AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"There's plenty to spare," Rubie said.
"She really hates them," Chase said. He balanced a plate of biscuits on his hand and was offering them around.
"I'll take two!" one of the kids shouted.
"Me too!" another shrieked.
I chuckled to myself. Kids, they never did things by halves.
"Biscuits or balloons?" Chase asked. He held the plate up high, out of reach and smiled.
"Both!" the kids shouted. "Please."
Chase lowered the plate and it was empty about ten seconds later.
Someone put a hand on my arm. "Where is Bam?" Bec asked.
"I was hoping you knew," I admitted.
She shook her head. "No idea. Hawk said he hasn't heard from him either." She looked worried.
"He could be stuck in traffic," I said.
"I'm feeling a sense of deja vu." Rubie was chewing on the edge of a biscuit. "Haven't we had this conversation before? We were dressed up a bit fancier than this, but it seems familiar."
"Yeah." I sighed. Rubie wore the same blue reindeer jumper I saw in the shop before our run in with Harvey Danbury, not a cocktail dress, but we'd definitely been here before.
"The next words out of your mouth are going to be 'I'm sure he'll be here soon,'" she predicted.
"Um." I was about to say that, but I exhaled in frustration instead. "I guess I could send him a text."
I gave them a nod and stepped away before I pulled out my phone.
The first thing I saw was a notification of an email. I was going to ignore it until I saw the sender.
"The office of Mack D'Antonio," I read under my breath. One of the richest, most successful men in Australia. I had no idea why he'd email me. I should look later, but curiosity got the better of me.
I clicked on the email.
Dear Ms Hardy,
I'm writing to you on behalf of Mr D'Antonio. He has been corresponding with a former employer who recommended you?—
I blinked. Huh?
Mr D'Antonio would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience. He will cover the expenses during your travel to and stay in Sydney for your interview?—
I was being pranked. I must be. I looked around, but no one glanced at me, no one was laughing.
Former employer? I suppose it was possible Carson Thomas had something nice to say, or maybe my boss at Lacey's. With growing suspicion, I looked for Rubie. She had her back to me. If she'd arranged this, I'd have to thank her later.
The big question here was what did I do? The answer was obvious. If Bam was going to blow off the party he'd organised, and wasn't interested in me, then the best thing I could do was to get as far away from him as I could. What better place was there than another state?
I'd miss my friends, but they could come and visit. If I was cynical, I'd remind myself they could all afford it. Hell, Rubie could borrow her father's helicopter and be up in a couple of hours.
Of course, I had no idea what the job was, or how many other people I was up against, but at worst I'd get a free trip out of it. And Sydney was warmer this time of year than Victoria.
I pressed reply and wrote a quick, but carefully worded 'thank you, I appreciate you reaching out to me, I'd love the opportunity to attend an interview with Mr D'Antonio.'
