Page 119 of Company Ink

I smile warmly at my aunt. "When does the program start?"

"Two days after Monique's wedding," Lucy says, standing up. "Is that enough time for you to get everything sorted?"

"More than enough."

thirty-six

whack-a-mole

"I can't believe you guys are driving to Mexico," I say, loading up my father's truck with the last suitcase. "It's so far!"

"Forty-one hours to be exact!" my mother exclaims frantically, fanning herself with a magazine. "I would have much rather flown there, but your father didn't want to pay the costs of transporting the car and our belongings." She closes her eyes dramatically. "In this heat... I'm not even sure if we'll make it there."

My dad shakes his head. "Mer, don't start with this again. I'll have the AC blasting the whole trip, plus we're stopping in Oregon and California, so quit your whining."

The woman is insane. She's moving to San Cabo, a notoriously hot climate, yet she is complaining about the weatherhere. I give it two months before she calls it quits.

My mother sighs, rolling her eyes. "You know how susceptible I am to heatstroke, Richard!"

Scratch that. I give her one month.

"So, do you guys have everything?" I ask, fiddling with my fingers. "Passports? Documents?"

My father slams the trunk shut. "Yes, Cassandra, we are all set to go."

I bite my lip, my eyes wandering towards my family home. "Oh my God!"

"What?" my mother asks.

"I completely forgot to ask what you're doing with the house! Are you selling it?" With everything that has happened in the last few weeks, I guess it just slipped my mind. "Won't that be hard to do when you're in a different country?"

My mom and dad both smile at each other, their eyes glowing. "Well, honey," my mother begins, reaching into her purse and pulling out a set of keys. "Your father and I discussed it, and we want you to have it."

My jaw drops. "What?" I squeal. "You're giving me the house? Why? Don't you need the money to pay for your Mexicanoasis?"

My father takes the keys from Mom and places them in my palm. "It's yours, Cassandra, to do with what you want. The mortgage is paid, so you can sell it, rent it out, live in it when you come back from New York, it's up to you. But it's yours. Our lawyer will send you the deed later this week."

I examine the chunky metallic keys. "This is too much," I mutter. "I can't take this."

"Yes, you can." My dad puts his arm around my shoulder, kissing my temple. "You saidnoto the condo we wanted to buy you as a graduation gift, you saidnoto the car, but this time, I'm not taking no as an answer."

"But—"

My mom tilts her head. "You said you wanted to enroll in a post-grad program at NYU, right? Well, if you rent out the house, or sell it, you'll be able to focus on school without having to work. You could probably finish an entire Master's degree in a year if you try hard enough."

"You guys..." I pout, pulling my parents into a tight group hug. "I don't know what to say!"

"We love you, Cassandra and we're both so proud of you. When Lucy called and told us you're taking Vanessa to New York for treatment, we just—" My mom sucks in a breath. "We're just so proud of you, honey."

"And we're glad that you're enrolling in university again," my father adds. "Notthat I think your current degree is unacceptable, but I do believe having general business knowledge will be highly beneficial for whatever it is you decide to do when you come back to Seattle."

"Thanks, Dad," I chuckle. God, he's trying so hard not to offend me. "I think it'll open up a few more doors, career-wise."

"Exactly." My father nods, his eyes turning glossy. "Well, I guess this is it, huh?"

"Yup..." My gaze shifts from my mom and dad. "I'm going to miss you guys."

"Oh, honey!" My mom attacks me with hugs and kisses. "We're going to miss you too! I'll call you every day!"

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