Page 73 of Tour Wars
“Emilia?” Olivia’s voice was soft. “You’re not weak. Maybe you just need time to regroup in a place where you don’t have to hustle or deal with unwanted male attention. Would you be up for doing contract archaeology in Southern California? There’s so much construction going on in Ventura County that Rick’s boss is always scrambling for new crew members. You’ve done salvage archaeology before, so you’d be a huge asset to the team.”
Emilia allowed herself a small measure of hope. Even if contract work wasn’t the dream, she was good at it. Working with someone as trustworthy as Rick would also mean zero chance of harassment. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’d love to take you up on it, but rent in California is so pricey. I couldn’t even afford to stay in a trailer.” It didn’t help that she hadn’t been paid for all her work on the tour.
“You could stay with us,” Olivia said.
“Hardly. You and Rick live in a one-bedroom apartment. I’d totally cramp your style.”
Olivia grinned. “I didn’t tell you, did I? The chair of the Classics Department at UC Santa Barbara is on sabbatical this year. She’s spending ten months in the Mediterranean, researching a book that traces the path of Homer’sOdyssey.When she found out I was a cat person, she asked if I’d be available to house-sit. So, in exchange for looking after three cats, Rick and I are living in this sweet two-bedroom bungalow in Ojai, rent-free. We’re also supposed to take care of the garden, but I’m not much of a plant whisperer. If you came, you could have the extra bedroom in exchange for your green thumb.”
Emilia drew in a shaky breath. After everything she’d been through, Olivia’s offer seemed too good to be true. “Don’t you and Rick want your privacy?”
Olivia dismissed the question with a wave of her hand. “We’re archaeologists. If we have a room with a bed and a door that closes, then we’re good.”
“Let me know if you need to book a new flight,” Dusty said. “I love playing fast and loose with my mom’s frequent-flier miles. She has millions of them.”
Emilia’s heart overflowed with gratitude. At most, she’d expected advice or sympathy, but her friends were offering her a job, a free flight to the States, and a place to live, all because they cared about her. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll do it,” Olivia said. “I’ll call Rick tonight and tell him.”
Emilia paused and drew in a shaky breath. “I want to, but I hate feeling so needy.”
Dusty glared at her. “Get over it. There’s nothing wrong with needing helporwith accepting it. If the tables were turned, you’d do the same for either of us.”
It was hard to argue with Dusty’s logic. “Okay,” Emilia said. “Thanks so much.”
“What about TJ?” Dusty asked. “It’s pretty obvious you both wanted more than just two nights of steamy hotel sex.”
The question made Emilia cringe with guilt. She’d been so distraught, so focused on figuring out her next move, that she’d left TJ out of the equation. She dug her fingers into a groove on the wooden bench. “I…I’m not sure.”
“Can we back up a minute?” Olivia asked. “I was so worried about finding you a job that I almost forgot you and TJ had sex.” She gave Emilia a cheeky grin. “I have to know—is he as boastful about his prowess in bed as he is about everything else?”
A smile tugged at Emilia’s lips. “Nope. He was sweet and wonderful and really thoughtful. And…um…surprisingly good at oral sex.”
“Yes!” Dusty said. “Don’t you love it when guys have that skill set down? Please tell me it’s not over. You could do the long-distance thing until he comes back in December. Right?”
With all the stress and humiliation of being fired, Emilia hadn’t thought ahead to everything she’d be missing. Not just her job and her colleagues but the opportunity to spend the next two months with TJ, indulging in stolen weekends together.
But now? If she was in California and he was in Italy, how could they sustain a relationship? “I don’t think it would work. Dr. Roberti might extend TJ’s contract through next June, which means we’d be apart for eight months. And once TJ’s done in Pompeii, who knows where he’ll end up? He’s so determined to land a prestigious job that he’ll take one wherever he can get it. I’m not going to tie him down.”
Nor would she suggest he join her in doing contract archaeology. From what he’d told her, it wouldn’t be impressive enough to satisfy his judgmental stepdad.
“Maybe he wants to be tied down,” Olivia said. “He might do it for you.”
Emilia didn’t want to counter with negativity, but she needed to be realistic. Her unjust treatment by the Robertis only served to remind her that life was unfair more often than not. If she expected a happy ending, she’d end up bitterly disappointed.
“He might, but not if it meant turning down a tenure-track position,” she said. “If he gets an offer on the East Coast or in the Midwest, then who am I to stand in his way?”
When neither of her friends responded right away, Emilia suspected they didn’t agree with her. Then Dusty gave a world-weary sigh. “I hate to say it, but I get what you mean. Those jobs are competitive as hell. When Stuart went through the application process last year, he got so stressed-out. He was fully prepared to move anywhere he had to.”
“Same here,” Olivia added. “I guess I’m just a sappy romantic at heart. After everything you’ve been through, I want you and TJ to end up together.”
Emilia blinked quickly, trying to stave off a fresh round of tears. Why did life have to be so hard? “I’d like that, too. But right now, I need to put myself first.”
Even if it hurt like hell, it was better to make a clean break now than spend the next few months growing apart from TJ, knowing they didn’t have any chance of a future together.
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
For the last half hour, TJ had been forced to give the Robertis a full rundown of his experiences on the tour. Never mind that he’d alreadyemailed them a sixteen-page document describing each day in painstaking detail. Angelo wanted more. To be precise, he wanted TJ to assure him the tour had gone so successfully that all the guests would leave five-star reviews.
