Dylan leaned against the frame, one brow raised. “Sooo…what was that?”
She looked up at him, suddenly flushed. “What?”
“You waving me off like I was about to interrupt a nuclear summit.”
Ali bit her lip.
He stepped closer. “You gonna tell me what’s going on, or…?”
She hesitated.
Then—“Maybe.”
He squinted at her. “Did you justjob interview hidefrom me?”
Ali grinned. “Possibly.”
Dylan crossed his arms, mock-serious. “Is this a secret mission or am I allowed to be excited?”
Her face softened. "It went well. There’s gonna be a second interview.”
Dylan’s expression shifted—surprise, then pride, then something almost reverent.
“You’re incredible,” he said. “You know that?”
She blushed. “I’m trying.”
He crossed the room in three long strides and pulled her up into a hug.
“You’re not trying,” he murmured into her hair. “You’re doing it.”
She felt guilty about not telling him her plan, but she wasn’t ready yet.
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
Dylan
“Igot the job.”
Dylan looked up from his protein bar, not fully processing her words at first. Ali was glowing—her cheeks flushed, eyes wild with excitement, bare feet bouncing againstthe kitchen tile. One of his old Tritons crewnecks swallowed her frame, the sleeves pushed to her elbows as she waved her phone in the air like it owed her rent.
“What job?” he asked cautiously.
“The one I interviewed for. Vaughn & Ellis. Kallie set it up. It’s official—I start in two weeks.”
He blinked, a grin forming before he even meant it to. “Holy shit, baby. That’s amazing.”
“I know!” she beamed. “It’s full salary, full benefits, and the location is perfect. And it’s small enough that I won’t get swallowed up, but established enough to be taken seriously.”
He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her briefly off the ground before kissing her temple. “I’m so proud of you.”
She melted into him, laughing, but something was off. A beat too long. A hesitation in her shoulders. When she pulled back, she wasn’t meeting his eyes.
“Wait…” He stepped back slowly, hands resting on his hips. “Kallie set it up? Where is it?”
“Here. I mean. Orlando.”
His brows drew together. “You’re moving here?”
