The Better Brother

Still, Michael stayed in my thoughts as I drifted off. He occupied all my dreams that night, making me wake up the next morning in a much lighter mood. I was still smiling when the sun rose. I still couldn’t believe he’d had this effect on me. I hadn’t been single for that long and here I was, hooking up with someone new. No, it was more than hooking up, wasn’t it? I got out of bed and tried to keep myself busy before I drove myself nuts.

The morning seemed to never end. Meghan said she’d call today, but she didn’t say when. I dreaded the idea of waiting by the phone all day. Instead, I jumped in the shower, made myself some breakfast, got dressed, and went for a walk. I was halfway to the town square when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

My stomach dropped when I saw Meghan’s number on the screen.

“Holy shit,” I said to myself. I shook my head roughly before I answered. “Hello? This is Julie Black.”

“Julie!” Meghan said with enthusiasm. “I’m so glad I caught you this morning.”

“Meghan,” I said. “It’s great to hear from you.”

“Well,” Meghan said. “I have good news. The job is yours if you still want it.”

“Of course!” I said, excitement dripping from my voice. “That’s amazing!”

“I loved talking to you yesterday,” Meghan said. “And the team all really enjoyed your samples. You’re the perfect writer for us, and I can’t wait to see the stories you come up with!”

“Thank you so much,” I said. “I really appreciate this opportunity.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Meghan said. “So, I’ll send over your first assignment later today. We’ll need it emailed to our editors by next Monday at the latest, okay?”

“Perfect,” I said without hesitation.

“Great,” Meghan said. “Talk later.”

“Thanks again!”

We hung up, and I felt lighter than air. Not only did I get the job, but by the end of the day, I’d have my first assignment. Words couldn’t describe how happy I was.

Changing course, I headed back to my house. I suddenly had no desire to take a walk around town or grab a cup of coffee at the café. I just wanted to get home and wait for my assignment to come through. My fingers were practically itching to start typing.

On the way back, I called Andrea to tell her the good news.

She squealed into the phone. “You got it?”

“I freaking got it!” I screamed, not caring that there were other people on the street. “I can’t believe it!”

“I’m on my way,” Andrea said.

“What?” I blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“We have to celebrate!” Andrea said. “And I have the day off. So, I’m coming to town. I’ll see you in an hour.”

Andrea didn’t wait for my response. She just hung up and left me shaking my head in disbelief. Of course, Andrea was going to drive to Ennis. Why wouldn’t she?

She pulled into my driveway just over an hour later. I grinned as I threw open the door and greeted her with a hug.

“I brought sustenance,” Andrea said, holding up a bottle of champagne.

“Should we really be day drinking?” I asked skeptically. “We’re not in college anymore.”

“It’s not day drinking if it’s a celebration,” Andrea said, her tone serious. “Now, where are your glasses?”

I led the way to the kitchen and grabbed two glasses from my top cabinet. We settled on the couch, sipping our champagne and catching up.

I told Andrea all about the job and how excited I was. I thought about mentioning Michael, but I wasn’t sure how well she would take that news. After all, I moved to Ennis to get over my last relationship. Did I really want to admit that I’d already started another one? If that’s even what it was.

Luckily, the subject never came up. After I finished telling Andrea all about the new job, she grew quiet and introspective, two things Andrea was not.