Page 27 of Dump and Chase

Then it hit me. I had to tell Ethan. I needed a place to stay pronto. With the two-hour difference, it was way too early to call, so I sent a text.

Hey, I got the Ravens job. They want me to start Tuesday! I know this is short notice, but I just found out today. I hope your offer still stands to give me your condo to stay in because I’m going to need to stay somewhere.

I didn’t worry about his answer for at least a few hours. My next task was to book a flight. I could leave either Sunday night or Monday morning. I decided to wait on that until I heard back from Ethan. And then it was time to tell my family everything. That was going to require at least one more ginger candy, and I wanted to tell my family the big news before Jill and Wolseley showed up.

Mom and Dad were downstairs having breakfast. Dad was already in his gardening jeans that consisted of many holes and worn knees. I had to intercept him before I lost him to the last of his harvest.

“Did Leah work last night?” I asked.

Mom looked up from her crossword. “I don’t think so. She didn’t get in that late.”

Good. “All right. No one move. I need to talk to you all. I’m going to wake Leah up.”

Mom’s light brown eyes opened wide and she was about to question me, but I was already bolting for the stairs. I tore into Leah’s room and shook her awake. She nearly punched me in the face for the effort.

“What the hell!”

“Get up. We need to talk. Meet me downstairs in five minutes.”

“What’s going on?” she yelled after me, but I was already out her door.

Mom and Dad were in deep discussion when I returned. They stopped when they saw me.

“Don’t even ask,” I said. “We’re waiting for Leah.”

Just when I was trying to get my life all organized, my phone buzzed. I took a quick glance and saw it was Ethan. He was up early, so that was good, and I needed to see what he’d texted.

Congratulations! Sure, I’ll have it ready for you. I’ll get the cleaners in tomorrow. Text me your flight details and I can pick you up from the airport and bring you there. It’ll be nice having you close by.

I paused. Nice having me close by? No, I wasn’t reading into that. Right now, I had bigger things to deal with. My life was about to change dramatically. This was really happening. Once I booked my flight, I was going all in. I was walking back into Ethan’s life, but this time on my own terms. We may be connected because of the baby and sure, I was going to be living in his condo, but he’d be with the Kodiaks and I’d be with the Ravens. He’d also be living with his fiancée. I was free as a free agent.

“What is going on and why did you walk me up?” Leah said, stumbling into the kitchen. She wandered over to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup.

“I have news. Everyone sit down.”

Mom looked confused, Dad wanted to be outside, and Leah couldn’t wait to get back to bed. But after I told them my big news, I was pretty sure they were all going to need a stiff drink.

“I have two things to tell you, but I’ll start with my job news. I have been hired by the Ravens as their new full-time physiotherapist.”

Dad was the only one who knew who the Ravens were. “Sweetie, that’s wonderful! You’re working your way up to the big leagues.”

“Fill me in. Who are the Ravens?” Leah asked, sipping her coffee.

“The farm team for the Kodiaks.”

She frowned. “Wait, the farm team for Ethan’s team? In Vancouver?”

“Yes, but it’s a totally separate job. No overlap.” I’d tell her later that they both played out of the same building, but I was still sure there would be no overlap. If one team was in town, the other would be on the road. Simple. Easy peasy. Right?

Leah shook her head. “No. That’s terrible. Why are you going back there?”

“It’s a job in my field, and it’s a pretty good one. That’s why.”

Mom didn’t like the direction the conversation was going, so she stepped in. “When do you leave?”

“Probably Monday morning.”

Her jaw dropped. “So soon?”

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