Page 9 of One Foggy Christmas
“Your family must be proud you were selected for the internship.”
“Not really. Everyone was against me moving to Chicago—except for my brother. He thought it seemed like a fun adventure.”
“It’s only for six months. You’ll be home before Christmas.”
“I know, but to them, it’s a waste of time when I already have a secure job at my father’s company.”
“And what about yourkind ofboyfriend? Was he against you moving here?” She said his name the other day. “Stayton or Satan or something like that.”
“Stetson.” She smiles at my poor efforts to remember.
“Much better than Satan.”
“Yes, I think so.”
Her lips press together, fighting a smile, and a touch of satisfaction washes over me from her amusement.
She smooths her pants and goes back to answering my earlier question. “Stetson didn’t want me to move to Chicago either. He actually broke up with me last week before I moved out here.”
My brows lift in interest.
“But it’s not arealbreakup,” she explains.
“It’s not?”
“No, Stetson doesn’t really want to end things. He was just trying to get me to stay. Long distance is difficult on a relationship, especially since we’ve never been apart before.”
“Yeah, didn’t you say you’d been together since third grade? I thought you were lying, but is that really true?”
“We grew up next door to each other, and our families are best friends. We naturally became friends when we were kids and then more than friends.”
“Until he broke up with you.” He’s an idiot. If Sadie were mine, I’d never let her go, especially not over something as insignificant as a few hundred miles.
She gives me a pointed look. “It’s a pause. When the internship is over and I move back home, Stetson and I both know we’ll be together.”
“Sounds like you gave up a lot for this internship.”
“I did.” Her chin lifts confidently. “For me, this opportunity is about proving to everyone back home that I can run my dad’s company. I don’t want to be handed his successful healthcare business just because I’m his only interested child. I deserve it. I’ve studied and graduated in this field. I beat out hundreds of applicants for this internship, and after these six months, I’ll return to Skaneateles with even more knowledge about the healthcare industry than before. I want no doubt in anyone’s mind that I’m qualified to take over when my dad retires. That’s the goal.”
“Unless you discover that you love working here and want to come on board full-time.”
“That won’t happen. I already have everything planned out.”
“Fair enough.” My gaze casts over her face and the smattering of light freckles on her cheeks and nose so perfectly distributed they almost look painted on. “Come on. I’ll show you around the office.” I quickly stand, deciding there’s no world where studying Sadie Bradley’s freckles is appropriate—at least not for me as her boss.
SADIE
Beinga city girl is harder than I anticipated.
I’ve been in Chicago for two weeks and still haven’t figured out how to shop for groceries. Apparently, I’m supposed to go to the store several times a week to get a few items instead of one giant grocery run that I try to muscle home. Four blocks don’t seem like a lot until you’re faced with carrying your load back to your apartment, and then suddenly, it becomes the workout of a lifetime.
I had some extra time this morning, so I stopped at the corner market to grab a few essentials and dry goods. I made sure it was a small amount that I’d be able to carry home from work. Just slowly stockpiling.
And then there’s the food delivery. Harper told me that whenever I order food from DoorDash, I need to put a man’s name on the ticket in case a sketchy delivery boy drops it off—I don’t want anyone thinking a single woman lives alone in my apartment.
It’s all very different from the small town I grew up in.
I wear comfortable shoes to walk to work in and then change into my cute ones once I get here—so many things I’ve never thought about before. However, there’s no dress code at Superior Health, so my cute work shoes are amething, not aworkthing.
