Page 116 of Crossing the Brooklyn Briggs
“Is this real?”
I can practically hear him trying to make sense of that question. “Is what real? Me wishing the most incredible woman I know a good morning?”
Okay, I’m not mad about hearing him say that, but that doesn’t make this moment feel any more real. I should really be getting ready for work, but on the slim chance that this email is not a fever dream, I need to respond as soon as possible.
“I just got an email from Hepburn Labs asking if I can come in for an interview today.”
“Wait, really? Today?” He mutters something under his breath that I don’t quite catch. “That sounds amazing, Queens.”
“It doesn’t make any sense. They told me years ago that I didn’t have the resume they were looking for. They didn’t even bother calling. Just sent a generic email.”
“But they emailed you again this morning? Something must have opened up.”
“That’s what they said in the email…” I frown at my phone. Okay, yes, that’s a generic job phrase, but Jordan doesn’t sound nearly as surprised as he should. “Jordan.”
“Queens.”
I glare at my phone as if he can see me. “Did you get me a job interview?”
He laughs.Hard. “Brooklyn Briggs, I know you think highly of me, but how in the world would I set up an interview for you? I’ve never even heard of Whatever Labs. Are they here in Sun City?”
“Yeah.”
He’s right. How would a landscaper convince a prestigious lab to reach out to a nobody like me? He is charming, but that can only go so far.
“So, thisisreal?” I am too breathless to get the words out properly.
“Sounds like it. When do they want you to come in?”
I glance at the email again. “Eleven.”
“Are you going to do it?”
How does he know I’m waffling? Not only is this a research job, which I’m desperate to get back to, but this is mydreamjob. This lab is the one I’ve wanted to work in since the moment I discovered its existence. They’ve had more breakthroughs in cancer treatments in the last decade than all the other Sun City labs combined. If I can work at Hepburn… I might actually be able to fulfill my promise to my mom.
“I want to,” I say, my voice wavering.
“But?”
“But I’m in the middle of the school year. Middle of the first semester!”
“Maybe they’ll be willing to wait or work you part time until your contract is up.”
“I would have to get a sub today.”
“I’ll file that under lamest excuses ever. You probably already have sub plans ready to go in case you ever get a migraine because you plan for everything.”
I groan. “I hate that you know me this well.”
“You love that I know you. And I know you’re going to take this chance because you’re not the sort of person who backs down from a challenge.”
He’s right. How is Jordan always right? Though I feel pathetic admitting this while lying in bed, knowing Jordan is the only one listening makes it easier to say what I need to. “I’m scared, Jordan. What if they made a mistake?”
“They didn’t.”
“What if they decide they don’t want me?”
“Then they’re idiots. But even if they don’t want you, it doesn’t make you less of a person. It just means you’ll have to wait a little longer for the next opportunity. But it will come, just like this one did.”
