Page 66 of Fireworks at Pennycress Inn
‘Don’t be so bashful, Polly. Dennis is right, without your idea of having a stall and food truck, we wouldn’t have even been there.’ Declan grinned.
‘Thanks.’ Mumbling, Polly turned back to her desk as the room quietened down again.
Leaning across his desk, Zac squeezed her arm. ‘Well done.’
Polly glanced at him and smiled before standing up. ‘I’ll be right back.’
Polly hovered, placing her pens back in the small metal pen holder until she was sure Zac was once again engrossed in his work. It would be easier if he didn’t see what she was about to do, if he didn’t start asking questions. Satisfied he wasn’t going to look up again for a while, Polly grabbed the envelope she’d stashed in her desk drawer and walked across the office to Declan’s desk and lowered her voice. ‘Do you mind if we have a quick word in private, please?’
Looking up from the papers he was reading, Declan smiled and stood up. ‘Of course.’
Following him through to the meeting room, Polly closed the door quietly behind them before standing there and clasping her hands in front of her.
‘What can I do for you, Polly?’
It was now or never, and she was ready for this. She took a deep breath before speaking. ‘I’d like to hand in my notice.’
Blinking, Declan ran his fingers through his beard. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Just that, I’d like to hand in my notice.’ She passed him the envelope, holding it between them until he reluctantly took it.
‘But you’ve been doing so well. You’ve made such a difference here already. Why would you want to throw all that away?’ Declan looked down at the envelope and turned it over in his hands, making no effort to open it.
Polly chewed on her bottom lip before answering. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she couldn’t go into details either. ‘Personal reasons.’
‘I see.’ Leaning against the edge of the table, Declan looked shocked. ‘I must say, this is somewhat of a surprise. Is it because of the mix-up with the job roles?’
Shaking her head, Polly shoved her hands in her pockets. She’d surprised herself at how much she was enjoying the new role and if circumstances were different, if there was any way she could stay on here without needing the money the promotion would bring, she’d be more than happy continuing in her current job. ‘No, not at all. I’ve actually really enjoyed working on the fundraising and development side of things.’
‘Then I must ask again, why?’
Polly glanced behind her towards the closed door. She couldn’t tell him the real reason. She couldn’t tell him that she was doing this for Zac, that Zac needed the promotion more than her and even though she had no reason to believe she’d win it over him, she wasn’t going to take that risk. She wasn’t prepared to put him through the pain of her getting the promotion when he needed it more or him being given it and feeling guilty for it. They both needed the extra money and one of them wasn’t going to get that. She might as well swing things in Zac’s favour as well as safeguarding her future, even if it was one she didn’t particularly want. Nope, the last thing she wanted was for her reasoning to get back to Zac. She’d figure out something to tell him when the time came. ‘Honestly, I just need to do this.’
‘I still don’t understand.’ Declan ran his finger and thumb around the edge of the envelope. ‘Is it the team? Me?’
‘No, no. I’ve loved working with you all. I just miss my old teaching job.’ As she blurted out the words, she hoped they sounded more sincere than they did to her.
‘Right, okay.’ Declan nodded. ‘The team are going to be devastated you’re leaving us. And so soon too.’
‘Sorry, I’m going to miss you all.’ Polly shifted on her feet. She hadn’t realised quite how hard this would be, but it was for the best and now she’d made her decision official, she felt a weight lifting from her shoulders. Next would be a conversation with David, the estate agent, to tell him she wanted to pull out of the sale of the flat. Another conversation she wasn’t looking forward to, but that one could wait. It could wait until she knew whether she’d secured a job at her old school or not. And it wouldn’t be long to wait, being as Stacey had managed to slip her in for an interview tomorrow. Polly had known interviews were already scheduled to take place, but it had been a stroke of luck one of the other candidates had dropped out and Stacey had been able to get her in.
‘You will be missed, too. Very much so.’
‘And I’m sorry to ask so soon after handing in my notice, but would I be able to have tomorrow off please? I have an interview at the school I used to teach in.’
‘Right, well, yes, of course.’ Declan nodded.
‘Thank you. I know it’s short notice.’
‘Shall we?’ Declan held the envelope out, indicating the door.
‘Yes.’ Polly began pushing the door open before pausing and looking back at Declan again. ‘Can we keep this between the two of us for the time being, please?’
‘Of course.’ Declan folded the envelope, still unopened, and slipped it into his pocket before holding out his hand and indicating her to go through.
Walking back to her desk, Polly breathed a sigh of relief. That had been harder than she thought it would be, but now she’d done it, now she’d officially given up on her dreams, she felt okay. She felt at peace. There were more important things going on in her life right now, namely her new relationship with Zac, and all she wanted to do was to protect that. She didn’t want the promotion hanging over them, threatening to pull them apart. And she wanted to make things easier for him, too.
Zac glanced up as she sat back down. ‘All okay?’
