Page 79 of Riding the Waves

“I’m kind of speechless,” Amy said. “I have to go back to work in two weeks.”

Lizzie nodded. “We know it’s probably a long shot, but we wanted to ask. Full disclosure – we probably wouldn’t be able to match your current salary, but we wanted to get your reaction and see if it’s something you’d be open to discussing further.”

“Wow.” Her eyes were fixed wide open. “I’m shocked.” It occurred to her that Scarlett hadn’t said a word about it and looked to get her reaction.

“It was my idea,” Scarlett said, showing no emotion as she hovered in the kitchen area. “There’s too much work for the three of us, especially when I move forward with the imprint. Emily’s also going to be taking time off with the baby. We need someone else, and I think you’d be the best person for the job.”

“Thank you. I’m really honoured to be asked and I love working with you. I’m not at all sure it’s realistic for me at the moment, but if it’s okay, I’d love to mull it over.”

“Of course,” Emily said. “That’s why we wanted to ask you now and not wait until you were leaving.”

CHAPTER 40

If Amy’s mind wasn’t whirring enough before, the offer to work for Hope Cove Press left her in a tailspin. It shouldn’t really. Since she absolutely couldn’t do it, there was nothing to think about. Except now when she thought about going back to her uninspiring office job in a huge, impersonal company, she felt a sliver of dread that she’d never had before.

It had always been something she was fairly indifferent about, but it was also the only proper job she’d ever had. Now that she had something to compare it to, she wondered if she’d ever feel content with her work again.

Even if she couldn’t accept the job offer, it was flattering. It also provided a slight distraction from the situation with Damian. She should really get in touch with him, but she suspected he’d say she could just pick the boys up when they left the following week, and she wasn’t sure she could handle the rejection. Maybe if she gave him a few days to cool off, he’d be ready to talk to her again.

On Tuesday morning, she’d just got out of the shower when the doorbell rang. Scarlett’s eyes were fixed on the ground when Amy opened the door.

“Hi,” Amy said, pursing her lips as she tried to figure out what would have brought her there.

“Hello.” She shifted her weight from foot to foot. After a momentary silence, she opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again quickly.

“Are you okay?” Amy asked.

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to come in?”

“Yes, please.”

“How did you know where I was staying?” she asked, leading the way along the hall.

“It’s a village,” Scarlett said, as though that was explanation enough.

“Do you want a drink?” Amy asked in the kitchen.

“No, thanks.” Scarlett pulled out a chair and sat down while Amy looked at her in confusion.

“Is there something I can help you with?” Amy asked.

“Yes.” Scarlett slid her laptop out of her bag. “Can you look over the adverts I’ve made for social media?”

“Okay.” Amy pursed her lips as she sat beside Scarlett. “What do you want me to look at exactly?”

“Just look for spelling mistakes and stuff like that. I’m dyslexic so I always get Lizzie or Emily to look over them before I post stuff, but they were both busy today.”

“This is a lot of adverts,” Amy said, as her eyes roamed the page.

“I do them in batches and schedule them to post over the next month. It’s easier that way.”

“Makes sense.” Pulling the laptop in front of her, Amy concentrated on the texts, making adjustments here and there. It didn’t take long, and since it didn’t seem like an urgent task, she assumed Scarlett had only been using it as an excuse to visit. “Are you sure you don’t want a drink?” she asked, when she’d been over everything.

“No.” Scarlett packed her computer away. “Did you think any more about working with us?”

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot,” Amy said.

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