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Wait a minute...
“Sir, are you asking me to lead—”
“The new branch in Chicago!” Steven dropped his feet to the floor with a thud, replacing the same spot on the table with his elbows. “Weren’t you just there, kid? Come on now, you’re perfect for it!”
“And you’ve earned it, Templeton. It’s all there, your record, your history here with us. It all speaks for itself.” Rodger gestured to the folder again. “Like Steven said, no better man for the job.”
Austin bit his bottom lip as understanding touched his soul.They’re offering me the Chicago job.The lights of the Magnificent Mile flashed through his brain as the iconic ivy of Wrigley Field snaked around his spine, tingling with anticipation and excitement. A breath escaped him as the opportunity warmed his heart.And it’s two thousand miles away from here... and her...
Steven’s voice boomed. “What do you say, kid?”
“You want me to lead the new branch in Chicago.” His fingers tapped the blue folder, shockwaves radiating through his body as the opportunity sank into his psyche.
Rodger winked, and Austin nodded, his heart leaping forth from his chest. As he dragged his fingers through his hair, a wide grin overtook his lips. “Without a doubt, yes!” Austin stood, reaching his hand across the table to shake on the offer with both men. “Thank you,” he choked out in stunned disbelief.
Steven’s hand clapped against his back. “Get packing. We’ll talk details soon, but start making your plans to relocate, at least for the foreseeable future. We’ll see how it goes. Opportunity, and the Midwest awaits, partner.”
Partner? Wait, are they saying...?
––––––––
Austin pulled his Corvetteinto the garage. Snagging his briefcase from the passenger seat, he bounded up the small set of steps and entered his bachelor pad. Heading straight for the kitchen, Austin grinned from ear to ear, a celebratory beer calling his name.
With the clink of a bottle, Austin selected an IPA from the top shelf and headed to the living room, his butt sinking into his favorite chair.
His heart hammered in his chest, bouts of adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream, reminiscent of the day he received his acceptance letter from Harvard.And now it’s all finally paying off...
“Who should I tell first?” he whispered.
Instinct took over, his fingers tapping his phone to find his twin’s name—his brother and his best friend.Wait.Austin swallowed, the recall of recent reality slicing into the euphoria. He sighed and bypassed Josh’s and Mavis’s names in his contact list. “They’ll probably offer to pay for my flight out of here,” he muttered, shaking his head as the excitement of the day lessened.
They’ll be happy to see me leave.
With a sigh, his gaze fell to Mitch’s and Lauren’s names. He frowned.Lauren will just cry. I’m not ready to tell her yet.
“Mom and Dad?” he whispered. But scrunching his nose, he cast John and Susan Templeton aside too. “Eh, not right now. They’ll make it about Josh somehow...”
Everyone kind of hates me at the moment, don’t they?
Setting his phone on the side table with defeat, he turned the TV on instead, navigating automatically to the sports menu. His thumb tapped the usual sequence of buttons for a basketball game, but a foul ball collided with his brain mid-press.
“Casey.”
With a grin, he snatched his phone back and opened her unanswered text. His eyes skimmed her message, rereading her words.All right California boy, POL 101 is on my summer schedule. You better not have been lying when you said you’d help me!
A twinge in his stomach invited a smile to his lips. He typed out,Sounds like I better move to Chicago then. I can’t go back on a promise.With a snort he tappedsend, reveling in the slowly returning state of excitement he’d come home with.
“Casey girl...” he whispered, picturing her response. The memory of her giggle broke the silence in his head. He stared at the screen, willing her to respond.
But nothing happened.
His gaze returned to the TV as he flipped to the baseball menu she inspired. At the top of the list sat the L.A. Dodgers, but two taps down offered the Chicago Cubs. Cringing, he scrolled past his hometown allegiance and selected Chicago. They led Milwaukee four to two.
Sipping his beer, Austin eyed the fans belting out “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in the seventh-inning stretch, not quite ready to buy into the fandom and betray his Dodgers just yet.I better try to get used to this though.
Beside him, his phone pinged, and Austin lunged, dribbling a sip of beer down his chin as his gaze raked the screen, seeking a response from Cinderella.
Ugh. It’s Josh.
