Page 61 of Higher Ground
He didn’t let go. Even when Emory planted her feet firmly on the floor. She stepped away from him, but he held her close, nuzzling into her. He backed her right into the pool table and sank his lips against the softest part of her neck, right below her ear. Right where he knew she loved it.
She didn’t tilt her head to make room for him, though. Or turn towards his kiss or whimper into his ear. She held her ground. Her hands were flat against his chest, holding him back as much as she could.
“You knew, Byron. You knew I was studying, and you knew I wanted to get a job in the city.”
“Not the city. I didn’t think you would go that far,” he admitted. He retreated from her neck, dropping his hands to rest on the pool table on either side of her legs.
Her hands still planted on his chest, Emory let her fingers curl against him a little. “Ihaveto, Byron, even though I don’t want to. Because all of this between us … it’s just us. I still hate this town as much as most of the folks who live here hate me.” She sighed, a fraction of her composure dropping as she sank her weight against the table and dropped her hands fromByron’s front. “All my life, I’ve followed other people around. My parents when they first came to Australia when I was young. Then to every major city as I grew up, as they hopped about, trying to find their place. I thoughtnotfollowing them back to New Zealand was me finally finding some power of where I ended up, but I just followed Jaxon here. Ineedto get a job in the city because, for the first time in my life, it’s my chance to lead, not follow. I hate,hate, that it’s costing me my heart, Byron. But I can’t stay.”
Her voice began to shake, but Emory held her breath and forced her lips together. Byron could see the glisten in her eyes as tears began to swell. His own vision started to blur, but he made no effort to hold back his tears. He let them trickle down his cheek until he could taste the saltiness in the corner of his mouth.
“I’m sorry,” he choked out. This was all his fault. Giving in to temptation had been his idea. If he hadn’t encouraged her, neither of them would be in this mess. Their hearts would still be fine.
Emory shook her head, dropping her hand beside her to grab Byron’s. She squeezed his fingers and traced her thumb along his knuckles.
“This is as much my fault as it is yours. I’m sorry, too.”
Reaching up, Byron wiped her cheeks with his thumb and cupped her face. He leant in, pressing their foreheads together first, then kissing her. His lips lingered over hers, waiting to see what she would do. Emory kissed him back, but kept her mouth closed. She gulped, turning her face away from him.
“Please don’t make this harder,” she said.
He didn’t plan to. He planned on making it easier, he just thought he’d have more time to figure it all out. And until everything was settled, he didn’t want to get either of their hopes up.
Chapter 31
Emory
Emory tugged at the collar of her shirt. The buttons strained against her chest, not so much that it looked bad—especially through a computer screen—but enough for her to feel uncomfortable in Byron’s grand desk chair.
Don’t fidget, she told herself. Don’t stretch your arms forward. It’ll be fine. Look at the camera, not yourself. Smile, but not too much. Pause if you need to, don’t say um.
She still had twenty minutes before the interview was meant to start. Byron had promised to keep Clayton entertained outside, so she’d hauled herself into the study earlier than needed. She didn’t want to be late, but even she could admit that twenty minutes was probably a little too early. Maybe she could go and get changed. Surely the interview would go better if she were comfortable.
Running through the clean clothes she still had packed before the flood, Emory compiled outfits in her head. The blue sundress might work—it looked a bit like a shirt on top, she supposed. And only her shoulders would be on the screen anyway. But she’d worn it a few days ago. Was it washed? Wasit dry? It probably needed an iron. Nothing else was even close to suitable. All tight tanks or oversized sweaters. A few daggy T-shirts she wore to work. This too-small, off-white button-down was her only option. She’d have to make do.
Leaning against the tall back of Byron’s chair, she tugged her legs under her knees and twisted her hips. The movement forced the chair to spin back and forth underneath her, and she closed her eyes. She let her body feel the gentle movement and tried to ground her racing emotions. Anxiety was beginning to fill her up, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t ease the way her heart hammered in her chest or settle the churning in her gut. At least, she told herself, it was only a video interview, not the real thing. At least, if she utterly failed to impress them, she’d have a reason to stay.
Dropping her head back, Emory let out a long, determined breath. She shouldn’t think like that. It was doing nothing except sending a message to the universe that she didn’t really want this job. And she did, she wanted it so badly, even with the cost. She had to try.
With five minutes to spare, she stood from the chair and did a few star jumps, making sure not to stretch her arms too far or exert herself to the point of sweating. Just enough to throw out some of the adrenaline that was starting to take over her body. She sat down, pulling a small twisty fidget into her lap.
Time to shine.
She was only logged into the meeting for a minute or so before Ashleigh joined the call. After a quick internet sleuth, she had been expecting the woman’s eccentric style, but seeing it still brought a smile to Emory’s face. Ashleigh was wearing a bright yellow, frilly top, and her mop of tight brown curls was tied high on her head. Bright red glasses framed her face, complemented by a matching necklace. On Emory, the whole ensemble might have appeared gaudy, but on Ashleigh, it just worked.
Something about seeing the woman helped to calm Emory. Maybe it was her sense of fashion or the larger-than-life smile, or maybe it was just because once they started chatting, Emory felt instantly at home. If she got this job, she had a feeling she would fall right into place within the Sydscape team.
She’d need that, to find friendships with her coworkers. Otherwise, she would have no one when she moved to Sydney. No one to catch up for coffee with, no one to call when she needed a hand with Clayton. It didn’t matter how far she moved, she knew she would always be able to call Mya when she needed a chat, but it wasn’t the same as having a support network close by.
Emory couldn’t have finished her degree without Mya’s help. And Byron’s. Was she crazy to think she’d be able to cope without them when she moved?
She bit back the thought. Ashleigh was giving her another brief rundown of the graduate program and some of the clients they expected to hand over to their next cohort of employees. Emory needed to pay attention. Under the table, she twisted the fidget toy between her fingers. It helped her focus on Ashleigh, but she still tracked each word carefully to make sure she didn’t miss any important details.
“Since you’ll be coming in from a rural community, we thought you’d be the perfect fit for one of our newest clients. It’s a small Sydney business that works directly with farms to buy all the produce the supermarkets don’t want, so it doesn’t go to waste. They’re still in start-up mode, and I think your tie to the farming industry, even if it is a bit roundabout, would really give you a leg up on their marketing.”
Ashleigh’s enthusiasm seeped through the screen as she spoke. Every sentence was as though Emory already had the position, and this interview was a mere formality. Emory hoped that was the case, but thought through every response all thesame. She shouldn’t get too far ahead of herself, she still needed to prove her worth.
The conversation continued to flow, and Emory became more and more confident in her chances with every pleased smile Ashleigh sent through the screen. Professionally, at least, Emory was convinced. Talking with Ashleigh, she’d almost forgotten all the so-called cons of this job. The thought of moving to the city was back to being the exciting adventure she had always thought it would be. This job was everything. She couldn’t wait to get started, and she didn’t even have the job yet.
