“Have you considered asking her if she’d go with you?”
“I can’t do that. Her whole life is here.”
“And your whole future is in California. You can’t pass this up, Dyl.”
“Fuck.” Blowing out a breath, Dylan ran a hand through his hair, his heart already breaking in his chest. “You’re right. I can’t. But it’s going to kill me to walk away from her.”
“You’ll figure something out. You’re a smart guy.”
“Thanks, E.”
“No problem. And congrats again, man. You’re going to do amazing things out there.”
They ended the call and Dylan stared down at his phone for a long, long while before he gathered the courage to punch in the numbers he’d been given.
“Sylvie? I’m in.”
Sam
God, she hated her job. And not in the “man, today has been a hard day” kind of way everyone experienced in Corporate America. But in the “this job is slowly killing my soul and I don’t think I can survive another twenty years of this” kind of way.
Maybe she should start looking for something else. There were plenty of banking jobs in and around Atlanta.
Even more in California, probably.
Those kinds of thoughts had been popping up more and more as she waited for Dylan to make his decision about the job at Pacificum. And on a day like today, it was more tempting than ever to just throw caution to the wind and tell him he was taking the job and she was coming with him.
On her desk, her phone vibrated and she grinned when her son’s face popped up on the screen. Hitting the button, she brought the device to her ear. “Hey, baby. Everything okay?”
“Everything’s great here. But I just got off the phone with Dylan.”
Nerves knotted in her stomach. “Oh?”
“Yeah. He told me about the job in California, Mama.”
“He did?” Which meant he was taking it. He wouldn’t have reached out to Ethan if he wasn’t looking to be convinced he should take it.
She was going to be sick.
“He did. I told him he’d be a complete dumbass if he didn’t take the job.”
Closing her eyes, she swallowed hard, willing back the tears that threatened. “You’re not wrong. It sounds like an incredible opportunity.”
“It’s not justanopportunity, Mama. It’stheopportunity. So yeah, he’s a dumbass if he doesn’t take it.”
“I know.”
“And you’re a dumbass if you let him leave you behind.”
Shock had her eyes flying open. “Ethan Samuel. Did you just call your mother a dumbass?”
“I did indeed.”
“You’re grounded for the rest of your life.”
“Worth it if that’s what it takes to talk some sense into your stubborn ass.”
“Mystubborn ass? What about Dylan’s?”
