Page 3 of Forever Wild
“When do you have to be in Briar Lake for the internship?” she asks, a big smile pulling her pink lips apart to flash her straight, whiteteeth.
Nerves swirl around in my stomach and settle into a tight ball. “The last week of July.”
“Your brother is so proud. So am I.” She continues beaming at me. I can feel her pride stretching across the room. In a lot of ways, she’s responsible for me graduating high school and college. She was a student teacher my senior year when I came to live with Ty. She believed in me when few people did. Without her and Ty, I don’t know where I’d be.
My brother took me in after everyone else had given up trying to get through to me, and Piper treated me like a little sister, even before she and my brother were together. I owe so much to them both. The words of gratitude get stuck in my throat. With their happiness for all I’ve accomplished comes expectations and hope. Sometimes I feel like I’m one wrong move from letting them down.
Piper continues smiling at me like she can see all my hopes and dreams floating above my head. “The houses there are so gorgeous and you’re going to get to decorate them. It’s a dream job. You’re so perfect for it.”
Each word makes me a little more anxious, but it is a great opportunity, and I did work hard for it. In six weeks, I’ll be heading two hours north for an interior design internship with one of the most prestigious design companies in Minnesota. They work on everything from boutique hotels to million-dollar lake homes. Itisa dream job, really, and the woman I’ll be working with is basically my idol. She was named one of the “Top 30 under 30” in the state. She has a waitlist of clients a year out hoping to work with her.
If I impress her during my internship, she might offer me a permanent job. Though she’s not known for taking on a lot of full-time staff. But even a recommendation from her would be incredible for my career.
“I’m not sure how much hands-on work I’ll be doing. I will probably spend most of my time running errands for her, pulling samples, ordering things, and helping move furniture and artwork.”
“At first, but you’re so talented. I have no doubt that you’ll be one of their most requested designers in no time.”
I chuckle softly. I love her confidence in me, even if it does make me nauseous. “Fingers crossed!”
Tyler returns with a big duffel bag that looks like it could fit a body. “This is all I could find,” he says.
“Thank you.” She takes it from him, then eyes the overflowing suitcase in front of her. “But I think you were right. The more clothes we take, the more laundry I’ll end up doing.”
Smiling, she hands it back to him. Charlotte flails her arms around in my lap, making a sound that’s awfully close to a giggle as she watches her parents.
“Wewill do. I told you, I can help more this summer. Laundry included.”
He leans down and kisses her. Instead of the quick, chaste kiss I was expecting, he lingers, taking her mouth in a way that has me looking away and covering Charlotte’s eyes. And this is another reason why I’m not going on vacation with them. I think it’s sweet that they’re still so in love, but watching my brother constantly make out with his wife is not the summer of my dreams.
“Ev,” Ty says my name, alerting me that they’ve finally stopped kissing.
I glance over at him. “Hmmm?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to fly out one weekend? Fourth ofJuly maybe?”
It’s at least the third time he’s asked in the past week.
“I’m not sure if you’re worried I can’t function on my own or if you’re just going to miss me so much you’re panicking.”
An easy smile spreads across his face. “Both, I think.”
“I’ll be fine. And I already promised Grace that I’d do something with her for the Fourth.”
All my friends are graduating and moving away or starting jobs this summer. Maybe it should make me more eager to do the same, but instead it makes me want to appreciate a few more weeks of the lax life even more.
Sweet Charlotte starts crying in my arms. I swear the sound breaks my heart every time.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, bouncing her gently in my lap.
“It’s time for her nap.” Tyler comes over and steals her from me, but not before I take one more whiff of her lavender and baby powder scent. This summer will be the longest I’ve gone without seeing her. “Then we can grab lunch or something if you want.”
“It’s okay,” I say, standing. “I need to go to Ash and Bridget’s house to bring in their mail, stop by Declan and Jade’s to water the plants, and then Leo and Scarlett’s house to double-check they turned off all the lights.”
Ty grins. “Is that all?”
“For today.”
“All right.” After he places Charlotte down in her crib, he moves toward me with his arms outstretched. I let him wrap me up in his embrace like I’m still his baby sister and he’s the only person in the world that can keep me safe. No matter how old I get, he still fills me with the same sense of security. “If you change your mind or decideyou miss me too much, just say the word and I’ll have you on the next flight out.”
