Page 135 of Tobias

His eyes narrow, and he stares at me for far too long. I can’t tell if he’s going to scream at me, lunge at me, or start laughing.

He shoots back the rest of his alcohol, still regarding me. Spinning the tumbler in his hand, he says, “If you fuck this up, I will make sure you never find another job within a hundred-mile radius.”

“I would expect nothing less," I was firmly.

“There is a management position in the support department.”

“Management?” I blurt out, he eyes me more sternly. I expected the mail room or a janitor.

“You have one shot at this, Theodore. You better not fuck it up. I’ll see you on Monday.”

There’s no way I’m fucking up two big things in the same year. I’m notthatdumb.

All the way home, I can’t stop thinking about Tobias. I want to text him and I’m even tempted to call, but it’s Friday,meaning he works both jobs. I want him to know I’m not giving up, but I don’t want to be overwhelming. How do I find that balance?

He told me he missed me and that’s a step in the right direction. It makes me want to go full force, but even I know that’s creepy. So, I hold off from texting him again… for now. When I get back to Asher’s, Morgan is home.

“Hey,” I say when I find her in the kitchen.

“How was your interview?”

“I’ve decided being insulted was worth getting the job.”

She grins at me over her shoulder. “Congratulations.”

“That’s yet to be determined. This job may make me want to hang myself.”

She huffs out a laugh. “You hungry? I’m making pancakes.”

“Pancakes for lunch? Hell yeah.”

She gestures for me to take a seat at the dining table, so I do. Then she says, “Tell me how the big bad CEO hurt your feelings.”

I chuckle as I sit down and recount all the ways Vern Dumonte made me feel two inches tall. Morgan talks shit about him, which of course makes me laugh. I don’t hate the guy, but he’s certainly from a different generation. Maybe even a different world. The same world my father lives in.

Morgan and I chat while we eat, and I clean up the kitchen when we’re done so she can go shower and get ready for work. As I rinse the dishes and put them into the dishwasher, I can’t help but smile. Today was a good day. I did hard things, butI'm still here, I'm still alive, and they’re going to make me better in the end. Tobias texted me back. I got a job. Those are twohuge, amazing things.

Soon enough I’ll be on my own, doing this life thing without the support of anyone but myself. Now that I’ve got momentum and I’m moving in the right direction, it’s not as scary. I can totally do this, and I feel like an idiot for ever thinking I couldn't.

Maybe one day my parents will talk to me again, maybe they won’t. As much strain as this whole thing has put on us, I hope we can make amends. I don’t want to go the rest of my life battling them. I’d like them to know their grandkids, when I decide to have some.

My phone rings, but my hands are wet so I can’t answer it. Whoever it is, I’ll call them back. When I’m done and my hands are dry, I frown at the phone when I see it was Preston, my brother. I call him back, not having a single clue as to why he’s calling me. All I can think is that something is wrong. I didn't even think he had my phone number.

“Didn’t think you’d call back,” he greets, a smugness to his tone.

“Is there an emergency?”

“No,” he says, drawing out the word.

“What do you want then?”

“Can’t I just want to talk to my brother?”

“Suddenly, after twenty-seven years? No.”

He laughs. “Theo, you are a funny guy.”

“What do you want, Preston?”

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