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“Did you have a good weekend?”
She looked up and smiled. “I did. How about you? Everything go okay?”
“Yeah, great.” I smiled.
She studied my face and her eyes glittered. “You look happy.”
“I am.”
“David?”
I nodded, blushing.
“That’s wonderful, Ellie. David’s a wonderful man. Your father would have loved him.”
“I think so too.” But I could tell that she looked happy too. Her face had a soft glow to it, and she seemed more relaxed than I’d seen her in ages. “Steven’s a good man too.”
She blushed.
“And he and Daddy were friends, so weknowhe’d approve.”
“How do you feel about it?”
“Honestly?” My eyebrows rose. “It’s a bit weird. You’re mymom. But I love you, and if anyone deserves love and happiness, it’s you.”
“Thank you, Ellie.” She threw her arms around my neck and squeezed, then stepped back. “I heard David had applied to get a longer position at the colony site. It sounds like it’s going to go through.”
“Yeah, he’s excited about it, and I have to confess that I am too.”
“That’s great.” She looked down.
“What’s wrong?”
Her brow wrinkled and she forced a smile. “What are you talking about?”
“Myra, I know you. You’re sad about something.”
“Steven only has a week left here on site before he has to go back to Durham. His university won’t let him stay longer.” She swallowed, refusing to meet my gaze. “There’s a position that’s opened out of the blue, one I’m a good fit for. Steven had mentioned it, but I didn’t think much of it until we had dinner with the department head on Saturday night. He’s asked me to formally apply. It’s nothing prestigious and although it’s highly unusual, Steven thinks I have good chance at being hired if I want the position.”
“Oh.”
“I’m not considering it. Steven just wants me closer to him, and he knew that at one point in my life I wanted to teach at a university.” She paused and her face softened with affection. “But he doesn’t know anything about the curse. He doesn’t know the danger you’re facing and how much I worry about you. I could never leave you, Ellie.”
“I never knew you wanted to teach.”
She waved her hand. “That was long ago.”
Funny how I’d never given any thought to my parents’ lives before me. But David was right. There were no coincidences. A position opening up out of the blue? The further Myra was from all of this, hopefully, the safer she would be. I had known this time was coming, I just hadn’t known goddamn fate had decided it for me. “I think you should apply.”
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “What?”
I smiled, refusing to cry. “If you want to do it, you should. I’ll come visit you or you can visit me. We’ll be fine.”
“Ellie.”
“Promise me you’ll really think it over, okay?” I hugged her again. “You deserve to be happy.And safe.”
She jerked back and searched my eyes.
