My stomach dropped. This wastheuncle. The one who'd cornered Riven about the inheritance, who represented everything Riven wanted nothing to do with.
"Nice to meet you," I said carefully, shaking his hand.
“I’ve heard good things about you from several attending surgeons.” He leaned casually against the doorframe. “I’m expanding my cardiac unit and am looking for skilled surgical staff. I’d like to offer you a position.”
My brain stuttered to a complete halt. "A position?"
“RNFA in our cardiac unit. Of course, better pay and hours than here. There will be opportunities for advanced training and specialized cases you wouldn’t see in a general hospital.” He pulled a card from his pocket. “We could use someone with your skill set.”
I took the card automatically, staring at the embossed logo, the prestigious address.
"I don't know what to say."
“Say you’ll think about it.” He smiled. “No pressure. The offer stands whenever you’re ready. Call me when you've made a decision."
He walked away before I could respond, leaving me standing there holding the card like it might explode.
August Cross just offered me a position in a specialized cardiac unit, with better pay and opportunities to grow.
It was everything I had ever wanted.
So why did my hands feel icy cold?
The afternoon dragged on and I busied myself, trying not to overthink my encounter with Riven's uncle.
I went home as soon as my shift ended and found Emma in the living room watching a baking competition show, yelling at the contestants about their technique.
“You can’t overmix! Why are you overmixing?!” She glanced up. “Hey! You’re home early.”
“Slow day.” I dropped my bag. “Where’s Riven?”
“He had some stuff to do. He said he’d be back later.” She paused the show. “You okay? You look off.”
I sat next to her, pulling my knees up to my chest. “Someone offered me a job today.”
Emma’s eyebrows shot up. “A job? Like a different job?”
"Yeah. At a private hospital. Cardiac specialty unit. Better pay. Better everything, basically."
"Oh." Her face fell for a split second before she forced brightness. "That's great."
“Emma—”
"No, seriously. That's amazing. You should totally take it." Her voice was too high, too cheerful. "When would you start?"
“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.”
“But you’re going to take it, right? I mean, it's better pay, better opportunities. Why wouldn’t you?”
I looked at her—at the way her fingers curled tight around the remote, the brittle edge to her smile.
"Hey." I touched her arm gently. "Nothing's decided yet. Okay?"
"Okay." She nodded quickly. "But you should take it. If it's what you want. I mean, you deserve good things."
I pressed my lips together. “What I want is complicated.”
“Everything’s complicated.” She smiled, echoing her words from this morning. “But you deserve good things even if they’re complicated.”
