Page 114 of Until You

She couldn’t count on legal to come through this time, which meant she would soon be unemployed and homeless. She needed to be proactive, not reactive. She needed to take charge and make a plan. She found her phone and called Aiden.

“Hey, Lane. Calling me late on a Thursday afternoon—is everything okay?”

She didn’t blame him for his confusion. She rarely called him first. “Actually, no. The store just received a new injunction this afternoon, and unless legal comes up with something quick, there won’t be an opening on Monday.”

“Shit.”

She chuckled. “My feelings exactly.”

“At least you still have your sense of humor.”

“If I don’t laugh about it…” Her voice trailed off, leaving off the “I might cry.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “So that means no VP promotion, right?”

“Yeah.”

“My offer’s still on the table. You turned me down, not the other way around.”

Lanie nearly choked on tears of relief. “Thanks, Aiden. You have no idea how much I appreciate that. Are we still working with the same timetable of when you need me to start?”

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Aiden said. “That gives you less than a week.”

“The sooner, the better,” she said. It was better to rip off the Band-Aid than draw out the agony.

“Is your cousin disappointed?”

“I never told her I was staying.” She took a breath, fighting the urge to cry. “I was going to tell her after the wedding. As a gift.”

“You’d better have gotten her something else,” he said wryly.

“Tyler and I bought them a gift last weekend.”

Aiden was quiet for a moment. “And what does Tyler say about all of this?”

“He doesn’t know yet either.” She paused, then said, “But I can’t stay here without a job. I have to go where the job is.”

“Thanks for all the enthusiasm,” Aiden teased.

“Aiden, you know it’s not like that.” Her voice broke.

“Are you crying?” he asked in surprise.

“No. Maybe.”

“You must really like this guy.”

“I love him,” she said with a sniffle.

“Wow. I’ve never heard you say that before.”

“Because I’ve never loved a guy before.”

“That sucks, Lane. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.”

They said their good-byes, and Lanie hung up the phone pondering the million-dollar question: How was she going to tell Tyler?

Taking a deep breath, she texted Tyler that she’d meet him at his apartment later and bring dinner. She had to tell him. Tonight.

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