Page 74 of Tour Wars
Every time he stroked Angelo’s ego, TJ felt more like a hypocrite. To make matters worse, he had to act as though he’d pulled off the tour single-handedly because the Robertis scowled at him whenever he mentioned Emilia. So, he’d played along. In return, Dr. Roberti had suggested—once again—that TJ would be at the top of the list if the Via Stabiana Project was extended into next spring.
Once he was dismissed, TJ bolted out of the office and checked his phone for messages. Nothing from Emilia. Since she hadn’t wanted to face the other archaeologists, she’d probably returned to the hostel. He went into the archaeobotanical lab, where Paulo and two of his colleagues were working.
“Hey, Paulo. Can you help me gather up Emilia’s tools? She’s…um…” He paused, unsure how much to reveal. “She’s leaving Pompeii and asked me to grab her stuff.”
Paulo put down his notebook. “Why? Was she fired? Did something go wrong on your tour?”
TJ didn’t want to get into it. “It’s not really for me to say, but the Robertis made some shitty accusations. She denied them, and then…she told them to fuck off. So, she’s out.”
Paulo gave a rueful shake of his head. “That sounds like something she’d do. What did they accuse her of?” His colleagues moved in closer, their ears attuned to juicy gossip.
“Can we not discuss this now?” TJ begged. “I just need to get her things. I can tell you more later.”
With a huff of annoyance, Paulo set Emilia’s tools and her notebooks in a cardboard box. “Here. But I’d like to know what’s going on. Not so I can spread gossip but because I care about her.”
TJ nodded. He wished Emilia had taken the time to talk to Paulo, but he could also understand why she’d fled so quickly. If she’d stayed, she would have made herself vulnerable, and she hated anyone to see her that way. “I’ll tell her. I promise.”
“Do you want to wait a few minutes?” Paulo asked. “We’re almost done for the day. Then we can go back together.”
“Sorry, but I need to talk to her right away. I’ll catch you later.”
While TJ didn’t believe Emilia would leave Ercolano without saying goodbye, she was in such a volatile state that he couldn’t predict her behavior. Tucking the cardboard box under his arm, he left the lab and hurried through Pompeii, weaving around tourists until he came to the exit. Once outside the site, he didn’t bother to walk to the train station. He needed to get back to the hostel before the others returned so he could have a few minutes alone with Emilia. Upon sighting a taxi, he flagged it down and gave the driver the address. So what if the fare was exorbitant? Now wasn’t the time to quibble over money.
At the hostel, he ran up the stairs until he came to Emilia’s floor. The door to her room was open, so he walked in. She was sitting on her bed with her backpack and suitcase set to the side. Her red-rimmed eyes and blotchy complexion hinted at an earlier bout of tears.
“Em, I’m so sorry.” He set the box on the floor. “Okay if I sit down and give you a hug?”
When she nodded, he sat next to her and took her in his arms. She wasn’t crying—not even trembling—which meant she was probably done grieving. She wasn’t the type to wallow in misery for any longer than necessary.
She broke free of his grasp and gave him a weak smile. “Thanks. How did your meeting go with the Robertis? Did you get in trouble?”
After all this, she was worried abouthim? “No, it was fine. I tried defending you, and I offered to contact Davis, but they shut me down.”
“I figured that might happen.” Her brow creased. “You didn’t quit, did you?”
He winced with discomfort, wishing he could tell her he’d stormed out in anger. Instead, he had to own up to his cowardice. “I didn’t, but I still can. What they did to you isn’t right. I’m not sure if I should work for them anymore.”
“Don’t quit. You’ve got too much at stake. Did Dr. Roberti offer to keep you on if the project is extended?”
He swallowed the guilt in a giant lump. Bragging about his offer would only make Emilia feel worse, but he couldn’t lie to her, either. “Maybe? It depends on whether he gets the funding for next year. But he said I’d be one of the first people he’d consider.”
“Good.” Emilia leaned down to pick up the box from the floor. “Thanks for this. I should have told you to leave my notebooks there since they’re meant to stay with the project, but I’m glad you took them.” She gave a snort. “That asshole Maurizio probably would have thrown them in the garbage.”
TJ wished he could do more to help her. After all her hard work—at Pompeiiandon the tour—he couldn’t stand that she’d been treated so poorly. “I haven’t gotten paid for the tour yet, but when I do, I can send you the money once you get settled.” He pointed to her suitcase. “Do you know where you’re going?”
He didn’t want her to leave, but he knew it would be too hard for her to stay in Ercolano with the other archaeologists.
She twisted the luggage tag between her fingers. “Don’t worry about the money. Euros won’t do me any good in California.”
California?What the fuck?
At most, he’d thought she’d go somewhere else in Italy, like Rome or Florence. When had she decided to go to California? “You’re flying back to the States? When are you leaving?”
“In two days. Since my original flight was nonrefundable, Dusty booked me a new one with her mom’s frequent-flier miles. Comfort Plus, if you can imagine.”
She might be able to smile about it, but TJ could hardly believe his ears. Rather than demand answers, he kept quiet, listening as she explained her new plan: leaving Italy, flying to Los Angeles, moving in with Olivia and Rick, and taking a temporary job in contract archaeology with Rick’s crew in Ventura County. Somehow, in the space of an hour, she’d gone from being fired to turning her life in a new direction.
When she was done, she took TJ’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to end things like this. I was really looking forward to spending the next two months with you, but it’s not going to work.”
