Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“I don’t want to waste their time.”
“You won’t be. You could leave there with your dream job.”
“In California.”
“Yes.”
“This is crazy.”
“You don’t have a lease or a mortgage to worry about. There is nothing holding you back.”
“I’d need a place to live. I can’t stay in the hotel forever.” He stares deep into my eyes, as if he’s begging me to understand the unspoken words that flow between us. I wish I could hear what he’s thinking.
“I’ll help you.”
“You’re leaving.”
He nods stiffly. “Hannah. She’s going to be here on her own too. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you staying with her until we get back, or until you find your own place.” He stops and opens his mouth as if he’s going to say something else, but quickly closes it.
“I can’t just call Hannah, someone I’ve met twice, and say hey, I’m moving across the country, so can I stay with you? Do you hear how crazy that sounds?”
“Trust me.” His eyes bore into mine. “Just go on the interview. Treat this as if it were a job back in Cooper. Go, then come home to me, and we can talk about it.”
“I’m afraid to go. This is what I’ve always wanted, Chad. To have it dangling in front of me, and lose it—” I shake my head. If I do this, and I get the job, it will hurt even more to have to turn it down. I can’t just uproot my life and move to California. My family is in Ohio. This is crazy and harmful to my heart, but there is still a huge part of me that wants to go to the interview just to see if they would pick me.
He lifts our entwined hands to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “I want you to have your dream, Faith. Please, just trust me. Go on this interview. I have a good feeling about this.”
“I can’t move here and you be gone. I’m already going to miss you too much.” Tears well in my eyes.
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
As crazy as it sounds, moving here would make me feel closer to him even when he’s deployed. It’s risky, but there is something in my gut telling me that it’s a risk worth taking. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
I nod. “I’ll reply and accept the interview. I hate that it’s going to take some of the time we have together.”
“Take the afternoon spot. I have a meeting in the afternoon. We’ll both be busy at the same time. I’m glad you're going to go. We can talk about the rest when you get home.”
“The rest of what?”
“The future.”
His reply is vague, but I don’t comment on it. My head is too jumbled with the possibility of moving here, of uprooting my life when the one person I know is about to leave the country for four to six months. My heart is too busy trying to beat out of my chest at the thought of Chad and I finally being more. Is that why he’s pushing for this? I’m too afraid to ask him.
I’ll go to that interview, and then, when we’re both back in the room, we can talk about it, just like he said. Maybe by then, I’ll have enough courage to ask him.
I’m pacing the hotel room, waiting for Chad to get here. I’m surprised there’s not a path worn in the carpet yet. I’ve only been here for twenty minutes, but my pacing has been nonstop.
The interview was… incredible. So much so that I was offered the job on the spot. I’ve never been this happy and sad at the same time before. It’s my dream job. The people I met today were great. The classroom was perfect. It’s everything, but I don’t live here. Yes, I was willing to drive a little farther, but this is across the country.
Can I do that?
Can I pack up and live in a state where the only person I know is leaving for four to six months? I’d be starting over, and all on my own. That’s scary as hell, and I’m conflicted. I want to do it. I wanted to shout yes when they offered me the job, but I’m also scared to take the leap.
The door opens, and I freeze. Chad walks into the room and smiles when he sees me. “How did it go?”
I swallow hard, trying to calm myself down. “Incredible.”
“Yeah?” His eyes light up.
“I loved the school. The room that would be my classroom was perfect and had so much potential, and the principal and superintendent were both wonderful and easy to talk to. I felt as though we were old friends catching up. It didn’t feel like an interview at all.”
“Come here.” He stalks toward me and wraps his arms around me. “I’m so happy for you.” He holds me close, and I return his embrace with everything I have.