She laughed. “Not bad. I got to interview people at the fish hatchery for a feature in the next edition. Not exactly Pulitzer Prize material, but at least it’ll help my résume.”

“And the application to Northwestern?”

“I emailed it off tonight. But I don’t have a good feeling about it. I’m applying to Missouri State as well, just in case.”

“Smart move.” He hesitated. “I have some news, too. My boss here at the garage has offered me a buy-in partnership. I pay him what I’ve saved up, then a percentage of what I make every month. When he retires in five years, I can refinance the balance and have my own business.”

“Oh,” Brianna said. Should she be happy or devastated? Owning the garage was Liam’s dream. But it would tie him to Evanston for years, if not for life. What if she couldn’t go back to Northwestern? Did she love Liam enough to give up her own dream to be with him?

“I don’t have to make a decision right away,” Liam said. “But it would help to know what you and I would be looking at. You’re an important part of all this, Brianna.”

After telling him goodnight and ending the call, Brianna lay back on the pillow, tears flooding her eyes. What if Northwestern didn’t let her back in? She had a B-plus average—not bad but not outstanding. And the fact that she’d dropped out of fall semester because of an arrest wouldn’t help her case.

She couldn’t afford to wait for months, or even weeks, for an answer, especially when that answer would likely be no. She would give it a couple of days, then call the dean, she decided. At least, after that, she’d have a better idea of what to expect.

She could only hope that she wouldn’t have to choose between getting her education and being with Liam.

So many decisions to make. What if she were to be reaccepted by Northwestern, only to learn that her father couldn’t spare the money to pay her tuition? She would have to get a job or a student loan, maybe both—not the end of the world, but these things would take planning.

She’d thought about talking to her father. But lately, he’d seemed so preoccupied that she could barely get through to him. Garrett had always been willing to lend her an ear. Allison had warned her to avoid him, but surely he was still her friend. Surely he’d be able to give her a clear picture of what was happening with the business, and perhaps offer some practical advice.

Maybe in the next few days she would give him a call, or drop by the office as she’d often done in past years. After all, what harm could it possibly do?

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 12