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I shake my head. “Gotta do better than that, kiddo. You would’ve been caught if it wasn’t me right now.”
Noah pokes his head out from underneath the blanket. His lips split into a toothy grin as he spots me. “Amber!”
“Shush!” I hiss, but there’s no bite in it. He leaps out of bed and hurries to the door.
“You said you’d be home early today.” He pouts up at me, his big brown eyes wide and sad. “I wanted to playMario Kartwith you. I think I know how to beat you onRainbow Roadnow.”
I bite back a laugh. “That’s fighting talk right there.”
“You want to play now?” he asks, waving hisSwitchin front of me.
I shake my head. “Sorry, kiddo, not today. Mum will kill me if she hears us, and I need to finish off a few things for work.”
His pout deepens. “You’re always working.”
“I know,” I say. “But how about this? This weekend, we can spend thewhole dayplaying together. And, if you manage to beat me, I’ll take you out for ice cream. How does that sound?”
He grins widely. “Sounds great!”
I shoo him back into bed and then tiptoe out of his room. I really do love him.
I lied when I said there’s no heart in this place for me. There is. But only in Noah. When I eventually leave, he’s the only thing I’m going to miss.
My room is about a quarter of the size of Noah’s room, barely giving me enough space for my bed, a tiny desk, and a clothing rail I use as my wardrobe.
I sit at my desk and attack my noodles and beans while I scroll through my phone. There are a few email notifications from Cynthia at the top of my screen, but I can’t bring myself to look at them yet. That’s a problem for tomorrow’s Amber to deal with. Instead, I open up my chat history with my best friend, Bailey. It’s been a while since we last saw each other — we’re both so busy with work — and I miss her.
AMBER
Today has been A DAY
Miss you. You free this weekend?
BAILEY
Miss you more!
I’ve got a PR event in central on Friday night. You want to come? I’m sure I can get you on the guest list.
AMBER
Yeah sure, why not! Could use some fun
Bailey is an influencer, and a really good one at that. She’s built up her own little community of women online and has managed to sustain a career out of it. I’m so proud of her. And a little jealous too. I love that she’s found something she’s so passionate aboutandthat it pays her bills.
Interior design is my passion, no doubt, but I don’t know how long I can do this — the long hours, the endless projects, the lack of recognition — without a pay rise.
I pull out my tablet and scroll through some of the photos I took today. As I swipe, my excitement for the project builds again. This is really it.
This is going to be the project that makes my career.
I grab my pencil, open up a blank canvas on my tablet, and get to work.
4
AMBER
Cynthia’sthin brows are pinched in the middle, her garish glasses sliding down her nose as she swipes through my initial design concepts.
