gazes back at me in horror. “I mean, how awful…she’s on bed rest while I’m here taking credit for all her hard work.”
My brow furrows. “No one thinks you’re taking credit for her work. They’re offering you this job because of their interactions with you for the past month, not Freya. Plus, didn’t you say that Freya is the creative designer? Isn’t that where she thrives?”
“Yes.”
“They’re not offering you a creative position. And Freya will still be in charge of her line at Harrods with this signed contract. It’s actually you that will be out of a job once this all gets going, so this is a win-win situation. And frankly, I venture a guess that Harrods pays a lot better than Freya.”
I slide the folder over to her, and she looks at it like it might burn her. “Christ, this is a big decision.”
“You have time to think it over,” I reply quickly, holding back a laugh because she’s adorably flustered. “But for now, you should celebrate. They saw something in you after just a month of working with you.” I press my lips together to stop myself from saying that I saw the same in one week. “You’re exactly where you’re meant to be, and I think this is a sign of more good things to come.”
Tilly finally allows a smile to spread across her face. “Thank you, Santino.” Leaning in, she throws her arms around my neck, hugging me fiercely. “You’ve been such a tremendous help.”
I squeeze her back, laughing into her neck. “I didn’t do anything. This was all you.”
She pulls back, her eyes flicking back and forth between mine. “I still can’t believe this.”
“Believe it.” I smile as I tuck a loose tendril behind her ear, relishing in the feel of her in my arms. “Whether you accept this position or not, we should celebrate because the contract is signed.”
She licks her lips and smiles at me for a moment. It’s heart-stopping, and it takes everything in me not to grab her face and kiss her right here, right now.
Then suddenly, her face falls, and I see doubt creeping back in. “We better not.”
“Why not?” I ask, refusing to go down without a fight.
Turning, she begins picking up her spare contracts and stuffing them into her bag. “Well, there’s not much to celebrate with when you’re sober.”
“Bollocks,” I scoff, my hand landing on her thigh. “We can grab a couple of fizzy drinks at the corner shop, then go sit in a park somewhere.”
She freezes and glances down at my hand with a look of discomfort, so I quickly remove it, feeling strangely rejected all over again.
“It’s not a good idea, Sonny.”
My jaw tightens as I take in her refusal at full throttle. “If you say so.” Exhaling heavily, I hand her the contract.
With a nervous swallow, she takes the folder. “Thanks.”
And that is now my third rejection from the ever-evasive Tilly Logan, who I just can’t seem to walk away from.
Over the weekend, I’m riddled with anxiety. The offer from Harrods is ridiculous. It’s more money than I ever dreamed of making even back when I was working my way up at Fortnum and Mason. And when I told Freya and Mac, they were both over the moon excited for me. Freya all but told me she would not let me meet my nephew if I didn’t accept the job. And Mac did that proud Scottish father smile his son will feel in full force for his whole life. I even called to tell my parents the good news, and they didn’t seem at all surprised that I most likely won’t be coming back to Dundonald after Freya has the baby.
“You’re too smart for the likes of this wee place, Till,” my dad said, sounding like he was getting choked up.
“Now I can see both my kids in one place when we come to visit,” my mum cooed soothingly. “And I’ll be visiting a lot once that baby is born!”
They always know exactly what to say to make me feel special. Yet still…I can’t shake this anxiety.
And I think I know why.
“Heading out?” Freya chirps from her sofa throne as I try to quietly sneak out the front door on Sunday at noon.
I pause and turn, glancing around for any sign of Mac.
“He went out to pick me up some wine gums.” Freya touches her belly fondly. “The baby demanded it.”
I laugh, then walk over to sit beside her. “I’m going over to Santino’s.”
“I