He was quiet for a long moment. “Oh? Did he say why?” he asked, seeming to force a casual tone.
“Basically, that you broke my heart the first time and walked away when I needed you most.” I rushed the words out before I thought better of it.
I heard a sharp intake of air through the phone and immediately regretted telling him. “Well, I can’t say I blame him.”
“What?” I gasped. Not the reaction I expected.
“I wouldn’t want my daughter dating a dumbass like me, either. But it’s not his choice; it’s ours. And this time is different. We’re different. How about I take a week off next month and we all go to visit your dad? Then he can see things are different now.”
A sigh escaped my lips as I laid my head back on the pillow. “Okay. That sounds good.”
“You sound tired, baby.”
“I’m exhausted. It’s been a long day. Between the interview and the zoo—”
“What interview?”
Shit.I’d planned to tell him about it at some point, so it might as well be now.
“It’s not a big deal. Just something my dad set up for me when, um… I talked to him last week and mentioned making a permanent move.”
“Did you plan on telling me? Or even talking to me about it—I mean—what does that mean for us?”
I didn’t want to fight with him, not tonight. But this was something Ihadto do for myself. Frankly, if he couldn’t understand that, then maybe this wasn’t meant to work out. But I prayed he would understand once I explained it.
“Rhett, of course I planned on telling you. But I needed to see if it was something I even wanted to consider first. I’m committed to us, but I also need to think of what I want to do for a career. Do you expect me to waitress for the rest of my life?”
His silence was the worst kind of torture. But I’d learned my lesson the first time when I unfairly asked him to make a decision without time to consider. He needed time to process, and I couldn’t push him.
“I don’t like you considering a job an hour away. But I can understand why you would want to. But I hoped when you were willing to look at The Dock’s website and social media pages, it meant you were reconsidering the marketing positionIoffered you.”
“It’s on my radar, and I know that’s whatyouwould prefer me to do. But thismightbe an even better deal. For me and for Brendan. They said I’d be able to work from home at least three days a week, maybe four, depending on client meetings and such.”
“Sounds like you’ve made up your mind.” He sounded like I’d taken his favorite toy away. Men.Someone tell me why they act like such babies when they don’t get their way.I rolled my eyes.
“I didn’t say that,” I huffed.
We sat there, neither saying a word, for what felt like an eternity
A loud sigh came through the phone before he responded. “I know, baby. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be an ass. I’ll support you no matter what. Just promise me you’ll consider the marketing position at The Dock.”
“Thank you, and I will. I should have probably told you over the weekend. I just—honestly, I didn’t know much about the firm since my dad set it up, so for all I knew, it would have been a waste of my time.”
“But it wasn’t? You liked it?”
He was trying to be supportive; I had to give him that, but I could hear the despair in his voice. But it wasn’t like I was considering moving to China.
“Yeah, I did. But I promise I’ll consider all options, and we can talk before I make a final decision. Deal?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
I closed my eyes. The exhaustion felt like a heavy blanket as a yawn escaped my mouth.
“I should let you get some sleep,” Rhett said reluctantly.
“I’m tired, but not sure I’ll be able to fall asleep.” Not after the conversation with my dad still on my mind, which I was still kind of annoyed about.
“Do you remember when we were younger, and we would talk on the phone until you fell asleep?”