Page 78 of Nerdelicious
My whole body tightens. “Yes. Absolutely yes.”
“Awesome. I’ll email you the details when I get back to the office. Call me on this number if you don’t get it, though. We’re looking at a start date in two weeks. Does that work for you?”
My limbs loosen again, everything sinking. “Yes. That works.”
It will be tight, but I’ll make it work.
We hang up and after taking a million deep breaths and pinching myself to make sure I’m not still asleep and dreaming or hallucinating or something, I head back to Beast’s room.
I sit on the edge of the bed, trying not to disturb him, but he feels me anyway.
Rolling in my direction, he opens his eyes and greets me with a sleepy grin. His hair is askew, his wide, muscled chest enticing in the early morning sun.
More than anything, I want to cuddle into him and forget the world, but I can’t.
“I got the job.” The words tumble out of my mouth.
He sits up on his elbows, blinking at me.
For a brief moment, I wonder if he’s going to get upset, but then the grin returns, bigger than before and he pulls me into a bear hug.
He’s thrumming with excitement, still smiling when he pulls away to sign,I’m so proud of you.
“You are?”
He nods.
“But this means—” My throat closes up and I swallow past the lump forming there. “I have to leave.”
His smile droops. He shrugs and grabs his phone.We knew this was going to happen, right?
“Right.” I swallow and then the word vomit happens. “Come with me.”
His brows lift.
“Apply to culinary school. To CIA in New York. You’ll get in, I know it. Then you can come with me.”
He blinks rapidly, but then shakes his head slowly.I can’t. You know I can’t.
I grip his hand in mine, like the pressure itself will make him change his mind. “But you can. I have to tell you what they said. You know how they sent me an email rejection?”
He nods.
I quickly explain what Amber said about the calls being routed and the email being an accident.
“It might have been Grace.”
He looks away, toward the window before typing into the phone.It might have been.
“If it was, don’t you see? She might have done the same thing to you when you applied before.”
He stares at me for a few long seconds, expression inscrutable. But then he just shakes his head again.Even if she did, it doesn’t matter. I can’t move away.
“Grace and Jude love you. They should want what’s best for you, too, and what if that isn’t here?”
What if they are his Jack? Whether they realize it or not.
Grace needs me. She puts on a front, but she’s not like other kids her age. Her childhood was not normal. She needs constancy and I’m the only one who’s been there since the beginning. I’m the only one who knows, who really understands.
