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“Not all the time.” I pushed myself off the wall and ran a hand through my hair. “I want to apply for the publicity job, but the problem is that the position that’s open is in Albin’s company.”
“I don’t see the problem with that.”
“We can’t work together and live together.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’d be my boss,” I pointed out. “I don’t want our dynamic to be even weirder. Can you imagine the kind of imbalance we would have?”
And how much harder it would be for me to be around him.
Accepting his money now was difficult, but I knew that it came from a place of love, protectiveness, and affection. However, going to work every day, knowing that I answered to Albin and coming home to the same house after a long day at work was a little too much. He and I were still trying to navigate being parents while being together, and I didn’t want to add one more complication to the mix.
Particularly an unnecessary one.
“I understand where you’re coming from,” Anne admitted. “And I hate to be the one to point this out, but if it’s a good opportunity, you should go for it.”
I chewed on my bottom lip. “I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you apply and see how you feel? If you get in on your own merit, then you can decide what you do. If you don’t, you don’t. Either way, there’s no harm in trying, right?”
“I guess.”
“Exactly. Let me know how it goes, okay? I’ve got to take a shower and get something to eat. I’m starving.”
“You know you can stop by for dinner if you want.”
“I’ll probably take you up on that offer someday. For now, I’m going to order a pizza. Talk to you later, babe.”
“Have a good night. Bye.”
On autopilot, I helped Jimmy towel himself off and get into his pajamas. Albin came in as Jimmy was settling underneath the covers. He pointed at a story, and Albin took the lead while I listened, turning the matter over and over in my head. Once we were done, I kissed Jimmy’s forehead and lingered.
Albin fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
I spent the night tossing and turning and wondering what to do. In the morning, once they both left for the day, I picked up my laptop and checked Albin’s company website. A few hours later, after reviewing my CV and consulting with Anne, I sent them an email and crossed my fingers. Knowing that Albin wouldn’t be in my direction chain of command helped.
A day later, we were sitting at dinner when I got the response.
“I got the job.”
“That’s amazing, Mar. Which job did you get?”
“I applied for the vacancy at your company, the one in the publicity department. I know you wanted to pull some strings and get me in, but I wanted to get in on my own merit.”
Albin draped an arm over my shoulders and squeezed. “I’m so proud of you.”
“What are we going to do about Jimmy’s school?”
“We can drop him off in the morning before work, and in the afternoon, I’ll go and pick up him to bring him back to the office. We have a daycare center in the building, so they can watch him until it’s time for us to go home.”
I smiled and leaned into his touch. “I’m really excited about all of this.”
Albin kissed my head. “Me too.”
Chapter 28
Albin
