Kate tried to put her indecision into words. She just didn’t know what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She believed there had to be something special out there for her, a path that was hers alone and held happiness at its end, but where was the start of it? “I’m not like Tully,” she finally said, admitting the truth she’d known for a long time. “I don’t eat, sleep, and breathe the news. Sure, I’m good enough to get all A’s and my profs love me because I’m never late with an assignment, but journalism—TV or print—is a jungle. I’ll be eaten alive by people like Tully who’ll do anything for a scoop. It’s just not realistic to think I can make it.”

“Realistic? Realistic is your dad and me trying to manage our expenses when they keep cutting his hours at the plant. Realistic is me being a smart woman who can’t get a job at anything better than minimum wage because I have no education and all I’ve done is raise kids. Believe me, Katie, you don’t want to be realistic at your age. There’s plenty of time for that. Now you should dream big and reach high.”

“I just want something different.”

“What?”

“I wish I knew.”

“Oh, Katie . . . I think you’re afraid to reach for the brass ring. Don’t be.”

Before Katie could answer, there was a knock at the door. “I’m in here,” she called out.

The door swung open to reveal Tully. “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere. Who are you talking to?”

“Mom.”

Tully yanked the phone from Kate and said, “Hey, Mrs. M. I’m kidnapping your daughter. We’ll call back later. ’Bye.” She hung up, then turned to Kate. “You’re coming with me.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” Tully led her out of the house and down to the parking lot, where her new blue VW bug waited.

All the way into downtown Seattle, Kate asked where they were going and what was up until they pulled up in front of a small office building.

“This is where I work,” Tully said when she turned off the engine. “I can’t believe you’ve never been here before. Oh, well, you’re here now.”

Kate rolled her eyes. Now she knew what was happening: Tully wanted to show off some new triumph—a reel, a tape, a story she’d done that had actually been aired. As usual, Kate followed. “Look, Tully,” she said as they made their way down the colorless hallway and into the small, cluttered space that was the Seattle office of KCPO-TV, “I need to tell you something.”