Page 62 of Hooked
“Of course you are.” Tayla often wondered if her mother left the house if her father would even notice. “Okay, see you.”
He frowned. “How long are you staying?”
“I’m leaving tomorrow.” Or maybe today if she couldn’t take it anymore. She’d talked to Emmie last night, and she missed her best friend. She missed the bookshop, and she’d missed Friday lunch with Daisy and Emmie. She didn’t want to go out to another club and play Tobin’s wingman. She didn’t need to see another concert. She didn’t want another silent brunch in the morning room.
She wanted to sleep in her own bed.
She wanted to see Jeremy.
She wanted to think about this whole SOKA thing without her mother’s depression hanging over her like a cloud.
Tayla got on her phone and reserved a ticket for the afternoon train, breathing a sigh of relief when her email dinged in confirmation.
Emmie mether at the train platform. It was already nighttime, and Tayla didn’t feel like walking the eight blocks to the store in the dark, so she was grateful.
“Yeeeeah!” Emmie ran toward Tayla. “You’re back. Were you bored? Please tell me you were bored.”
“Your encouragement is overwhelming. Stop. Please stop.” Tayla hugged her back and tried to act annoyed, but she was too happy to see Emmie. “I wasn’t bored. You know the train is a nightmare on Sunday afternoon. I just wanted to beat the rush.”
“Sure.” Emmie picked up her bag. “Come on. I borrowed Ox’s truck. How did the interview go?”
“Do you really want to know?”
Emmie took a deep breath. “Yeah. I do.”
Tayla waited for Emmie to throw her bag in the truck bed. They hopped in the cab and buckled up.
“It was great,” Tayla said. “It was really, genuinely great. The owners are amazing. The office is super chill and really friendly. Honestly, I know it’s not what you want to hear, but I really hope I get this job.”
Emmie’s smile was tight, but Tayla could tell it was sincere. She swallowed hard and nodded. “I’m happy for you. I really am. And I’m excited for you. I’m thrilled you found something that sounds so perfect for you. Did they offer the position to you?”
“Not yet. And thanks.” She leaned over and gave Emmie a hug. “The worst part about this job would be leaving you.”
“And Jeremy.”
Tayla sighed. “I’m not thinking about that right now.”
“You have to stop pretending this isn’t real.” She started the truck and headed toward the exit of the parking lot. “He was mopey the whole time you were gone.”
“I texted him.”
“Yeah, he told me.” She turned left, then made a quick right. “What are you going to do?”
“Nothing yet,” she said. “They haven’t offered me the job. There were up-front about interviewing other people. They had a list of five or six, I think. It’s entirely possible that I won’t get this, and then I’ll never take another job because nothing will ever compare with the perfection of working for SOKA. I’ll stay in Metlin forever and slowly be consumed by a massive cloud of pollen.”
“Ha ha.” Emmie stared at the road.
“Just say it.”
“I don’t have anything to say. Honestly. I’m thrilled you found something so incredible that makes you sound happy and excited. And I’m also heartbroken because Metlin can never compare with the perfect job in your hometown.”
“I’m not… I’m not being sentimental about the city.” She stared into the oncoming lights. “Trust me, that’s not it.”
“How’s your mom?”
Tayla shrugged. “The same.”
“And the paternal unit?”
