Page 74 of The Player in New Zealand
“Fine, I won’t. Go back to work. I’m going to bed.”
“Fine,” I grumbled, just to be a little bitchy.
“I love you. A lot. It’ll be fine, trust me.”
I softened a bit, and reminded myself that I certainly didn’t know what it took to make a healthy relationship last. “Love you too, Iris.”
We said goodbye and I slipped my phone back into my pocket, feeling an anxiousness I couldn’t pin down.
* * *
When I leftthe office and returned to the bar, the first person I spotted was Tane.
“How’d the interview go?”
“Good. How did your game go?”
“Good.” We stared at each other across the bar. When I’d stepped out the door, I’d been thinking of my little sister and not the problem right in front of me: I had to tell Tane about this job offer and we had to have a real, serious discussion.
Suddenly I didn’t feel so good.
“I got the job offer.”
Tane flinched. His regular grumpy face melted down into uber grumpy. “It’s a good one, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Probably the best one I’ll get.”
Tane swore. “Hey, Nina. Do you need Claire, or is she off?”
Nina looked up from the end of the bar where she was talking to one of the bus staff. “She’s off. Go home and quit glaring around my bar.”
He didn’t even argue about it being his bar too, just spun off the stool and stomped upstairs, leaving the door open.
I grabbed my things and waved goodbye to Nina before following him. The apartment door was open, Tane’s back to me as he glowered out the window facing the street.
“This isn’t my fault,” I started, already on the defensive.
“I know.” Tane’s words weren’t angry or bitter. They were sad—tired, even. He turned back to the window and ran his hand through his cropped hair. “This just sucks, you know? I wish we could find you something here, something that would make you happy.”
That was nice, not having to feel like this was my fault. And of course Tane would be this way. Too good to be true. I stepped to him and wrapped my arms around his waist.
“Honestly, the job in Auckland doesn’t sound perfect. While the restaurant is nice and everything, it’s just a bartending job. Granted, it’s not serving shitty beer and vodka sevens all day like some of my past jobs. And the hiring manager’s a bit... rough.”
Tane’s hands rubbed up and down my back. “I wish you could stay in Wellington.”
“I can’t afford to without a job.”
He pulled back a little bit and I looked up, resting my chin on his chest.
“You could stay here in my apartment. Right now we’re pretty much living together anyway. Without the costs of a hostel, it would buy you time to look for a job.”
“I would like to pay you rent.”
Tane scoffed. “I don’t pay rent. I own the building.”
“It wouldn’t be fair, Tane, and I would owe you money.” I pushed him away a little farther and he let his hands drop to his sides.
“Fair to who? I’m offering, Claire.”
