Page 45 of Push

I threw my hands up in frustration. “There’s always a but.”

“But.” Toby’s tone was insistent again. “If youwantto stay home with Noah full-time, do it. Our finances are my responsibility. Every dollar of mine—the trust fund and the clinic—is for you two.”

“Don’t let your mother hear you say that.”

“It’s about the only thing Iamprepared to say to her now.”

I arched my brow. “So, the rumor is true then? You let your mother have it? Stormed out and everything?” I responded to Toby’s confused look by adding, “Tanya texted me.”

“Christ, she’s such a blabbermouth!”

“I don’t know if that’s quite how I’d describe your sister. Her exact words were literally, ‘Toby told our mother to fuck herself with a beef Wellington and left.’ I guessed the rest myself.”

Grinning, he wiggled his eyebrows. “She forgot to tell you the part where I bowed first.”

A huff of laughter managed to escape. “What finally tipped you over the edge?”

“You know what Mum’s like.” Toby’s smile was tight.

I cocked my head. He was keeping something from me. Had his mother mocked him again for being stupid? Or had she torn into him for dragging the precious family name through the mud? I’d heard those comments from her mouth more thanonce. He had, too. Maybe that was why he shuffled from foot to foot.

He quickly added, “All that matters is that Mum won’t bother you again.” He drew a cross over his heart. “Promise.”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all year. You did good.”

That was the wrong thing to say. Toby’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. Doing something right always switched his dork mode on.

“Let’s keep the good news coming,” he said, his chest all puffed out. “I reckon you might be on a winning streak today. So, let’s get you out the door to those job interviews.” His grin grew wider. “Ifthat’s what you want.”

I rolled my eyes.Brick, meet wall.But a tiny part of me was glad Toby looked out for me and cared about what I wanted…for once.

Melissa—the last recruiter on my list and, honestly, my last hope—flipped through my resume for the fourth time. I fought the urge to twist my hands in my lap. My nerves were raw, but I locked the self-doubt behind a carefully painted mask of confidence.

This isn’t a good sign.

Melissa’s smile was grim. Almost…sympathetic. “And you’re sure you can only work part-time?”

It was the same question I’d been asked in the three interviews before this one. Enthusiastic handshakes and speeches about my partnership potential vanished when I set a boundary about how many hours I could devote to my career. There was nothing realistic about my working sixteen-hour days anymore. Even if Toby started pulling his weight, and even if I wrangled daycareand called in every last favor from our friends, my career couldn’t be my only priority.

Honestly? I didn’t want it to be, either.

Life had changed. Noah came first. I still wanted to kick ass, but I also needed to think about what was best for my baby. I’d grown up with a mother who’d drunk herself into oblivion to blot out her children’s existence. I could never repeat those mistakes.

Where did that decision leave me in the job market, though? Apparently, in the awkward wasteland where recruiters snapped my resume shut, thanked me for coming, and promised to call me even though we were all smart enough to know they’d never call.

I tried the same tactic on Melissa that had already failed on everyone else. She’d calledme, after all. She must have been alittleinterested.

“My work ethic is unquestionable,” I said. “But, yes, my existing commitments limit my availability to part-time or flexible working hours.”

“Existing commitments?” Melissa repeated with a thoughtful hum. “Familycommitments?”

Legally, she wasn’t supposed to ask me that. I didn’t need to answer, either. Practically, I knew it was the death knell of yet another interview. The same old story. If progress had been made for working mothers, it hadn’t trickled down to Sydney’s legal sector yet.

Melissa closed my resume and folded her hands on top. Her gaze was steady, and her smile tense. I knew this look. I took a deep breath and lifted my chin, ready for another rejection.

“Gwen, you’re an impressive candidate.”Yeah, here we go.“Your reputation precedes you. There are very few lawyers out there with your skills and experience.” My heart thumped, knowing the drill all too well. This was absolutely another rejection. “And that’s why I feel like I should be frank with you.”

My eyebrows popped up. “I’d appreciate honest feedback.” Finally, something I could work with.

---