“Yeah, but…” I tilt my head thoughtfully, and then think better of it, shaking my head. “No, no. I couldn’t.”
“Like I said, you don’t need to know about those things.” He lifts a brow. “If you’re curious, you could always ask him. I’m sure he would be happy to teach you. You don’t know how many times he’s rambled tomeabout… whatever it is he does.”
“I’m not as organized as you think. Organized people remember to pay important bills—like rent.”
“You can’t pay bills if you don’t have money, Evie.” He speaks in a soft voice. “It doesn’t matter how organized you are. Cut yourself some slack. We’ve all been there.”
I lift a brow. “Have you?”
“Oh, yeah.” He snorts. “Don’t tell Mom and Dad, but after I dropped out of college, I was couch surfing for over two years.”
My jaw drops. “Everett!”
He lifts his hands. “I was staying with friends. It was completely safe.”
“Well… I guess you didn’t have a big brother to take care of you.”
“Don’t get all sappy on me.” He groans and grabs a beer from the fridge. “You don’thaveto take the job. You can stay here as long as you need to. Transfer schools and get your degree here instead. Fuck it, right?”
Everett’s outlandish plans will be the death of me. He’s no more in touch with reality now than he was in his twenties. He’s drunk. That’s the only excuse I can think of for his suggestion.
I shake my head. “No!Wrong! The schools here are too expensive.”
“I know. I thought I would try to keep you around a little longer.”
“That’s sweet, but I’m only staying for the summer. I mean it.” I tap my lip. “What if I want to work at the surf shop?”
“You’d be silly. I can’t pay you a fraction of what Theo is offering.” He pops the cap off his beer bottle. “He’s a good guy. I wouldn’t trust the offer if he weren’t. You know that, right?”
“I know.”
My brother’s trust in Theodoesput me at ease. If he thinks it’s a good opportunity, it probably is.
“Then you should take it,” he says.
“I still don’t think I’m qualified for the position.”
“And I think you have impostor syndrome, so we aren’t going to see eye-to-eye on this.”
“What doyouknow about impostor syndrome? You were winning surf competitions at eighteen.”
“Exactly.” He flashes a white smile. “I started training later than everyone else and still won competitions before them. Guess what?”
“You’re so full of yourself.”
He ignores my jab. “If I sat around wondering whether or not I was qualified, I wouldn’t have eventried. You know, most of those guys were surfing longer than me, right? Years before, even decades before.”
“I know. This isn’t the first time you’ve bragged.”
“I’m not bragging; I’m making a point. You’re no different than me. We’re made of the same stuff, kid.” He ruffles my hairand passes by, going upstairs. “You’re good enough for this and anything else you want to do. Don’t hold back.”
There’s so much I’m holding back from, and a job as an assistant feels low on my priorities, but it’s a way for me to make money. This is how I can finally get ahead. If I don’t take advantage of the opportunity, I may not be able to go back to school at all.
Once his bedroom door clicks shut, I grab a beer for myself.
Chapter Five
THEO
