Page 35 of Tall, Royal Hater
She huffed. “Oh, nothing for your dad to be such a moody bum about.”
“She booked us a four-day trip by the coast and didn’t even tell me until she whipped out a suitcase this morning and gave me an hour to pack,” Dad explained, sounding exactly like a moody bum. “And she booked it a week ago. We are now in the car driving there.”
Ah. No wonder Dad sounded stressed. He liked well-thought-out plans made weeks if not months in advance, while Mum, on the other hand, liked planning one day and doing it the next.
“Had I told you sooner, you would have refused to go, but you needed the rest, Gerald. Tell your dad, Mar.”
“Rest is important too, Dad,” I said. “And you and Mum haven’t been on a holiday together at all this year, so it’ll be fun.”
Dad sighed. “We haven’t, have we?”
I shook my head in silent agreement as Mum said, “No, we have not.”
I heard the soft sound of a kiss. “So, how was your day, sweetie?” Mum added.
“It was great…”
I told them about the museum and art gallery, skipping the obvious details about Shehryar until Dad asked about him, because for some reason, they were best buds.
“On our way back, Prince Kai mentioned a famous market—”
“The Falasteen Market,” Dad said like he was reciting a travel book. “It’s been the open-air mall and trade centre of Pavilion City since the end of the Great Rebellion.”
I snapped my mouth shut. “Yep, probably that one. He said it was really big though, so we’ll probably spend a whole afternoon there.”
“Make sure you get the kids a few souvenirs,” said Mum. “The kids” were Lily and my brother-in-law’s three children and their new baby girl, only three months old.
“Wouldn’t dare forget.”
“And if you find any of Touma’s famous loose-leaved jasmine tea—”
“Three boxes. I remember.”
“That’s my girl.” I could hear the grin in Mum’s voice. “Okay, you rest up now, and we’ll—”
“Wait,” Dad quickly said. “Tell her about the job.”
Job?A knot started tightening around my chest, causing me to hold my breath.
“She doesn’t need to think about it now,” Mum said.
“No, but there’s no harm in letting her know.”
The anxiety rising to my throat didn’t agree, but I dared to ask, “What job?”
“Remember your dad’s friend, Patch?” Mum said, and I hummed quietly. “Well, we saw him yesterday, and he told your father about a job opening at the Central Bank that you might be interested in.”
One knot turned into two sickening knots.
“It’s for the position of economic analyst,” Dad said. “A more senior role, but he said with your experience, you’d be more than capable. It would be a great step in your career too.”
“But,” Mum quickly added, “you’re currently on vacation, so you don’t need to worry about applying or anything. We just wanted to let you know so you had time to decide if you were interested because the application deadline is mid-December.”
I should’ve told them I didn’t need time to think—I didn’t want to apply. But I couldn’t say it.
I gulped slowly and forced myself to smile even though they couldn’t see me. “Thanks Mum. I’ll definitely think about it.”
“Great,” she chirped. “Okay, well then, you sleep well and ring us again tomorrow.”
