If I hurt her? Too late for that. But I smile and smack Carter on the shoulder. “She’s grown, C. Thirty, last I checked. I don’t think she needs her brothers to play guard dog anymore.” And the last thing I’m going to do is hurt her again.

Shay

“We’ll fly you in on that Thursday morning, and the interview will take place that afternoon. I’ll make sure they give you early check-in at your hotel. That way you don’t have to walk into the interview straight from such a long flight,” Sally says. She’s the administrative assistant for the English department at Emmitson University, and she’s been the point person for every portion of my application process, including the virtual class visit the hiring committee did with my American lit class last week. Apparently they liked what they saw, because now they want to fly me out for an in-person interview—the final step in the hiring process.

“That sounds good,” I say.

“Would you be okay with one of our graduate students picking you up at the airport?”

“Absolutely.” This isn’t the first time I’ve scheduled a flight to L.A., but it’ll be the first time I actually go. Easton lived there for thirteen years, but only next month, when he’s officially moved back to Jackson Harbor, will I actually make the trip. I swallow a bubble of hysteria.

“Everyone’s looking forward to meeting you, Shayleigh, myself included. You’ve been such a pleasure to work with through this process.”

“Thank you so much, Sally.”

“Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions or need to make any adjustments to your travel plans.”

We say our goodbyes, and I put down my cell phone and take a deep breath. Then another. If I were home, I’d probably go take a nap, which is exactly why I’m working in Jake’s old apartment above Jackson Brews. There’s a bed here, but since I know how often my brothers sneak up here with their respective girlfriends/fiancées/wives, I find any comfort it might offer pretty easy to resist.