
Whit: I can’t believe you’re coming over here again. Can’t wait to see you!! Let me know when you land xx
I grinned, then deleted the message thread. The last thing I wanted was Ems getting jealous over something she didn’t need to. Not that she would stalk my phone, but…
While I sipped my beer, I scrolled through my phone, making sure I had all the details for the days ahead. Over the past two weeks, I’d had plenty of time to prepare for the two presentations I would need to give, although I had no idea what the role play or group exercises would involve. Nor did I know what questions Gareth might ask in the interview.
Except the obvious one, of course.
The one I’d had to think long and hard about.
Why did I want a job in New York?
Most things I’d discussed with Ems. She’d been my audience for the presentations and had given me good advice about my body language and engaging with the people I would be speaking to. We had talked through some of the more obvious example-based interview questions that would likely come up, but not the whole reason I was considering it.
Still, I had a good eight hours on a flight to think through that one.
Glancing up at the departures board, I spotted my flight was ready to board. I drained the dregs of my beer, then fired off a last message.
Mason: Boarding now. Will let you know when I touch down. Hope you’re having a good day. Love you xxx
Ems: Safe flight! Sara’s helping me get over my separation issues with ice cream and a Tom Hardy film. Although I think the film is more for her benefit… Love you too. Wish you weren’t away for so long xxx
She sent a second message with hearts and other soppy emojis. I smiled and shook my head. It wasn’t like Ems at all and I hoped she was okay; there’d been a lot of tears in the days leading up to my trip.
The flight was uneventful. I watched a couple of films—nothing starring Tom Hardy—and tried to nap. The time difference wasn’t so bad, and I’d be landing at what would be close to midnight UK time. I’d have to power through if I was going to meet Whit and get a half decent night’s sleep before the orientation session for the assessment days. The assessments would take place over the course of two days. It might have seemed pretty heavy going, but there was a candidate dinner tomorrow night where there would be the opportunity to mix with the current staff and senior managers. I knew from my own experiences of running the other side of the process, it was easier for those assessing to be able to compare candidates. The long, drawn-out processes of first and second interviews didn’t always work as well, and early candidates were kept waiting for weeks to hear anything.
An unexpected pang of nerves balled in my stomach. I could definitely do the job. Hell, I’d been over on secondment basically doing it already. But there had always been a job back in the UK for me. What if I fucked this up and didn’t do as well as I had before?
My brain circled around to thewhyquestion again.
Whydid I want this so much?
Whydidn’t I pursue something in the UK?
Whywas I thinking of leaving Ems again when we’d just got back together?
The last of the questions had the biggest impression.
What the fuck was I thinking?
Putting the thought out of my mind for now, I gathered all my stuff together and prepared to land. I still had some time to sort out that answer.
