Page 81 of Come Back to Me

I didn’t know what else to say to him, and that was the first thing to come out of my mouth.

“That’s quite the vocabulary you have there.”

“What do you want me to say, Gray?”

“I don’t need you to say anything. Not right now, at least.”

“W-we got off track here. Um…I-I don’t know what to ask or say,” I stammer.

“Okay, I have a question.”

“Ask your question then.”

“Do you know what you want to do when you graduate?” Curiosity takes over the coloration in his eyes.

“I want to start my own PR business in the author space.” I see Grayson’s face go blank, so I explain my decision further. “I’d offer content creation and social media management to self-published authors. The possibility of offering beta reading, content pulls, and ARC management are high. I’d love to add Sage on as our brand and website designer in the future, but I doubt that she’d be interested.”

“Wow, you really thought this through.”

“Am I sensing sarcasm or…?” I raise an eyebrow.

“No sarcasm here. I find it all really impressive. What inspired you to start your own business?”

“Noah did. He asked me to make his graphics for him for his debut novel, and I said yes before he could even finish the question. I’ve loved being a part of his journey and taking that stress off him. I want to help other authors, so I can do the same for them.”

“You always had this tenacity that people could easily envy. I was never envious of it though, I was enamored by it. You inspired me to have that drive to achieve my dreams.”

I’m speechless. Mybrain can’t generate any words that could come out of my mouth. I didn’t know I inspired him in any way at all, let alone in that way.

“I-I don’t know what to?—”

He cuts me off. “That’s…okay. You don’t have to say anything.”

I grin. “Okay, you asked me what I want to do after I graduate. Now, it’s your turn. Do you have a post-grad plan?”

“If I play good enough, meaning if I climb up the ranks, I’d be able to get drafted into the NBA. I know I’ve made it if that happens. It’s not that I don’t have faith in myself, I know I can do it. I just can’t snap my fingers and make it happen. I wish I could. I’m not sure what I want to do with my nutrition minor yet.”

“Yeah, I don’t know why I asked you that because I knew you wanted to play in the NBA. As for your minor, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. You’ll figure it out.”

“I guess we both have the career part of our lives figured out, huh?”

“I’d say so. I don’t want things to be set in stone. If life decides to take me on a different path, I’d be open to it.”

“So, if Laura asked you to be assistant manager of Sweet & Salty one day, would you accept her offer?”

“Oh, one-hundred-percent. I’d figure out a way to balance work life there and with my business, but my plan could change down the road.”

“What is it that you love about working there so much?”

“There’s this sense of community. I’m able to connect with other romance readers who live in the area. I’ve been able to meet authors who I’ve admired for years. I’ve learned how to order stock and other bookish items, take payments from customers, coordinate events, market the business on social media, manage our socials, update our website when needed, and basically anything else the store needs. Thisjob has never felt like a job to me. It’s my home.”

“The best kind of job is one that doesn’t feel like a job at all.”

“Yeah, I’m incredibly lucky to work at a place like Sweet & Salty.”

“I can say Laura is not only lucky to have you in general, but she’d be extremely lucky to have you as her equal. And I’m not talking about an assistant manager. I can see you running the store in the future.”

“Thank you. I’ve worked at the store since I was a freshman in high school. The staff has grown immensely, so we have different employees with specific roles, like Willow.”