“Of course,” I say, sounding professional and excited even though the words taste like dirt on my tongue.
“We have a spot Monday morning and then two on Tuesday morning.”
“I’ll take the one on Monday morning.”
“Eleven a.m. okay?” she asks.
“That’s perfect. Thank you so much.”
I confirm the time and address with her and she asks for my email address so that they can let me know about any changes.
I hang up a few minutes later and even though I know that I should be excited about this interview, about getting back to my five-year plan, all I feel is dread.
Do I really want to leave Teller and my friends? I haven’t told him yet, but I’m in love with Teller and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I also don’t see him leaving Destiny Falls to go to Boston with me. He’s already said that he gave up New York for Destiny Falls and that he likes living and working here.
I’d also have to leave Lyla, Madelyn, and Iris. They’ve been so nice to me, so welcoming. They’re the first real friends that I’ve ever had. Am I really okay with just leaving them behind. Sure, we can still text and call, maybe they’d come visit me out on the East Coast or I could come back here but how long before we get busy and drift apart?
But can I really give up my big plan for them and this tiny town?
I just need to shake it off. I’ll get to Boston and I’ll see that it’s where I’m meant to be.
I just need to stop thinking about this tiny town and start thinking about my future.
I head downstairs and run into Teller in the kitchen.
“Hey, you alright?” he asks when he gets a look at my face.
“Yeah, just tired,” I lie.
I don’t want to tell him about the interview. Not yet.
“Why don’t you take a nap? We can do dinner a different day if you’re not feeling up for it,” he says, stepping closer and kissing me on the forehead.
“Thanks. I think I just need to rest tonight.”
He nods, giving me a quick hug and promising to check up on me later before he heads down the hallway. I watch him go before I move over to the kitchen table and take a seat. I stare out the window, eyeing the lighthouse as I debate my options.
Part of me doesn’t really want to go. Do I really want to leave Destiny Falls? Do I want to leave Teller and my friends?
No.
On the other hand, though, can I really throw away this opportunity and all of my plans and what I’ve worked for, for the future all for this tiny town? I’ve been working so hard to get to this point and part of me feels like it’s a failure if I don’t get the high-paying job in the big city.
I don’t want to leave these people, but I can’t give up on something that I’ve been working toward for my entire life. I want money and stability and I don’t feel guilty for that. I can’t pass up this interview.
Not if I might end up regretting it for the rest of my life.
20
“Alright, what’s going on with you?” Lyla asks as she barges into my room after the Mystery Cabin closes for the day a couple of days later.
I’ve been getting different variations of this question since I set up my interview a few days ago. I’ve been putting off everyone by saying that I was tired or feeling under the weather but I don’t think that anyone believes me.
“What are you talking about?” I ask her, trying to stall.
“You know what I’m talking about.”
I look away from her and debate if I should open up to her. Maybe it would help to talk everything out with someone. I’m not used to doing that with anyone but my mom, but isn’t that friends do?
“Alright, that’s it. We’re going to The Fainting Goat.”
She grabs my hand, dragging me off of my bed and over to the doorway. I almost trip and take us both down as we jog down the stairs. I’m shoved into her Jeep and we’re headed toward town before I know it.
“Madelyn and Iris are meeting us there,” Lyla says as she tosses her phone into the cup holder.
I just sigh. I know that Lyla isn’t going to let this go, so there’s no point in fighting it.
We pull outside The Fainting Goat a few minutes later and Madelyn and Iris pull up beside us before we can even get out. Iris gives me a sympathetic look as she passes me and Madelyn pulls me into a hug before I realize what she’s about to do.
“Are you okay?” she whispers in my ear and I nod.
She holds my hand as we follow Lyla and Iris over to a booth along the back wall. I slide in next to Iris, and Madelyn orders for all of us when the bartender comes over. I’ve never been to a bar where the bartender left to go to tables to take orders before. When he looks at Iris and no one else, I realize why we’re getting special treatment.
“So, spill. What’s going on with you?” Lyla asks and I lean back in the booth.
“I got an interview.”
“You don’t like working at the Mystery Cabin?” Iris asks.
“I do. This one would be in Boston and I’d be doing what I actually went to school for.”
“How did Stan take it?” Lyla asks with a frown and I clear my throat.
“I haven’t told him yet. I haven’t told anyone yet.”
“So you would leave us?” Madelyn asks, looking sad.
“If I got it. Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Maybe Stan would give you a new position at the Mystery Cabin?” Madelyn suggests.
“It’s not just that. I’ve had this vision of my life since I was young. We didn’t have much and I promised myself that I would find a good paying job that offered me stability.”
The girls all look upset but the bartender is back, dropping off our drinks so I’m saved from having to talk for a minute.
“Thanks,” I tell the bartender, Archie, as his nametag says.
He nods, his eyes straying to Iris once more before he turns and leaves.
“Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wanting money and stability. I just think that you need to be sure that that’s what will make you happy,” Madelyn starts.
“You’ve been getting along so well with Teller and I’ve never seen Stan happier. I know that he loves having you here,” Lyla says.
“Stan likes having me here?” I ask her, shocked.
“Yeah, he’s been bragging about you for the last six months. ‘Sutton is so smart. She graduated top of her class from Wharton. Sutton is so strong and pretty.’ He’s shown Teller and me that picture of you on his desk like ten times. I think Teller was half in love with you before you even got here,” she says with a laugh.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Lyla assures me.
I sit there in stunned silence for a beat, digesting that news.
“Plus, we would miss you,” Iris says quietly and I look over to her, feeling tears sting the back of my eyes.
“I would miss you all too. So much. But nothing is set in stone,” I remind them. “I might not get the job.”
“Of course you’re going to get it!” Madelyn says and I smile at her belief in me.
I take a sip of my drink and the conversation turns to them asking me questions about the new job and Boston. The cloud of melancholy still hangs over our table but it means a lot that they’re trying to be happy and supportive of me.