Standing Strong Read Online Free PDF Page A

stunned, speechless, as Damien calmly rolled up the plans spread across her desk and replaced the rubber bands, and then hoisted the joey’s pouch back onto his chest, all the time being careful not to meet her gaze.
    â€˜I guess we’ll see you around,’ he said with a shrug and wan smile. ‘Come on, Squish.’ The dog hopped off the chair with a little groan and trotted after his master.
    Damien turned at the open door and paused. Jacqueline could see his eyes were filled with tears. Her heart lurched. But a moment later the door closed quietly with a metallic clunk.
    Jacqueline yearned to have someone wrap their arms around her. She brought her hands to her face as if to keep the emotion at bay. She expected a flood of tears, but it didn’t happen. Her whole chest was a painful ache, and she was so heavy she felt glued to her chair.
    But as she sat there taking it all in, turning it all over, she realised she felt a little relieved. Gradually the feeling intensified into enormous gratitude and incredible awe towards Damien. He’d put aside his own feelings for the town, put her career ahead of his own happiness. God. Jacqueline knew there was no way she would have had such courage. She only hoped she’d find some way to be able to wait for him. Two years seemed a very long time.
    She dragged the resignation letter from her in-tray and stared at it for a split second before poking it into the small shredder under her desk.

Chapter Four
    Damien, settled in the safety of his ute, gripped the steering wheel hard. He took a few deep breaths to ease his painfully thudding heart. It had taken every ounce of his being to keep putting one foot in front of the other across the car park and not turn and run back to Jacqueline, take her in his arms and say he’d made a terrible mistake.
    But he hadn’t made a terrible mistake. No, definitely not. Sometimes sacrifices had to be made for a greater good. And Jacqueline was good for this town; look how much she’d helped him. He couldn’t deny others that just to have a relationship with her. And really, if they couldn’t survive two years apart, then there would be no forever.
    They’d have to avoid each other socially, or else everyone would still think they were properly together and if anyone got wind that they shouldn’t be, there’d be trouble. He knew of a number of people in town who didn’t have enough to occupy themselves and who would love nothing more than to be responsible for upholding a rule or two, regardless of who got hurt. No, best it got around that they’d split up. Better yet, he could see if Auntie Ethel could put the word out that they’d never really got it together and his announcement at the launch of Esperance was just him getting caught up in the emotion of it all. That might work. He blushed slightly as he thought about how he’d stood up there in front of everyone and declared he and Jacqueline were an item. How bloody embarrassing. He really wished he hadn’t done that. Perhaps if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t be in this predicament. But it was done. And, anyway, Jacqueline wasn’t the sort to choose to do the wrong thing. That she seemed to have strong principles and integrity was something he found most attractive about her. And she wasn’t exactly ugly, either.
    Though he had to admit knowing she was in her little house right across the road from his aunt would make it a damned sight harder. ‘Well, I guess that’s that then, Squish,’ he said. It was nice of Squish to have the good grace to look sad too. Damien took a deep breath. No point crying over spilt milk, Auntie Ethel would say, though probably not in this situation. ‘God, listen to me; anyone would think I just lost the girl of my dreams. But I haven’t. It’s just been put on hold temporarily. Put on ice. Yeah, I’ll be needing plenty of cold showers.’
    Squish looked