First day on the job, and I was already being scolded.

Awesome.

“Yes, of course,” I responded. I took a deep breath in an attempt to keep the tears threatening to break free at bay.

“Great. Now that we have that taken care of, I’ll have someone show you where you’ll be working. Why don’t you have a seat?”

Feeling like I’d been waved off like a disobedient child, I turned and took a seat near the elevator, hoping I’d melt into the walls.

Do not cry, Cara. Do not cry, I chanted silently in my head.

Needing a distraction, I pulled out my phone and quickly sent a text to Tyler, letting him know the late policy was apparently vastly different in his accounting world. He immediately sent a text back with a frowny face and admitted to perhaps stretching the truth in an effort to get me in bed.

“Figures,” I huffed under my breath, shaking my head, as I slid the phone back into the five-dollar purse I’d found at Goodwill last semester.

Looking around, I felt completely out of place. Everything, even down to the bitchy receptionist, was modern and sophisticated. Clean lines and polished silver adorned the waiting room while I sat in an uncomfortable boxy chair, wearing items I’d picked up secondhand to save money in an attempt to make early payments on my school loans.

This wasn’t the first time I’d second-guessed my decision to leave Nebraska. Things were simpler back home. Life moved slower. People moved slower. It was a pace I’d grown accustomed to, and I wasn’t sure how quickly I could adapt.

Here, everyone was on the go—from the moment they awoke to the time they fell asleep. Nothing ever stopped, and I constantly felt like I was being dragged down by the complexity of it all.

My parents had warned me that I’d miss home, but I’d just assumed they were having trouble with letting me go. Empty nest syndrome or whatever it was called. I guessed they weren’t the only ones. Could that empty nest thing work in reverse? Long gone were the endless cornfields and clean air. Friday night Dairy Queen runs and picnic lunches by the pond, replaced with fancy coffee and never-ending traffic.

But, despite everything, I knew I was here for the right reasons. This was what Tyler and I had worked for, planned for, and now, it was finally a reality.

“Miss Hamilton?”

I turned to see a petite redhead in mile-high heels and a tight black pencil skirt. Her beautiful sapphire-blue blouse looked like it cost more than my monthly share of the rent.