“No. You can’t control your feelings.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“If you know you don’t want to keep the job, why are you considering signing?” Finn asked.
“It’s not that simple. If I quit, I have to move somewhere else to find another teaching job, which would mean moving away from Zoe. I don’t want to do that. The elementary schools in the university’s town are letting teachers go every year because there just aren’t enough kids to fill the classes, so I have zero chance of working there. If I wanted to stay after quitting, I would have to find another job in a new field. Or just stay jobless.”
Finn frowned. “I could see if Moon Ridge Elementary is hiring. Wyatt got Jade a job with the research team, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for you.”
I gave him a small smile. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not ready to move to Moon Ridge right now. I love my house, and I do want to live near Zoe. Plus, you and I just started dating. We’re not ready to move in together, so I wouldn’t have anywhere to live.”
“We could figure it out.”
“We could. But we don’t need to, and I think we should keep taking things slow.”
Finn wasn’t mentally prepared to make anything between us any more official than it already was. I was okay with that, too. I understood.
“People live with the person they’re dating all the time,” he pointed out.
“Werewolves don’t.”
He didn’t disagree.
We both knew he couldn’t.
I patted his thigh lightly. “I’m not angry with you. I’m just trying to decide what to do with my life for the next few months.”
“I want to fix that for you.”
“I want you to, too. But you can’t. Not right now.”
He let out a long breath.
I wanted to stay at his place longer, to turn on the movie and hide in his arms for a few more hours.
Instead, I kissed him.
And got off the couch while thanking him for the fun day.
And drove home.
nine
EMMY
I signedmy contract the next morning.
During my drive home the night before, I’d admitted to myself that I had no other job prospects and was going to have to stay at the university if I wanted to live by Zoe without being jobless.
Finn didn’t text me until that afternoon, when he let me know that he was going for a run with the other guys. Not coming over for dinner was implied.
I picked up four pizzas, some chicken wings, and a couple tubs of ice cream, then texted Maya and drove the three minutes to Zoe’s apartment.
When she didn’t answer, I used my key to let myself in.
She was sitting on the couch, wrapped in multiple blankets, with a pile of tissues next to her. She’d told me she still felt like shit, but that she’d stopped puking and thought she was on the mend.
She didn’t look like she was on the mend, but I didn’t want to say that.
