Page 98 of Exchange of Heart

‘She did,’ Chris said, delighted. ‘Good for you, Nora.’

The thud of my heart made it hard to hear much more. I’d done it. I’d slayed the beast. I’d taken a step closer to fighting for what I wanted.

‘I also have some news.’ Izzy’s lips twitched with excitement. ‘Thanks to Nora’s positivity, I’ve been making amends with my ex. Your words always stick with me and make me think about my life. They impact me in ways you don’t even know about.’

‘Oh, Izzy, that’s great.’ I grinned. ‘But then, don’t blame me if things go wrong again.’ I held my palm out and laughed.

‘Of course not. It’s like reading star signs and deciphering it with your own life. You see, when I fell pregnant almost two years ago, it happened so fast that I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. Now, we’re both ready to put the work in and see if we can work things out.’

‘If you’re happy, then I’m happy,’ I told her.

The email in my inbox that pushed me to fight for my dreams continued to thrum in my mind. I excused myself and took the lift down to the shared lobby. Tucking myself into a corner, I pulled out my phone and typed in the number I’d been chewing over for days, trying to figure out if working with or for Corey was the right choice. He’d made it work with Paddy, so I’d decided it was finally time to take the next step forward. Before I could press the call button, karma manifested that same number to ring me.

‘Mr Flemmington? Hello.’ My heart pounded with anticipation.

‘Ms Claremont, how are you?’ Hearing Corey’s dad’s voice through the phone was equally as intimidating as in real life.

‘Great, thank you. I was about to call you, actually. Had your number dialled in and everything. The universe must have been looking out for me,’ I blabbered.

Mr Flemmington cleared his throat, the forced kind of cough and grumble for the sake of making a noise. ‘That’s good to hear. Look, I’m sorry I’m not calling with better news, but I wanted to talk about the email I sent you. Unfortunately, the position I’d wanted to discuss with you has now been filled.’

Back in my own body with my own bad luck. My heart pounded in my ears, muffling his words like two weeks ago when Freddie had gotten my promotion. God, I had to stop calling it my promotion. It isn’t mine and it never was.

‘But, I didn’t even have the chance to interview.’

‘Yes, well, we never discussed a specific job for you to interview for. All the same, I’m happy to let you know if another opportunity appears in the future.’

A heavy pit formed in my stomach. In two weeks, I’d be jobless, with no money. I couldn’t believe I’d assumed this job would be mine, just like I’d assumed that promotion would be mine. History repeated itself, and I hadn’t learned from my mistakes. Even worse? I was relying on this damn man for my career instead of making better choices myself.

Instead of speaking, my breaths dominated the phone call. Mr Flemmington was as bad as Mark, and I’d only be jumping from one sinking ship to another, but that was the case for almost every company. My stomach churned, my head lightened. I needed to end this call before I became a hysterical mess.

‘Thank you for the call.’ My hand remained frozen with the phone to my ear.

On the other end, the phone rattled and clunked, but he missed the end call button, because his voice continued. ‘Thanks, Corey. Dodged a bullet with that one.’

‘She’s not a good fit for the company, trust me.’

My face tingled as the blood drained from it.

Corey.

Was I having a heart attack? My chest clenched, and my heart pounded hard enough I thought my stomach would empty its contents with each beat. He’d made it seem like he didn’t want me to have to work for his father, but it turned out he didn’t think I was good enough to work for them. For him. I never wanted to see that two-faced asshole again, which meant it was time to pack everything of mine sitting in his expensive apartment, including Lucky, by rushing there now to clear my things before he got home from his dickhead job, with his dickhead boss, who was a dickhead let down. I shouldered my way through small gaps between bodies as I raced down the pavement, puffing and panting by the time I stood outside the door of his apartment block. In the fresh air, I stretched my arms behind my head and walked back and forth for a few minutes willing the stitch in my side to disappear.

I stepped inside the lobby as I’d done daily for the last two weeks. This time, though, my organs twisted with agony instead of excitement. I wasn’t coming here with the thrill of change from my monotonous life. I came here to end the biggest adventure of my life; with the only person I could share it with.

I took the lift up and headed towards the silver handle of Corey’s apartment door, when Gerald’s head popped out of his own.

‘Miss Claremont.’ He nodded his silver head.

‘Afternoon, Gerald.’ I clasped my hands to hide my shaking fingers.

I couldn’t muster any more words, so I nodded and turned away before tears rolled down my cheek, closing Corey’s door behind me. Every nook and cranny of his apartment prompted memories I could no longer trust. The patch on the ceiling in the kitchen from when we’d dropped the tomato sauce and squirted it everywhere. The leather couch where we’d watched Mean Girls and Corey had laughed hard enough that he’d got a stitch. Had he really thought it was funny, or did he laugh at how oblivious I was to how much he hated me? The bed where we’d slept like puzzle pieces, the grooves of our bodies clicking together into the perfect sleep. Was everything he did only part of his grand plan to convince the universe to swap us back to our own bodies?

In a fortnight I’d gone from thinking I was about to be promoted to a senior role, to turning into a man, to living with an arrogant rich boy, to getting my body back and becoming jobless. On the way, I’d somehow learned to love myself with confidence, and possibly even him. My chest stretched and tightened too fast, losing everything I thought I’d gained.

I paced the apartment and checked under the beds, looking for any final items. I didn’t want to leave a reason for him to need to see me, and now that I had no job, I probably couldn’t afford to replace them. As I closed Lucky inside his cage and wheeled my suitcase to the front door, the handle twisted itself beneath my hand.

Corey’s grey eyes came through the door, but the smile on his face dropped as his gaze darted from me to my suitcase.