Page 5 of The Light We Lost

This was my plan B.

Likely sensing I was on the verge of a mental breakdown, Evelyn reached across her desk and set her hand on mine. “Everything’s going to be fine. You have a month to prepare for this interview. That’s plenty of time for us to prove you’re the right person for this job.”

She was right. I knew that. But all I could focus on was the familiar feeling of everything slipping through my fingers. I couldn’t let that happen. Not again.

“What am I supposed to do for a month?” I asked, aware she had more important things than me to focus on right now. But I couldn’t help myself. For the past three months, I’d relied heavily on her guidance, and I had no clue where to go from here. I trusted her to lead the way.

Evelyn pursed her lips, seeming to think it over. But whatever she might’ve said vanished as her phone vibrated. “Don’t you have a sister who’s about to have a baby?” she asked absentmindedly, brows furrowed as she read something on her phone. “You could go see her. You mentioned you hadn’t been to your hometown in a while.”

I shook my head, not bothering to point out my sister didn’t live in my hometown anymore. “I thought I was going to work a few hours a week for you?”

“You are. But you don’t need to be in New York—everything can be done from your phone. You should go home for a bit. You deserve the break.”

I bit my cheek, stomach twisting at the idea. But Evelyn didn’t need to know my distaste for going home. “Is everything okay?” I asked, seeing the frustration in her frame when she set her phone down.

She blew out a deep breath, the apples of her cheeks darkening a shade of brown. “I’m not sure if Calder Rohan likes making my job more difficult or if he’s actually determined to get dropped by the Falcons.”

I pushed my lips together, unable to disagree. Calder Rohan was arguably one of the best baseball players in the organization, known for his speed and ability to cover the outfield. Unfortunately, he was better known for wild nights and a temper that often got him ejected from games. It was a miracle he hadn’t been kicked off the Boston Falcons, and that miracle was named Evelyn Scott.

“What did he do this time?”

She cracked a dry laugh. “He was in jail—apparently a friend bailed him out this morning.” She groaned and rubbed at her temples, likely thinking of all the trouble Calder had given her in the years he’d been her client. I’d seen the stress he gave her in just the three months I’d worked for her. “I need to stop by his place. Make sure he’s okay before I give his general manager a call and see how much they’re going to fine him.”

“Do you need me to post on his social media?” I offered, grateful to set aside my anxiety for the future and focus on this instead. “I can draft a press release—”

“One of the other agents can do one.” She waved me off. “Please email Asher the contract for the meeting this afternoon, but otherwise take it easy. You should enjoy your last day.” I made a squeaking noise, and Evelyn must’ve heard it, as she corrected herself. “Your last day as my intern.”

She gathered her things, slipping her laptop into her bag. “I’m sorry to leave you hanging, but I need to go.” Rounding her desk, she stopped to put areassuring hand on my shoulder. “I’ll be in touch, okay? And if I don’t see you at the rivalry game next week, I’ll see you in a month.”

Before I could beg for a job, she was out the door, leaving me without a single clue what direction my life was headed in. Taking a deep breath, I skimmed my hands over my hair, ensuring my bun was neat before I made my way down the hall and to my desk.

Did I need to pack my things? My chest ached as I stared at my desk, painfully aware how easily I could pack my belongings. I wouldn’t even need a box. I might have spent the summer here, but I’d yet to make this space my own. Yet to make my mark.

My phone rang, and I pulled it out of my pocket, seeing my sister’s name. It was her third time calling today. She’d wanted to be the first one to congratulate me on my new job. And now she’d be the first one I’d disappoint.

“It’s going to be okay,” she assured me after I updated her with the news. “It’s not a no, Indy.”

I peered over my shoulder, ensuring Eli hadn’t returned to his desk beside me. “What am I supposed to do? I’ve built everything in my life around getting this job.” I hadn’t picked New York for its skyscrapers or even the pizza—I’d chosen it specifically for Victory Lap Agency. They were the key to helping me do what I’d failed to do all those years ago. “I just re-signed a three-month lease on my studio. How am I supposed to pay for that if I don’t have a job?”

“What about the call center you work at? Could you pick up more hours?”

I strangled back a cry. “My last day was yesterday.”

Rather than calling me a dumbass for quitting, Auburn said, “Okay, instead of panicking, let’s look at this as a month-long vacation.” I laughed, not surprised she’d tried to spin it that way. It didn’t matter if she was thirty—her free-spirited nature hung on. “Why don’t you fly to Texas and see me and your nephews? Leo requested to leave his deployment early, but we’re not sure if the marines will accept it or not. So, since he might not be home in time to help me deliver the baby, Mom and Dad are coming to help me . . . You should come. It’s been a few years since we’ve all been together.”

I pressed my lips together, feeling like the scum of the earth as I tried to come up with an excuse. It’d been easy to stay away when I was in school, claiming I was too busy to get away from dusty Ohio. It had been the same with the internship.

But with nothing in the way, it was harder to hide how shitty of a sister I was.

“The rivalry game is next week.” Next to the World Series, it was the most anticipated game of the year. Or at least it was on the East Coast, where longtime rivals the New York Hawks and the Boston Falcons went head-to-head. The agency had clients on both teams and had gifted me tickets. It wasn’t mandatory to attend, but it would look good if I did. “I should probably go to that . . . And if I visited you, I’d have to bring Genny, and after the last time . . .”

I trailed off, not needing to remind her of the last time I’d visited. Granted, it had been three years ago, and maybe her sons, Grey and Kai, had grown past terrorizing my cat in the bathtub. Genny and I hadn’t recovered. It had taken months before she’d stopped running at the sound of water being turned on.

Thankfully, Auburn dropped the idea of me visiting her heathens. “Actually, I had an idea the other day. I assumed you wouldn’t be able to, but now with your job being up in the air . . . you should go home and run the diner.” I changed my mind—I’d like to talk about the heathens again. “With Mom and Dad both coming to help me, they’re probably going to close it until they go home. You know how they get about letting someone else run it. But if you went, they wouldn’t have to. Plus hunting season started. I bet you could make some real good money, and you’d score brownie points.”

I should’ve accepted her earlier offer. I’d deliver and catch her baby if it meant I didn’t have to return to Wallowpine, let alone face Mom. I was already dreading explaining to her why her twenty-seven-year-old daughter didn’t have a job. And no matter how my sister worded it, Mom wouldn’t be thrilled with me helping with their business. The diner was her dream—not mine.

I hadn’t been home in nine years. I was not breaking that streak.

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