Page 71 of Tour Wars
He was about to protest but stopped short. Deep in his heart, he knew she was right. No matter how much he cared about her, he couldn’t risk blowing up his future. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. No grand gestures.Please.” She squeezed his arm. “I have to go.”
With that, she turned and left. He wanted to run after her, but Giada opened the door to the office again. She gave a jerk of her head. “Get in here. Now.”
He followed her inside, hoping he’d find a way to make things right.
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
As TJ entered Dr. Roberti’s cramped, stuffy office, the thick dust tickled his nose, forcing him to hold back a sneeze. Giada gestured for him to sit in a folding chair, but he waved her off. Instead, he approached the two Roberti brothers, who sat behind a desk piled high with books, papers, and artifacts. He wanted to tackle the issue of Emilia before they sidetracked him with questions about the tour.
He set the Buon Viaggio binder on the desk, grateful to be done carrying it around. “Sorry to make you wait. I was just talking to Emilia. She told me you fired her?”
“We had no choice,” Angelo replied. “She broke the most important rule in the binder and compromised our company’s integrity.”
TJ brushed his hands against his jeans. “With all due respect, sir, she didn’t do anything wrong. I don’t know what Luca told you, but—”
“He told us enough to take action. She behaved deplorably, offering herself up to that trashy influencer, Davis McGowan, in exchange for a five-star review. Perhaps her intentions were good, but that’s not how we operate. It’s highly unethical.”
Fucking Luca. Now TJ wished he hadn’t given the asshole so much leeway. Ever since Emilia had rejected that prick’s advances in Rome, he’d treated her poorly, but TJ hadn’t done a damn thing about it for fear of pissing him off. He should have shut down Luca right from the start.
“I’m not sure what Luca thinks he saw,” he said. “But I can vouch for Emilia. She didn’t sleep with Davis. Trust me, I was with her for the entire tour. I would have known if she’d done something like that.”
Giada barked out a harsh laugh. “Oh, really? Unless you were with Emilia every night—which I doubt—she could have easily deceived you. You’re not the sharpest tool in the shed.”
Ouch.Rather than let Giada bait him, he turned to Angelo and addressed him in a humble voice. “If you want, I could contact Davis. Would that help? Once you talk to him, I’m sure he’ll clear this up. Then there would be no issue of impropriety.”
“I have no need to contact him,” Angelo said. “The matter is closed. I trust my nephew’s judgment, and I stand by my decision. I don’t wish to discuss it any further.”
TJ swallowed, tasting grit and dust in the back of his throat. How could he stay silent when he was the only one who could speak up for Emilia? But his resolve weakened under the force of Angelo’s piercing stare.
“If you persist in defending your colleague, the door is that way,” Dr. Roberti said. “However, I’d caution you against making such a rash move. You clearly have a bright future ahead of you. If I can secure the funding for another six months at Pompeii, I promise you’ll be at the top of the list.”
This was the prize TJ had been hoping for. The reward at the end of his trials. But as he recalled Emilia’s face when she’d left this office, his stomach churned. After the despicable way the two men had treated her, how could he continue working for them?
But how could he not? If he left Pompeii in a huff, what would he do? Where would he go? Hadn’t Emilia begged him not to be a hero?
Maybe he could compromise. For now, he’d play along just to get through this meeting. Once he was done, he’d head back to Ercolano and talk to Emilia. Then, he could help her figure out her next move.
“TJ!” Giada snapped. “Angelo asked you a question.”
“Sorry.” He pushed Emilia from his thoughts. “What did you want to know?”
“If you’ll take a seat, I’d appreciate it if we could discuss the tour in more detail,” Angelo said. “In particular, I’d like to hear about the musical entertainment you provided for the guests. Though it wasn’t on the original itinerary, your report suggested they enjoyed it a great deal.”
The sing-along he’d done with Emilia in Bari.As a team. He felt like a traitor, but he sat down and gave Angelo his falsest smile. “Sure. I can tell you all about it.”
* * *
After leavingTJ outside Dr. Roberti’s office, Emilia forced herself to keep moving. Without making eye contact, she walked past the labs, past the barriers surrounding the excavation project, and through the crowded site until she reached the exit. She followed the familiar path to the station and got on when a train appeared. All through the ride, she could barely stop shaking. It wasn’t until she was off the train that the shock hit her, but she kept going until she reached the sanctity of the hostel.
As she entered the building, she was grateful to see it so empty. With the other archaeologists still at the site, few people were around to witness her shame. Clutching her stomach, she ran to the bathroom and threw up. Not since she’d been ill with the flu, five years ago, had her body reacted so violently. Upon getting to her feet, she leaned against the bathroom sink and released the tears she’d held back for the past hour. She shook with sobs as she relived the agonizing scene with the Robertis.
When she was done—her body purged of all toxins—she stared at her reflection in the mirror, furious at what she saw. A woman who’d let herself be bullied and shamed. Who’d barely defended herself. Who’d cried more in the past month than she had in a year.
I thought you were supposed to be a badass. What happened?
In the past, she’d had no qualms about challenging anyone: misogynistic supervisors, arrogant dig bros, and racist assholes. But now she’d gone soft. She’d lowered her defenses and let people in. And in doing so, she’d made herself vulnerable.
