“Promise.”
He pulled me down to lie next to him on the bed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I lay my head against him and tried to imagine what it would be like to live with Aiden all the time. I knew there would be pitfalls; living with someone was never easy. Even having a roommate could be tricky, and both Aiden and I were used to living alone.
What would he think about my superheroine dolls?
On the other hand, Aiden was also going to need someone to help him out when he came home from the hospital. The doctors had already told him that. He could be released in a few days, and I had been talking to Redeye about scheduling all of his friends in shifts. If I moved in with him, they wouldn’t have to do that.
Still, it was a risk. What if we found out we didn’t get along with each other on a more permanent basis? Would all of my things even fit in his house? He probably had bad habits he’d managed to keep from me when I was just visiting, but those would become apparent if we lived with each other. What if he left the cap off the toothpaste, used my expensive conditioner on his beard, or left toenail clippings on the floor? Worse yet, what if he rescinded his agreement to continue counseling? It was a big risk.
Then again, what was life without risk?
With Aiden back at home and Nate’s recruiter calling me to set up interview appointments, I had to return to Ohio to figure out what my next move was going to be. All the flying back and forth was getting to me, not to mention carving into that nest egg I hoped would keep me going until I found a new job. Redeye kept trying to slip me additional money for flights, but I had been adamant about refusing his help.
I couldn’t mooch off of Aiden’s friends. I wanted to be with him as much as I could, and they were there for him when I couldn’t be. Lo came up with a list, and everyone was planning to take turns helping Aiden out while I was in Ohio.
I still hadn’t answered him about moving. As much as the idea intrigued me, at some point I had to leave excitement and adventure off to the side and think about real life. I needed a job—a job that would pay well enough for me to be able to afford all these flights.
At least I was racking up the frequent flier miles.
I spent some time at Thirsty’s catching up with Mare and our friends. They’d all heard most of the story by now—Mare had spilled the beans right after I called her from the hospital. They all wanted to know everything about Aiden and why I hadn’t told them what was going on. It felt strange to talk to them about him, and I realized I had hidden him from them on purpose because I was afraid of how they would react.
I still had a lot to learn.
The job hunt was in full force, and it seemed I had sent resumes and cover letters to every company with an opening. I’d had a couple of interviews, but nothing seemed to fit quite right. The money wasn’t enough or the drive was too far. In the meantime, I found out my boss had been fired over the server upgrade fiasco, and I could apply for his position.
I didn’t. It felt like moving backwards.
I did a few phone interviews the recruiter set up for me. Eventually, one of them called him back.
“It’s the perfect opportunity,” Brian said. “The salary is right in your range, and the job description practically matches your resume word for word. You impressed them over the phone, and they said they want you.”
“Which one was this?” I paged through my interview notes as Brian gave me the company name. I remembered the woman I had spoken to but couldn’t seem to find the company’s address. I’d liked her when we spoke over the phone—I definitely recalled that. We’d laughed when we realized we were both into superheroines.
“There’s only one catch,” Brian said.
“What’s that?” I braced myself, waiting to hear the worst. I wasn’t sure it was going to matter—I needed the job. I couldn’t go forever without a paycheck.
“The company is located in Fort Lauderdale,” he said.
My heart began to race.
“Fort Lauderdale,” I repeated, “as in Florida?”
“Sunny Florida, yes. You would have to relocate.”
“Where is Fort Lauderdale?” I asked. I pulled up Google Maps on my laptop and started to search.
“Just north of Miami, on the eastern coast of Florida.”
“You’re kidding,” I said. I stared at the map on my screen. I located Golden Beach, where Aiden lived, and found it was only a half hour drive to Fort Lauderdale from his house.
“Not at all,” he replied. “They want you to start right away if you can. They’ll pay all your moving expenses.”
I started to laugh.
“Is that a good laugh?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Yes, it is. I’ll take it. I’ll definitely take it.”