“Did something happen with Graham and your scent?” I ask.
She’s quiet for a long minute. “Yeah.”
“Yeah?” I question her, all the while not mentioning how I just had the complete shock of lifetime realizing that Callum is my scent match. Is she also coming to terms with Graham being hers? I don’t want to push her any further, because I also need time to process last night.
“Listen, I’m sorry that we ran off last night, I promise it wasn’t planned. But you’ve gotta admit you and Callum were flirting and giving each other lovey dovey eyes all night, but you were both so clueless. You clearly like each other, and I’m guessing from how disheveled you look you had a good night.”
“It—it’s complicated,” I say.
“No kidding. Let me just finish my shower and we can head back. The deodorizers will be good for the way home. I think we both have people to talk to when we get back.”
She’s fully covered by the shower curtain so I can’t see her face, but I wonder if we’re both going through the same thing, just not ready to talk about it.
“Yeah, I need to see Greer and Lain,” I say, as if we haven’t been texting the whole trip. I leave her in the bathroom and pack all my things except what I’m wearing for the drive home. Maybe I could dab some perfume under my nose and that would help with the whole scenting Callum the whole ride.
Shockingly, it doesn’t work. No matter how far away we get from the coast, all I can smell is Callum’s sea spray scent. There’s a very light undertone of Graham’s Beta scent, but it doesn’t matter because I’m so hyper-focused on Callum.
My phone goes off in my pocket and I assume it must be Greer or Lain calling to see when we’ll be back.
It’s an unknown number, which I would usually ignore, but I answer it anyway—a distraction would be nice.
“This is Maisie,” I say, as Birdie glances at me, and Callum adjusts in the seat in front of me.
“Maisie Taylor?” the voice on the other side says.
“This is her.”
“This is Devin Luther from Pure Beauty. Do you have a moment?”
“Of course. What can I do for you?” I ask.
It’s one of the companies I applied to. I just couldn’t sit around and not have something waiting for me back in Chicago. Maybe a piece of me hoped I wouldn’t get any of them and it would push me to extend my stay.
“We love your resume, in fact we’re quite shocked that Dermdes would let a talent like you go. We’re currently tryingto fill a position at our main headquarters in London and would like to discuss this more with you.”
“London?” I parrot, because I definitely only applied to jobs in Chicago.
“I know, I understand you applied for the marketing assistant position we have available in Chicago, but we think you would be better suited to work directly under the vice president of the company in London, if you’re interested in potentially relocating.”
I clear my throat. “It’s something I’ve been considering,” I tell her honestly, though not for a job. Just the three Alphas who have seemed to flip my world upside down.
“Do you think we could do a video conference Wednesday?”
I rub my temple, and when I glance up, brown eyes are meeting mine in the rearview.
“Can I think about it and get back to you?” I ask him.
“Of course, I realize that this isn’t what you applied for. If you aren’t open to relocation, we could still discuss the position in Chicago. There isn’t as much of a growth opportunity in that position, but it would be yours if you wanted.”
“Wow. Thank you for the call, Devin. I’ll be in touch?”
“Of course. We’re hoping to hear from you soon.”
I hang up the call with shaky fingers and glance over at my sister, who’s slightly smiling, but it seems forced.
“A job offer?”
“Yeah. Pure Beauty,” I whisper, staring at my phone. They’re far more of a bigger deal than Dermdes. They’re more international, and high end. I should be elated. This is exactly where I saw myself moving in my career. All I feel is sick.
