Chapter 37
CHAPTER
Elora hadn’t stayed in a motel in years.
Whenever her folks had hit the road, trading one town for another, they’d stay in a motel for the first few days until they found a more permanent place.
It had been a grand adventure for a kid, staying in the same room as her parents, having picnics on the floor, curling up on a bed between them to sleep.
But as she grew older, she loathed those motels, because they signified a transient life she didn’t want.
She hated moving between towns, because it meant starting at a new school and leaving behind the friends she’d made. Like now.
She’d thought she’d made a friend in Cruz but it turned out, he had the patience of a toddler. Not that she could blame him for being angry that her reel had lost him a major client, but to fire her after they’d connected so deeply?
‘Hey, new chick, thought I saw your name on the check-ins for today. What are you doing here?’
Thommo strolled towards her, and Elora paused, the key card in her hand raised to tap against her room’s sensor.
‘I’m staying here for a few days for work.’
His forehead crinkled a little. ‘I thought you were staying at Cruz’s?’
‘I was, but Bindi’s helping Cruz get his restaurant up and running, so it’s easier for her to stay out there.’
‘Those two are working together?’ Thommo’s eyebrows rose. ‘That should be interesting. They’re both as prickly as each other.’
She chuckled for the first time today. ‘Maybe they’ll learn to be patient with each other.’
Thommo snorted. ‘Yeah, right, and I’m about to strut down Main Street in my jocks.’ A wicked glint lit his eyes. ‘Though in my younger days, my nudie runs after a few beers were renowned, so jocks might be an improvement.’
She laughed and he joined in.
‘I run this place, so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. I live over there.’ He pointed to a semi-detached cottage at the end of the row of rooms. ‘Once you unpack, meet me in the garden out back and we’ll have a drink.’
‘Thanks.’ Great. Just what she needed, one of Cruz’s mates keeping tabs on her.
Elora had no intention of taking Thommo up on his offer, but after she entered her room and realised there’d be no point unpacking when she’d be leaving in a few days, she thought a drink mightn’t be a bad idea.
Though maybe she should work outside, because the room’s faded decor brought back memories of the places she’d stayed with her folks.
This day had already gone to shit, no point mulling over her past.
As she stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind her, she slid her phone out of her pocket.
She tapped on the Instagram icon and held her breath.
The notifications were in the thousands, and when she opened the farm’s profile, her jaw dropped.
Two-point-two million views. She’d been right not to pull the reel down.
You couldn’t buy this kind of publicity.
She could deal with the embarrassment, but she hadn’t contemplated what it might mean for her business.
Would prospective clients be put off by her mistake or would they trust her to rocket their business to prominence with the potential of a viral video?
She hadn’t checked her emails since yesterday and when she opened her inbox, she couldn’t believe it. Forty-two email queries from new clients. Guess that answered the question of whether clients still wanted to work with her.
The motel had a small courtyard with a mini rotunda in the middle of it, and she sat in its shade as she answered the emails by attaching her standard digital brochure that outlined her services and prices.
Even if a quarter of those queries decided to hire her, she’d be set, and free of Jason once and for all, with a tidy amount to add to her savings.
Screw grouchy Cruz. She didn’t need him.
And screw her inner voice that whispered maybe she did.
‘Too much work isn’t good for anybody,’ Thommo said, tapping her on the shoulder. ‘You ready for a break?’ He stepped into the rotunda, brandishing a six pack of beers and a picnic basket filled with cheese, crackers and a big bag of grapes. ‘Can I tempt you?’
Elora’s stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since last night, and he laughed.
‘I’ll take that as a yes.’
He sat next to her, leaving enough space on the bench between them to lay out a tea towel that served as a mini picnic blanket, before opening the box of crackers and popping pre-sliced brie and gouda next to it.
‘Do you always work on your phone?’
‘I prefer my laptop, but I had a lot of emails to answer.’
‘Sure you weren’t perving on Cruz getting his gear off in that Insta reel?’
To her annoyance, she blushed. ‘Can we change the subject, please?’
‘Absolutely.’ He laid a wedge of brie onto a cracker and popped it into his mouth, barely chewing before he stuffed a few grapes in, too. ‘For what it’s worth, the way Cruz couldn’t take his eyes off you at the trivia night? I thought he had it bad.’
She had, too, yet look how it had turned out.
‘How is that changing the subject?’
‘Point taken.’ He grinned. ‘So, if you’re not interested in Cruz, will you have dinner with me?’
‘Who said I’m not interested?’ she answered too quickly, and his ‘gotcha’ smirk made her laugh. ‘You’re teasing me.’
He held his finger and thumb a centimetre apart. ‘Just a little.’
‘If you twist the top off one of those beers, I might forgive you.’
‘Done,’ he said, doing just that before handing the bottle to her and raising his. ‘To showing that doofus Cruz what he’s missing out on.’
She had no intention of going anywhere near Cruz again before she left town, but she clinked her bottle against Thommo’s to shut him up.
She’d stick to the plan. Finish the farm campaign, email her invoice, make sure Cruz deposited payment, then return to Melbourne without looking back.