"Noah," she says with a wide grin. "Okay, don't panic, but I need you to check your voicemail and your email. Like, right now."
My brows lift. I set the wineglasses down slowly.
Sharnia leans closer like she's sharing a secret. "I just got off the phone with Aurelia Varrin. Yes,thatAurelia Varrin, the Headmistress of Drakesmere Academy." She beams like she expects fireworks to explode behind her. "You remember she's an old college roommate of mine, right? Well, she said that the board was impressed with your resume and that with your references and my recommendations, she can't make a better choice than you! She told me she's sending an offer your way."
The floor shifts beneath my feet as the words from my old boss make their way into my brain. Drakesmere Academy is the most prestigious private elementary school in New York City. Its dragoness headmistress takes care of pupils from the richest and most famous families in North America. Heck, perhaps even the world.
I was already grateful to Sharnia when she put in a good word and got me that interview a few weeks before starting my work with Rika. But it seemed so far-fetched that I would get the job, I didn't even think twice about it when I didn't hear back from Ms. Varrin.
It seems I was wrong.
Sharnia keeps going, cheerful and unstoppable. "I may have said a few glowing things about your capacity as an English Lit teacher." She flashes an innocent smile that is not innocent at all.
My mouth goes dry because Rika is so stiff and silent beside me, I'm afraid she's going to snap in half.
"Anyway," Sharnia says, wagging a finger at the camera, "listen to your voicemail, open your email, and let me know when you start there. And Noah?" Her expression softens for half a beat. "You deserve this."
The video ends.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
For a second, the apartment is silent except for the hum of the fridge and the faint sound of Rika's heavy breathing.
I blink, once, twice, like that will make the words rearrange themselves into something less life-changing. The apartment feels suddenly smaller. Like the air has thickened. Like I'm standing at the edge of a cliff I didn't know was there.
I stare at my phone screen. At the email notification sitting there, unread. I lift my gaze slowly.
Rika is silent and still as a statue. Even her wings look frozen in place, pale blue and sharp-edged against her back. The only movement in her entire body is the lifting and lowering of her chest as she breathes in fast and shallow.
I set the phone down carefully on the table, like it might explode.
Then Rika speaks, her voice deadly quiet. Her eyes are downcast on my phone. Like she doesn't want to look at me.
"Have you been looking for another job?"
She finally turns to face me and it's like looking into an ice mirror. All traces of emotion are gone from her features and her sapphire eyes are hard.
"Of course not," I say immediately. "Well, not since I began working for you. This was an application I sent a few weeks ago, before we even met. That's all. I promise, that's all this is."
She closes her eyes at my words like I just insulted her.
"This sounds like exactly the kind of job you always dreamed of," she says. Her voice doesn't shake. That might be the worst part.
"Rika," I say, stepping closer. "I thought the interview went well, but when I didn't hear anything, I assumed I didn't get the job."
"Drakesmere Academy," she says, like the words taste bitter. "That's a prestigious establishment."
She's right. It's not just prestigious, but also damn well paid. It's the complete package. It's everything I ever wanted.
Only, it was before. Before Rika and Zoe and Matthew. Before I handed over my heart on a platter to a sexy, brokenhearted single mom.
"It's New York," I manage, because my brain is still catching up. "It's way too far."
Too far to see you and the kids.But I don't say that. I don't say it because Rika just folded her arms across her chest and took a step back.
I take a step forward, desperation tightening my throat.
"It's a good offer," she cuts in, still eerily calm. "Better than being a nanny."
