Chapter 2 #2
That was Elinor for you. She was always the most cautious of the Bennett sisters, and practical as all get-out, even with her purple-blue hair.
She was harder to read than both Liv and Katie, both of whom tended to wear their emotions on their faces.
Elinor was most like EJ in that they both tended to guard their hearts.
EJ studied her, wondering what kind of man would be the one to make Elinor sparkle with the kind of happiness Liv showed these days.
Maybe Elinor was like EJ and would—eventually—be more career focused and not need a relationship at all.
Well, maybe one day a relationship would be something to think about, like in ten years’ time. Just not now.
Dissatisfaction rolled through EJ at the fact that her sisters seemed to be moving on with their lives while she still felt trapped at Donwell.
And while there was a lot to appreciate about her job, her role there now felt like a puzzle piece that no longer fit.
She was tired of working at a tech start-up when she’d rather be working for herself at her own tech start-up.
“Emma-Jane?”
Mum’s voice snapped EJ’s attention back to the conversation. “Yes?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mum’s forehead wore a crease. “You’ve seemed very distracted.”
“Yep. I’m fine. Oh, I visited Aunty Marion yesterday.” As she usually did each Saturday. Her dad’s maiden aunt remained as gentle and quietly spoken as ever. “She sends her love to everyone.”
“We should go see her again soon,” Mum said. “I’m glad she’s doing okay.”
“Is Jordan okay?” Katie asked.
“I guess.” EJ frowned. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Because you and he …” Katie’s brows rose.
“Because me and he what?” EJ demanded.
Katie smiled smugly, in a manner exactly like Mum’s, which was uncanny sometimes. And unwelcome right now, as it seemed that all of her sisters were now staring at her with the same expression.
“What?”
“You know he is very fond of you,” Mum said.
“We’re friends, Mum. That’s all.” She withheld an eye roll. How many times had she doused their persistent comments over many years that friendship wasn’t all that Jordan felt for her? Which was ridiculous. They’d been friends forever, so no way.
Except …
Lately there had been those moments when she’d started to wonder the same. Was that only the power of suggestion, because her family had placed these niggling doubts inside? Or was it because she was finally starting to see what everyone else had noticed and commented on for years?
The discontent from before rose again. She liked Jordan—okay, loved him, but only as a brother. It would be one hundred percent weird to think of him in any other way. He was already too far entwined in her life, in her home life, her thoughts, her work …
Clarity rose. There was one way she could finally do something about that and put some distance between this weirdness that was developing between them. She didn’t want to lose her friend, but he was making things weird, and even though this seemed drastic, it was what he’d advised many times.
“Actually, come to think of it, I do have an announcement,” EJ said.
“You do?” Katie clapped her hands. “Has Jordan finally asked you out?” Katie’s eyes might as well be heart shaped.
“No! Don’t be so ridiculous,” she said firmly, even as a tug within wondered if that would be so ridiculous, after all.
She blinked. Now that thought truly was ridiculous, and the fact her sister’s romance-riddled brain was starting to affect her meant it was high time to put an end to this unnecessary speculation.
EJ straightened, resuming the sharp-eyed poise that intimidated Lionel and made colleagues like Dallas flinch.
“My announcement has nothing to do with Jordan.” Although a tiny part of her protested, as technically that was a lie since he worked with her and had encouraged her to take this step many times.
She shook her head. He really needed to be shaken out of it. “Actually, work hasn’t been so great lately, so I feel like I should let you all know”—here went nothing, then—“I’ve decided to quit my job.”
There. The words were out and could never be stuffed back in.
Her mother’s eyes widened to the size of the saucers she used at the family café. “Tell me you are joking, Emma-Jane.”
“Sorry, Mum. Can’t.”
“But … but you can’t just quit!”
“I’m handing in my resignation as soon as the latest round of staff bonuses come through.”
“When is that?” Elinor asked.
“They’ve said it should be by the end of this week.” In Jesus’ name.
“But … but what are you going to do?” Mum asked anxiously.
Great question. With an even better answer.
“You know I’ve been working on Dream Match, and it’s finally at a position where I can really monetise it.
” She explained about some of the you-beaut new functions and in-app features she’d been working on.
Jordan had been encouraging, agreeing that these features would level up the app and draw in a new realm of clients who could afford to pay.
“And I think it’s now at a point where I really need to add these features, which takes a lot of work I just can’t manage if I’m still at Donwell. ”
“But you’ll lose all your employee benefits,” Mum protested.
Hmm. How to tell her mother that if the app developed the way EJ hoped, then she could well and truly afford all the kinds of employee perks Donwell offered and more.
Much, much more. Especially if, as she hoped, she could finally get some more investors and one day take Dream Match to list on the stock exchange, something guaranteed to make her very, very rich.
She gulped. Certainly huge dreams for a girl from Wattle Vale.
Huge dreams for a girl who’d worn an op-shop find to a party as a teen, only to be laughed at by Alissa, her schoolmate and the party’s host, because she’d recognised the dress as one she used to own.
In that moment of excruciating embarrassment, which she’d never told a soul, she’d determined never to be treated as a second-class person again.
And now, with the way things were tracking for Dream Match, she might finally be able to lay those demons to rest once and for all.
She lifted her chin. “I think I’ll be fine, Mum.
” Despite the number of times EJ had tried to explain, Mum had never really understood the scale of Dream Match, often dismissing it as a hobby.
Therefore, telling her mother just how much she was potentially worth was probably not worthwhile right now.
Nor wise, either, as she shouldn’t count unhatched chickens.
“But I’d appreciate your prayers, because there is a lot to deal with right now. ”
“Of course we’re praying for you,” Liv said, as Elinor nodded.
“Thanks,” she muttered. Mum still looked aghast. She might’ve risked all she’d known moving out to Australia to follow her heart, but heaven forbid that EJ follow hers.
“We’ll pray for Jordan too. He won’t like you moving on,” Katie said.
Irritation rose. Why did her decision have to affect him? “Actually, he’s the one who has encouraged me to leave.”
“What? I thought …”
Her sister’s stunned look was almost enough to make her smile. Almost.
“So, like I said, this is a big step for me and for the business, so I’d appreciate your support.”
“Of course!” Liv said. “That’s so exciting for you.”
That was more like it. Almost as exciting—and daunting—as the day she and Jordan had launched the privately held company of Woodhouse-Knightley five years ago.
Elinor nodded. “You won’t be moving from Aunty Marion’s flat, will you?”
“Nope. Still here.” She gestured to the Monet painting on the wall, the print of the famous water lily scene the same as they’d always known, its beauty matched only by the fabulous view out the window.
“Well, I’m excited for you,” Liv said, as Elinor and Katie agreed.
Elinor might understand some of the complexity of what was involved, but EJ was fairly sure the others were simply being encouraging. Mum wasn’t being encouraging, and Dad still hadn’t appeared, which meant it felt like it was time to go, so she said her love-yous and goodbyes and ended the call.
She drew a blanket around her, tracing a finger over the photo frames of her eight sponsored kids, shooting up a prayer that God would keep them safe.
Her nose wrinkled. Some might call her selfish, but more money meant more children who could be rescued from poverty, or women saved from sex slavery.
It wasn’t just about designer clothes and shoes.
The view from the balcony beckoned, inviting her to linger, so she studied it as Charlie wove between her legs.
Sydney’s Opera House would light up in mid-May for the Vivid festival, where buildings throughout Sydney’s historic Rocks region and the central business district would have images projected on them, drawing tourists from far away.
The annual event had always made getting home from the office a challenge as workers battled the crowds in downtown and at Circular Quay.
Except this year she’d be here, in her aunt’s apartment, not needing to go to the office at all. Her lips lifted as a cool breeze snuck under the blanket and teased strands of her hair. Because maybe, finally, the next step of her dream would be coming true.
“So you’re serious? You’re finally going to bite the bullet?”
EJ nodded, her look shy, tentative, but Jordan recognised that glint that indicated determination.
“I’m so proud of you.” He grinned, drew close, and hugged her, wrapping her in a light brotherly squeeze as he’d done a million times before.
Except this time she stiffened. Huh. So maybe this wasn’t like a million times before.
He should probably hide the exuberance and not make this more awkward than it already was.
He backed off, patted her shoulders twice, like an aged uncle might when presented with a young child he didn’t know how to interact with. Yep. Way to go not making things awkward. “So, uh, when are you going to speak with Dean?”
“The email about our performance payouts said they’d happen this Thursday, so I’m hoping to talk to him on Friday.”
“As soon as the money is banked.”
She nodded.
His lips tweaked. “You know that as soon as you list Dream Match on the stock exchange it’s going to go gangbusters, and you’ll be making a ton of dough.”
“That’s what Maurice said.” Her eyes gleamed.
Maurice, the card shark of a lawyer who EJ trusted implicitly.
She might be savvy in nearly all things business, but she seemed to have a blind spot where that man was concerned.
Jordan still wasn’t too sure about it, because as soon as it was publicly listed, it would get increasingly hard to keep their Christian values central, given they’d need to listen to investor concerns.
And while he’d mentioned this before, it was her baby.
“But I like certainties in life, not maybes.”
“Except we don’t get a lot of certainties in life,” he said gently. “Except death and taxes.”
“And hard work and its reward,” she shot back.
“But even hard work doesn’t always reap the rewards we might want,” he cautioned.
“Come on, Jordan. You know this is what I’ve dreamed of, what we’ve both worked so hard towards. It’s not wrong to want to be successful. Why are you being so negative?”
Disappointment slid inside. He didn’t like to admit it, but his best friend’s Achilles’ heel was her fixation on money and status. Sometimes it seemed like seeing Dream Match succeed was more her god than Jesus.
“I’m not being negative,” he explained. “I’m just wanting to make sure you keep the main thing the main thing. Remember why you started this thing in the first place?”
She sighed. “To help Christian singles find their ideal partner without all the yucky stuff of other dating apps.”
That slogan had helped them find those first brave investors before she and Jordan realised they needed to spruce up their marketing and assume a more professional presentation to get the next round of investors to believe with them.
“EJ, I’ve been with you in this since the beginning. You know I’m on your side. But I wouldn’t be a friend if I didn’t tell you to be careful not to hold this too tightly. God is still in control, isn’t He?”
But from the way she looked at him, the mutinous tilt to her chin that he’d also seen a million times before, uncertainty streaked through him about just what she did believe these days. Just what was Maurice filling her mind with?
“Isn’t He?” he prompted again when she still didn’t return an answer.
“Yes,” she finally muttered.
Hmm. That didn’t sound like she truly agreed. And while he knew EJ had workaholic tendencies, he knew his duty as a friend meant that he needed to speak up when things didn’t seem right.
“EJ, are you doing okay?”
“Of course I—”
“God-wise, I mean?”
She huffed out a breath. “Come on, Jordan. You know me. I’m a Christian.”
“But are you trusting God with this, or are you mostly trusting EJ?”
Another breath loaded with frustration escaped as she rolled her eyes. “I really don’t need your negativity with this.”
“Is it negativity for a Christian to want to encourage his Christian friend to keep putting God at the centre of her life?”
She studied him a moment, and then the tension in her face evaporated. “Sorry. Okay, I guess I needed to hear that. I know I’ve been pretty preoccupied lately.”
“God loves you, and He’s got good plans for you, regardless of whether Dream Match gets listed on the stock exchange or not.”
“But just think of all the good I could do if it was.”
Her teasing grin drew one from him, and he sensed she wouldn’t be receptive to any more hints, subtle or otherwise, to focus on God.
This was new territory for both of them, and he needed to tread gently, to keep from straining this friendship more than he’d already stretched things in recent weeks.
“So, how about we book a table for Friday night so we can celebrate your resignation properly?”
Her face lit, the sparkle in her eyes a welcome sight after the earlier storm. “I’d love that! Do you think we could go to Bennelong?”
The five-star restaurant at the Sydney Opera House was bound to be booked up at this short notice, but it had always been a dream of hers to eat there. “I’ll see what I can do, but I don’t like my chances.”
She smiled, her face so full of affection that it felt like the challenges of earlier were far away. “I’m sure you’ll manage something amazing.”
“Because that’s the kind of guy I am, right?”
“That exactly the kind of guy you are.”
His heart squeezed. The kind of guy who was awfully close to being in love with his best friend.