Page 24 of Tour Wars
“TJ!” she said. “I wasn’t sure if you’d be asleep yet. When do the tour wars start?”
He snorted. “The tour wars?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m calling your little adventure. It’s the perfect setup, right? You and Em, two rivals forced to work together despite your bitter animosity. Who knows what might happen once you’re on the road?”
Now he was outright laughing. Only his kid sister, with her passion for cheesy rom-coms, would assume this tour had the makings of a love story. “Trust me, nothing’s going to happen. First of all, it’s against the rules. Second—well, you know how she feels about me.”
Romily was the only one who knew about the drunken kiss. In hindsight, confiding in her might have been a mistake because she’d spent the past seven months rooting for them to get together.
“If she really hated you, she’d ignore you,” his sister said. “But she argues with you all the time. That’s gotta mean something.”
Her persistence was maddening. “Why are you so invested in this?”
“Because I’m bored. Right now, my job is dull, I’m still getting over my ex, Derek-the-dickweed, and Mom is driving me up the wall. She keeps calling to check on me because she’s worried I’ll never find ‘the one.’ News flash, Mom—I’m twenty-six. I’ve got plenty of time to find the guy of my dreams. She doesn’t nagyouabout it.”
He tossed off the comforter. Even with the air-conditioning kicking up a decent breeze, he didn’t need it. “She’s given up on me. I’m going to die alone as a poor, pitiful academic, surrounded by piles of books and ancient manuscripts. My luck with women has been epically bad.”
“You know why, right?”
“I suspect you’re going to tell me.” Romily never sugarcoated anything.
“It’s because you try too hard to impress them. Bragging about your digs and constantly bringing up your Harvard connections. That routine gets old fast.”
Ouch.Had he really been that bad? “Don’t go easy on me or anything.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. That’s why Emilia is perfect. She already knows all that shit, and she’s totally unimpressed. But deep down inside, I think she likes you. Not for the stuff you’ve bragged about but for the guy underneath.”
“Even if she secretly likes me, we won’t be getting together on this tour, no matter how much your rom-com-obsessed heart insists on it. If we break the rules, we could get fired.”
That couldn’t happen. Far too much was at stake. Now that he knew the Via Stabiana Project might extend into next year, he desperately wanted a spot on the team. The best way to secure his place was by bringing his A game to this tour. That meant no mistakes and no hooking up.With anyone.
“What about after the tour?” Romily said. “Once you’re back in Pompeii and working as archaeologists again, what’s stopping you from taking things further?”
Whatwasstopping him? Fear of rejection? Fear of humiliation? It wasn’t as though Emilia would be any meaner to him than she was now.
“Well?” Romily demanded. “I want answers, bro.”
He paused to imagine Emilia’s reaction if he approached her honestly. For once, he’d be open and vulnerable and tell her how much he respected her. That he wanted more from her than just rivalry and one-upmanship. She’d probably think it was a joke.
“You know what Al always tells us, right?” Romily said. “You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.”
TJ groaned. Having a stepdad in sports management meant enduring alotof motivational quotes. “The last thing I need is one of Al’s clichés, but you’ve got a point. After the tour ends, I’ll see where we’re at. If we get through it without wanting to kill each other, then…”
“Then what?”
“Then I’ll consider it.”
In all possibility, spending ten days leading a tour with Emilia would push them both to the breaking point. They’d get so fed up with each other that they’d never want to work together again.
But if they didn’t?
Then maybe he had a chance.
CHAPTERTEN
Emilia scanned the hotel bar. A quick head count confirmed that all thirty-three members of the Buon Viaggio tour group had shown up for the welcome reception. Most of them were white, well-off, and in the sixty-plus age range. Sprinkled among the gray-haired set were a few younger travelers, including Davis McGowan, the aspiring influencer. But no sign of Luca Roberti yet.
Did that mean he’d decided to bail on the tour? Or did he think it unnecessary to attend the meet and greet? Either way, Emilia was grateful not to deal with him. The last time she’d seen him, during their meeting in Dr. Roberti’s office, his presence had sent cold shivers down her spine.
