All I could do was nod. I was floating on cloud nine.
Dallas nuzzled the side of my neck. “You’re everything,” he murmured.
I swallowed hard, smiling as a wave of sadness surprised me.
If this was what a bed day looked like, I never wanted to leave.
But my time here was coming to an end sooner than later.
And there was a small voice in my head whispering, begging, crying—why not stay?
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Madi
Before I knew it, I had only nine days left in Whynot.
I’d been ignoring the countdown to reality, but when I sat down at my desk at the gallery, I opened my laptop to an email I should’ve seen yesterday.
Dear Ms. Fletcher,
I’m a talent recruiter with ABBA Studios. Your portfolio hit my inbox, and with seeing the work you’ve done, and your previous position, we’d love to interview you for the role of Art Director?—
They wanted to interview me this coming Thursday.
In San Francisco.
The starting salary was $150,000. Enough to not struggle in a city as expensive as that one.
I could pay for my own apartment.
I could start fresh.
I should have been crying tears of joy, but instead, I was justcrying.I wiped away the tears, reading the email a few more times. This wasn’t even an official job offer, but it was the first time I was reminded of the real world outside of Whynot.
I’d been living in a Hallmark movie kind of love bubble. Every single morning, Dallas brought me coffee and breakfast. June and I grabbed lunch and took walks and talked about anything and everything. Then in the evenings, the three of us ended up in bed, exploring sex in ways I hadn’t ever dreamed I’d get to do.
Theyknewme. More than anyone else ever had. They saw me and wanted me and showed me all of the things I’d been missing.
And dammit, I loved this town.
Whynot was small, but it felt like home. Like I could stay here forever.
Which would wreck my career. Unless I truly embraced being a freelance animator, I wasn’t sure there were any studios out there that would want to hire someone living in the middle of the desert.
It should have been a no-brainer of a decision. I’d worked so hard, sacrificing relationships, friendships, even my health. The nights I’d spent hunched over at my desk letting my creative brain spiral as I worked and worked and?—
I didn’t want it anymore.
Not like that.
What is wrong with me?Something was broken. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was exactly, but there was a dam inside me, and all the cracks I’d been continuously slapping patches over were suddenly too wide to fix.
I rolled my desk chair back and craned my head back. I stared up at the gallery ceiling.
This office was one of my favorite parts about being here. Not only was it beautiful with the perfect amount of light throughout the day, I’d never realized how nice it would feel to have a workspace away from my home. I loved hearing customers’chatter float from the front of the gallery, but if I needed quiet—shutting the door was enough to stop it.
And if I left it open? Avery, Mateo, Levi, Austin, or even Evie would sometimes drop by for a visit.
