Page 22 of Tempt you…not!
I’m confused, scared as hell, and a little hopeful, all at once.
Father looks to Slate, Rachel, and me, donning a smirk. “This is what happens when my ticker goes kaput?”
“I’m a little confused myself,” I confess.
“Let me fill you in,” Slate says. “But first, I’d like to apologize to Rachel.”
Rachel’s biting her lower lip, and if I’m not mistaken, she’s looking at Slate with gross adoration.
My brother takes her hand and smiles down at her. “I love Rachel. We were dating for six months, and I was stupid enough to hide her away. After you came back, we reconciled. One day, I’ll ask her to marry me.”
My eyes dart between the two. “Oh…”
“I’m so sorry, Alyce,” Rachel says with pleading eyes. “I didn’t want to keep it from you.”
“Is that’s why you went back to see him after we came back from the trip?” I ask Rachel.
“When you told me how much you liked Chadwick, I pleaded with Slate to be more understanding.”
I exhale sharply, trying to process the unexpected revelation.
“Anything else?” I finally say, not entirely sure I can handle more.
Slate drops Rachel’s hand and looks to me. “Chadwick and I met up, and he warned me about the interview. We schemed, figuring out the best way he could piss his father off while landing him the girl of his dreams.”
Panic surging as I think of what he did. “And now, he’s unemployed and—”
“I’ll hire him in a heartbeat just to piss his father off,” Dad cuts in.
“Maybe I can retract my resignation?”
Father smiles. “Nope. Empire Exploration contacted me and they want to hire you on full-time to assist with platform integration. And that’s too big to pass up.”
I blink back at my father as though he’s speaking some foreign language.
Father’s eyes grow serious. “This is a big deal. They’re the most promising private space firm ever. They’re talking about sending people to Mars, Alysanne, and want you to be a part of it.”
“Why me?”
“It was obvious to him with the way you answered his questions that you had detailed knowledge of the system.”
“Well, looks like you got what you wanted,” I tell Slate sardonically.
“Happy to take your position, Sis.”
I turn to Rachel. “I wish you had told me, but I understand why you didn’t.”
We hug each other, happy tears spilling down our cheeks.
“So, are you going to give it a go with Chadwick?” Rachel asks. “Or did he just throw away his future for nothing?
“Of course I am.”
Slate holds his phone up. “Well, he’s downstairs right now. Waiting for you.”
* * *
Chadwick
