Page 90 of The End of Summer

She’s right, I know, but I tell her I’ll play it by ear.

It takes just over three hours to get to the Marriott hotel in Mystic where I’m meeting my mom. She’s left a hotel key for me at the front desk. Once in the room, I marvel at the quiet. No sirens. No noise. Just the hum of the air conditioning unit. I change out of my suit and into a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. Then, I lie down on the spare bed and close my eyes.

Next thing I know, I’m waking up to the sound of my phone vibrating. I check the time. It’s 4:45. The call is from a 212 number.

I clear my throat and answer it.

“Hello?”

“Brady, hi. John Stellaris here.”

“Hi, John.”

“I’m just calling to let you know that the team and I were very impressed by you. We’d like to offer you the job,” he says. “Starting salary would be $70,000, along with full health and dental, a 401k, and a $10,000 relocation package.”

I’m stunned. I never imagined this could happen so quickly. “Wow,” I say. “Thank you.”

“Of course, take your time and think about it. We don’t need to know until Monday,” he continues.

Monday?“Sure thing, John. I just need to discuss it with my girlfriend.”

“Roger that,” he says. “Give me a call by COB Monday. Meantime, enjoy the weekend. And congratulations, Brady. We really think you’ll be a valuable asset to the firm.”

“Thanks, John. I really appreciate the opportunity. Very exciting.”

“Great. Talk soon.”

“Bye,” I say, hanging up and rubbing my eyes.

Oof,I think. I look at the other bed and notice a stack of my mother’s notebooks sitting there.

Suddenly, I’m really grateful to have some time with her.

I think you’re right, babe,I type.I think I’ll stay the night here with my mom.

Aw,Gretchen writes back.That’s great. Hope you have fun.

Thanks. Love you. Have a safe night.

Love you too. Enjoy!

I set the phone down on the nightstand and work on intentional breathing to calm my heart rate.

For someone who’s supposed to be so excited about adulting, I’m suddenly realizing that it might not be all roses and sunshine.

Nope.

Something tells me a storm is definitely brewing.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

GRETCHEN

The 24-hour period from waking up on Friday to waking up on Saturday is seriously reminiscent of a fever dream.

Brady’s interview is Friday. While I’m waiting to hear from him, my phone rings. I don’t recognize the number, but it’s a local 508 area code, so I pick it up.

“Hello?”

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