Charlie grinned at the sight, and then looked down to see Chewie at his feet, more interested in him than Scott.
“I’m going, honey,” Charlie said, bending down to pet Chewie’s head.
Chewie whined the sad, puppy whine he always did when he didn’t get what he wanted, staring up at Charlie with soft eyes.
“I can’t stay,” Charlie explained. “But I’ll be back, I promise.” He petted Chewie’s tiny, soft head, letting him lick his hand.
“I love you,” he added, his stomach swooping at saying it aloud. It was directed at Chewie, but he knew the moment he said it that it was meant for Scott.
Before he left, shooing Chewie into the bedroom, Charlie glanced over to see Scott napping again, covered in dogs.
His heart swelled in his chest, making it hard to breathe for a moment.
He loved Scott.
That was terrifying, but it was okay, too. He trusted Scott with his heart. He knew Scott would never let it break.
The thought made leaving even harder, but Charlie was cutting it fine as it was.
He closed the front door of Scott’s house behind him, tugging on it to make sure it was locked, and then headed out into the street.
The morning air was cold, but it was doing wonders for waking him up. Which was exactly what he needed right now.
His mind was still cozy and warm, wrapped up in Scott’s bed, and happy.
Just as he turned the corner to his own street, his phone started vibrating. Thinking it was either Scott or his mom, Charlie answered it without even glancing at the number.
“Hello?”
“Hi there!” a woman’s voice said on the other end of the line. “Is this Charlie Jules?”
“Uh, yes.” Charlie frowned, wondering who the hell this could be. He didn’t give out his number a whole lot.
“Excellent. My name is Diane, and I work with the Denver Public Library Service. Do you remember making an application for a position in one of our branches? It was a while ago, so it’s okay if you don’t.”
“No, uh.” Charlie cleared his throat, his heart pounding. He remembered. “I do remember. Thank you for calling me.”
“I’m sorry it’s so early, but once the red tape breaks it’s all go, you know?”
“Yeah, absolutely.”
Charlie did not know. He’d never had to worry much about red tape. He more or less did what he wanted, when he wanted, with minimal need for approval.
“Right, so, anyway, we happened to have a representative in your library last week, and they were very impressed with what you’ve accomplished. We’d like to invite you to a formal interview on Friday, but between you and me, it really is just a formality. We want you working with us.”
“Oh.”
Charlie’s stomach bottomed out. He remembered the job, working as the head of the children’s collection in one of the larger branches. It didn’t pay a whole lot better, but it sounded exciting. The opportunity to have an impact on so many kids was tempting.
On the other hand…
He cleared his throat. “Oh, uh… Friday sounds good. I can make it on Friday.”
“Awesome,” Diane enthused. “I’ll email you through the details. Don’t bother getting all dressed up for it, just be yourself. We want real people with real experience, not flashy resumes.”
“I understand,” Charlie said, not entirely sure that he did. He’d more or less inherited his current job, so he hadn’t needed to go through anything resembling a proper interview process.
Other than the time his dad made him interview for a summer job at the grocery store, he really hadn’t had a job interview… ever.
