Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Flynn almost let her go. She’d stomp around the city being angry with him, and when she came back he could explain everything.
By then he’d know what had been decided.
Maybe all those hours studying for his sergeant’s exam would be worth it.
If the phone call didn’t go his way, what then?
Not only would he have almost exhausted himself chasing the promotion for the last couple of months, but he’d also be at a dead end with his plan to get back to St Mary’s – and Lily.
The thought of continuing a long-distance relationship indefinitely filled him with dread. He didn’t want it, and he didn’t want to inflict it on Lily when she’d been clear from the outset she wasn’t happy with the situation.
“Wait,” he said, gently taking her elbow to stop her from leaving. She didn’t take much coaxing back inside. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” she said with her back against the door.
He hooked her hair behind her ear, hating the sadness in her eyes. More so because he knew he was causing it.
“I applied for the position of sergeant on St Mary’s,” he told her, then exhaled loudly.
Creases appeared across her brow. “You’re not qualified to be a sergeant.”
“I wasn’t. But it seemed like the only way I could get a job over there again, so I asked if I could be fast tracked for a promotion. Specifically, to work on Scilly. Sergeant Holmes hates it and doesn’t want to stay on.”
Lily opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. “I’m confused. You said you didn’t want to be sergeant.”
“I wasn’t bothered about the promotion. But I wanted to be with you, and that seemed like the only solution. So I worked like crazy for the promotion.”
She shook her head, the creases on her forehead deepening. “You didn’t get it?”
“I passed the exams,” he said. “I’m qualified to apply for the position of sergeant. So in theory I can get the job on St Mary’s. I’ve been waiting to hear.”
“Is that what the call is about?”
“Yeah. I’ll find out today.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before?”
He gave a half-hearted shrug. “There didn’t seem to be much point in both of us worrying about it.”
Anger flashed in her eyes. “So instead you let me worry about why you keep snapping at me, and why you never bring up the subject of moving back to Scilly? You let me worry about whether you really want to be with me, or if things are fizzling out like I thought they would?”
“Nothing is fizzling out between us,” he said, shocked that she could think that.
She didn’t pull away when he took her hand, but she didn’t lean into him either. “Does PC Hill know your plan?” she asked quietly.
“Yes.”
“That’s why he’s been calling you?”
He nodded. “He’ll want to know if there’s any news.”
“Yeah,” she said bitterly. “I imagine it’s something he’d be eager to know.”
“I should have told you sooner,” he said. “But I might not get the job. I didn’t want to get your hopes up for nothing.”
“They must have given you some notion of whether it’s a possibility. If they fast-tracked you through the process, that sounds like a good sign.”
“From what I gather, I should get the job. But I’m terrified something’s going to go wrong. I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t get it.”
Lily released a sigh. “I should probably stay angry with you for a while,” she huffed.
Some of his stress left him at the lack of conviction in her words. “Probably,” he said, then took a step closer. “I really am sorry.”
“You should have told me,” she said, but she slipped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “If you’re stressed about anything, I can make you feel better. But only if you tell me.”
He buried his face in her neck and smiled to himself at how right she was. He felt better already.
“I think you’ll get the job,” she said quietly. “If you don’t, we’ll come up with a new plan. We always figure things out.”
“I just really want this to work out.”
She squeezed him tighter, then pulled back and gave him a gentle kiss. “I’m going to do my shopping.”
“You don’t have to. I was just freaking out a bit.”
“I noticed.” Gently she stroked the back of his neck. “I’ll leave you to it, anyway. I can pick up a bottle of champagne so we can celebrate your promotion later.”
He cocked his head, giving her a look which told her not to get her hopes up. It was entirely at odds with the flutter of excitement in his stomach.
“Positive thinking,” she said, pressing her forehead against his. “If it’s not the news we want, we’ll make a different plan and celebrate that instead. Okay?”
“Okay.” He took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. “You’re the best, you know?”
“Yes. I know.” She wrinkled her nose and gave him a quick peck before wishing him luck and leaving him alone.
His phone rang shortly after she’d left. PC Hill again. After checking the time, he rejected the call. He shot off a message saying he couldn’t talk now but would call him later.
Then he went to his desk in the bedroom and waited for the sergeant to call.