Page 47 of The Stud Next Door (Frisky Business 3)
My stomach falls to my feet. I nod, and then I remember that she can’t see me. “I see. What’s the proposal?”
“So, I know you had your heart set on traveling abroad, and I know this is very last minute, but we’re actually very much in need of volunteers here in the States. You’re in Chicago, correct?”
“Correct,” I blurt out faster than she can finish her sentence.
“Okay, that’s what I thought,” she says with a chuckle. “So, yeah, we’ve just received a call that we have eighty-five refugees on their way to Chicago from El Salvador and Honduras. We need a few of our staff members to stay behind and help coordinate these people’s next moves. Now, it’s going to be a big job. They’ll need a lot of support finding housing, employment, childcare. The kids will need to be enrolled in local schools, doctor’s appointments, vaccines. We’ve already got two verbal commitments, but we’re looking for one more person to give up their spot on the trip to help with this project. Is this something that you’d be interested in?”
My mind is spinning from all the information she just gave me, but one thing stands out above all the rest of the noise.
I don’t have to leave anymore. I can stay here. I can stay with Connor and Marley.
I almost sob with relief. Thankfully, I take a moment to compose myself.
“Jessa?” she asks.
“I’m here,” I say, quickly doing some mental gymnastics to see if making this compromise on staying here to work for the organization will mean losing a piece of myself. I do want to have a real shot with Connor, but I want to be sure I’m considering all sides. I don’t want to give up on my dreams.
Cassidy clears her throat. “If you need to think about it . . .”
“I don’t. I would love to stay and help with this project.”
The words feel like they’re being spoken by someone else, but it’s my voice that’s delivering them. My brain’s still not quite able to process the full reality of what’s happening right now, but I know it’s what I truly want.
Cassidy barrels forward like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “That’s great news, Jessa. Thank you so much for your generosity and willingness to step up where you’re needed. Your verbal commitment will be satisfactory for now, but we’ll send a written contract in the mail, and you should receive it next week.”
“Okay. That sounds fine.”
“Awesome. We’ll be in touch with more information soon, but before I let you go, do you have any questions for me at this time?”
“Um, thank you? I mean, I just really appreciate this opportunity.”
Cassidy laughs. “You’re welcome. We’ll be reaching out to you soon about start dates and any additional paperwork we’ll need you to fill out.”
“Okay. Thank you. ’Bye.”
I hang up and sit there with the phone in my hand for what feels like another five minutes.
Do I have some kind of supernatural power I’m not aware of? Or maybe I’ve got some kind of super-special connection to God or whoever’s in charge up there. Whatever it is, I’m going to need a minute to process what the hell just happened.
I’m not leaving anymore.
I’m staying here.
I’m staying here in Chicago, and that means Connor and I can be together.
Holy shit.
The full weight of the reality of what’s happening hits me all at once, and I jump up from the bed and punch my fists in the air. In any other circumstance, it would feel corny as hell, but right now, I don’t know what else to do. There’s no other way to express how freaking over the moon I’m feeling right now.
Actually, that’s not true. I can think of plenty of things I’d like to do the next time I see Connor. And the best part is, the next time I see him definitely won’t be the last.
Relief rushes through me, and I fall back onto the bed with a huge grin on my face.
17
* * *
CONNOR
This is hopeless.
After scrolling through another nanny’s résumé and references, I press the heels of my hands against my tired eyes.
I haven’t been sleeping well, knowing that Jessa is just days away from disappearing from our lives like she was never here in the first place. And it isn’t just the task of finding another nanny that’s overwhelming me. It’s the idea that I may lose my one shot at something truly promising.
If I lose Jessa, I know I could lose more than just a chance at a relationship—I could lose a chance at real happiness.
I click to open another application with a sigh. Plenty of experience, two glowing referrals, a holistic approach to childcare . . . everything a single dad could want in a nanny.
I turn to Marley, who’s been busying herself in the bouncer at my feet by gnawing on a teething toy. It’s pretty much impossible not to pause and marvel at how big she’s already gotten in just a handful of months. I wonder if she’ll remember Jessa, her loving caretaker for these crucial months of development, or if she simply won’t notice the swap of one pair of warm arms for another.
