Page 96 of My Greatest Joy

His eyes widen with uncertainty. “S-sure.”

“If I fuck it up, we can trash it,” I say, then pull eggs, spinach, ham, and cheese from the fridge.

“I’d still eat it with a smile,” he quips.

“Even if it was burnt and as hard as a rock?”

He ponders my question for a moment. “No. If Dasher won’t eat it, then neither will I.”

With a snicker, I pour some oil into the pan. It’s nearly impossible to mess up an omelet, but I have before. This time, I take my time and focus on the eggs, then slide them on a plate when I think it’s good.

Grabbing a fork, I set it down in front of Levi, and eagerly wait.

He cuts into it, pops a bite into his mouth, and hums. “If I had known you cooked this great, I’d have put you on breakfast duty weeks ago.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“I swear,” he says as I turn and make mine. By the time I join him, he’s finished eating, but he keeps me company.

“So what do you have planned today?” he asks.

“Nothing much. I want to try to work for a few hours and call my sister at some point.”

“And this evening?”

I take another bite. “You’re the only thing on my to-do list later.”

“Good to hear.” He grins. “Well, I’m going to let you get some work done. I need to run to town. Do you need anything?”

I shake my head. “Not that I can think of.”

Levi stands, pressing his lips against my neck. “Leave the dishes in the sink. I’ll clean up when I get back.”

“Thank you,” I tell him as he goes upstairs to change.

After I’m done eating and Levi has left, I grab my laptop and log in to my email. Excitement rushes through me when I see several replies from my boss. I read his messages as fast as I can and let out a happy yelp.

I think this might be your best work to date. It’s intriguing. I’m looking forward to reading more.

The pride I feel has me reeling. I check the message from the senior editor and look at all the suggestions she made for me on the first few pages. I’ll have to rework some things, but I know it’s going to be so much stronger. For the first time since I started at the magazine, I’m excited for my work to be published. If the right people read it, my career could skyrocket.

I think about where the rest of the story is going and make a few notes, then decide to let those ideas marinate for a little while. Once I check the time and notice it’s not too early in Seattle, I decide to FaceTime my sister.

She answers on the third ring and grins wide.

“Look at you!” Taryn says, then she puts her face closer to the screen. “Wait, is that a hickey on your neck?”

I lift my shirt, trying to cover it, completely forgetting about it. “Shit.”

“It is! Oh my God. Spill the tea, girl.”

A big smile fills my face. “He’s amazing.”

She squeals. “Like you want to have a million babies with him and move to Vermont amazing?”

“Uh. Slow down. Amazing like I’m happy, and right now, I’m seeing where this goes because we haven’t talked about what will happen when I leave.”

She makes a face. “What? Why?”

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