Page 124 of Fortunate Misfortune
“Really?” Mallory squeaks, placing a supportive hand on my knee. “Are you… Did it go well?”
I can’t blame Mallory for her apprehension, but after my mother dropped by Nan’s facility, we went to Sunshine Junction alone. Although everything wasn’t fixed in those few hours, it felt like a good start.
“I have her to thank for why we’re able to come here tonight. I’ll still move out and work next year, but I’m free of my dad, and Lake Anitais safe. I thought about looking at some houses in Clear Lake, but Nan said if I didn’t move here, she’d drag me here by my ears.”
Mallory gives my knee a squeeze. “I think that’s the best idea. I’m glad everything worked out for you.”
At that, I have to look away. It’s not that I regret my decision, but there is one thing I can’t shake.
She places a hand on my cheek and guides my head into the crook of her neck. There’s always a softness in the way she touches me, coaxing me into a calm state with her sweetness. “Where did you go, baby? What’s on your mind?”
Keeping my face hidden, I press a kiss to her collarbone. “I talked to Keaton. He didn’t seem upset, but he also didn’t sound happy.” I shrug. “I can never tell with him. But the guilt is eating me alive.”
I didn’t want him to find out I was no longer coming to Gray Construction from anyone else, so I called my older brother.
I got out, and I’m worried he never will.
“He’ll come around,” she promises, letting out a grunt as she stands. “Even if I have to fly out to wherever he lives and convince him to.”
That pulls a real laugh out of me, and once I’m standing, I pull her against me. “I hear it’s supposed to be a beautiful summer, and I’m looking for a lake buddy. Know anybody who would be interested?”
Her eyes glitter as she looks up at me. “I can’t think of a better person to spend the summer with.”
I want so badly to kiss her, but her smile tightens, and I’m sure the envelope poking out of my pocket jabbed her. A reminder of the next thing we need to talk about.
She pulls my letter from her bag, but when I reach for it, she holds it tight against her stomach.
“I was thinking we could open each other’s.”
“Any particular reason?” I ask.
“Emotional support, maybe? I don’t know. I’m freaking out, and having you open mine might relieve a bit of the mess in my head.”
I nod in agreement, sliding a shaky finger beneath the tab. This single piece of paper will not only declare a winner for junior year, but it will also be a defining moment for our futures.
Everyone in the Hilliard School of Public Health knows the insane rule for health administration and policy majors. It’s the only degree plan that has a mandatory internship requirement before senior year. An internship is the only thing threatening Mallory’s perfectly curated schedule.
It’s scary and intimidating to think about how much might change after we open these, so I look to the person I know will stick around no matter what.
“Hey, Eddie,” I say. When our eyes meet, my body relaxes. “No matter what’s in here, I need you to know that I’m so proud of you. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. Project or life. Being by your side means more to me than whatever is in this envelope. There’s nobody that I have more fun with.”
“Screw you, Gray,” she sniffs, attempting to hide the rush of emotion with her arm. “I hope you know that making me cry before receiving life-altering news is a breakup worthy offense.” Then she drops her arm and smiles. “There’s nobody I have more fun with either.”
Just like her first trip to Lake Anita, we count to three.
“One…” I say.
“Two,” we say together.
“Three.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Kenneth Gray,
We are pleased to offer you the Internship Position with the Hilliard School of Public Health.
A sudden stinging behind my eyelids catches me off guard, the arrival of tears following. It’s impossible to read the rest of the letter now, everything blurred by the rush of emotion that won’t stop.
