Page 25 of Myself

I stand in my kitchen while Becca sits at the bar, wearing my button up shirt from earlier. I place some spaghetti on a plate and hand it over to her. Placing my elbows on the table, I watch her dig in as if she’s starving.

“Hmm ...” She moans and nods her head as she sucks a noodle into her mouth.

“So tell me about Seattle,” I say to her with a smile.

“I loved it there,” she says, wiping her mouth. “You should go and visit.”

“Maybe I will.” I’ve been to Seattle before. And it was while she lived there. But we weren’t speaking, so I never told her. “What did you do there besides school?”

“I worked full time.”

No surprise there. Becca’s mother always kept her busy with after-school activities and sports. She’s not the kind of person to just sit around and do nothing, even if she wanted to. “Where did you work?”

“A pet store.” I laugh. Of course, she did. She’s always had a thing for dogs, but her mother would never let her have one. She said they were messy. “And how was that?”

“Depressing,” she says softly. “I wanted to bring all these animals home.” Then she smiles. “I talked Ashlyn into getting a cat from there.”

“I didn’t see one at your apartment.” I frown. I’ve only been in there once, but wouldn’t it have arrived with them on the plane?

“Bradley is bringing him up next week,” she clarifies.

“Who is Bradley?” Maybe it’s her brother.

“He’s her best guy friend who is in love with her,” she answers.

“Does Ryder know this?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

She shakes her head. “Well, he knows she has a friend Bradley but not the love part. Ashlyn doesn’t even know it.”

I nod, wondering how that’s gonna go down. “What are you going to do now that you’re back?”

She pauses with her fork almost to her mouth, looking up at me through her lashes. I can see the wheels turning in her head. She’s trying to decide if she wants to tell me.

I stay silent as she puts her fork down and pushes her plate away. This conversation obviously just took a serious turn, and she wants to give it her complete attention. She gives an uneasy laugh. “I really want to start my own clothing line.”

I give her an encouraging smile. “Then that’s exactly what you should do.” She hangs her head. “Why do you look terrified by that thought?”

“Because my mom isn’t going to approve of that.”

My jaw clenches at the mention of her mother. “Fuck her.”

“Jaycent,” she says with a gasp.

“What?” I ask with a shrug. “You’re an adult, Becca. You can’t do what she wants you to do forever.”

She sighs. “But if I fail, she’ll laugh in my face.”

I sigh. “You care about what she thinks too much.”

“I don’t want to be more of a disappointment than I already am,” she whispers.

I walk around the bar and turn her swivel chair to face me. I cup her face in my hands. “You are not a disappointment,” I tell her, and my chest tightens when I realize she truly believes that. “Why would you think that?”

Her shoulders slump. “My mother wants me to marry Conner.” I grind my teeth. “She’d rather me get knocked up and leave my kids with a nanny than be a successful business woman.”

“What do you want?” I ask her.

She looks up at me, and her eyes are full of unshed tears. “I want to do something with my life. Something that matters. I want to open a clothing store that can help those less fortunate.”

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