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“Th-thank you.” I was shocked because technically, I wasn’t doctor anyone yet, but the underlying meaning of his words didn’t escape me. I’d been expecting another excruciating round of revisions, so the fact that I was done was a wonderful surprise.
“I made a few extremely minor changes—one was nothing but a comma—and you’re good to go. Let’s get this baby ready to print and prepare for your defense.”
“Are you sure?” My voice was a whisper of disbelief.
“You’re ready. I’m ready. It’s time. Make sure you invite all the people important to you because your defense day is going to be a big deal for you.”
“Then why do I feel like puking?” I muttered, clasping my hands in front of me.
“Ah, we all feel like that.” He waved a hand. “Sometimes it’s rougher than others, but it’s essentially a done deal, Jolie.”
“Thank you,” I said warmly. “I mean it. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“You’ve been an amazing student, mentee, and friend. You also saved my ass with everything you did for Dr. Camalleri. She was driving me nuts, and when you stepped in to help with the analysis, it freed up my time to do all the other things I need to do.”
“I was happy to help,” I said, hoping I sounded sincere.
“You’re a terrible liar,” he said, laughing. “But I appreciate it nonetheless. And a few weeks from now, you’re going to be ready to take the science world by storm.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said. “I don’t have a job yet, and money is becoming a problem. My parents can’t help me forever.”
“Speaking of which,” he said. “I have news. There’s going to be a spot opening up here. Dr. Camalleri is leaving us and I’d like you to take her place.”
My mouth fell open. “Really?”
“It doesn’t pay a lot, but it’s enough to survive and there are benefits like health insurance.”
He went on to give me the details, and my head spun with excitement. He was right that it wasn’t exactly what I’d been looking for, but I enjoyed teaching and I loved being in the lab. Getting paid to do those things would be a bonus.
Even though it meant staying here in St. Louis when I’d just started getting used to the idea of moving. In fact, I had an interview in New York City with my old professor a few days after my thesis defense.
“I can’t give you an answer just yet,” I told him since I felt like I owed it to myself to explore some options before committing to anything. I also wanted to be honest with him because he’d been good to me. “I have an interview coming up that I’d like to see through.”
“I would have been surprised if you gave me an answer right away,” he said, smiling. “Besides, I talked to Joe Kincaid about you just yesterday.”
I stared at him. “You know about my interview in New York?”
He chuckled. “Of course. He called to ask me about your dissertation, your work ethic and to get an update on everything you’ve been doing since you were in his class. Academia is a much smaller world than you think.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize…” My voice trailed off, wondering if he was upset with me.
“It’s a good thing, Jolie,” he said gently. “It’s one of the reasons I decided to offer you Ellen’s position. You’re going to have a lot of offers once you get serious about sending out your CV. You’re a brilliant scientist who’s going to do great things. I can think of a dozen universities that would be lucky to have you on their staff. I hope you decide to stay here, but I’ll understand if you find something more exciting.” He paused. “That pays more.”
We both laughed.
“Why is Ellen leaving?” I asked curiously.
“Her fiancé got a job in California and she’s going with him.”
“Oh. That surprises me. But good for her.”
“It probably happens more than you think. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the people we love.”
His words gave me pause.
Was I the kind of woman who could follow the man I loved to another city?
Could I leave a job here in St. Louis and follow Boone to Nashville?
Not that he’d asked me to go with him, but I couldn’t deny I was in love with him. There was no going back as far as my feelings went, so it was strange that until this moment, I hadn’t even considered Nashville an option. He hadn’t brought it up either, though, so maybe he wasn’t as into me as I was him.
“Jolie?” Dr. Matello was looking at me expectantly and I’d been so lost in thought I hadn’t heard what he’d said.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“There are also some new grant opportunities I heard about, if you’d like to discuss the options?”
