Page 48 of Breakaway
“Well, congratulations, hon!” Aunt Trina grinned.
“This deserves some ice cream!” Sam suggested.
Both kids cheered. “Ice cream, yay!”
“There’s just one thing,” she said, stopping Uncle Sam from getting the ice cream. “It wasn’t Tim who called me about the job.”
“Oh?” her uncle asked curiously.
“No. The Renegades still don’t have anything open, or at least they haven’t notified me. The position that was offered to me is actually in Wilkes Barre.”
She held her breath, as Sam just stared at her blankly.
Trina didn’t move from her seat, probably waiting to break up a fight between her and Sam.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re moving to Wilkes Barre to be with Travis?” he accused.
“No. I am moving to Wilkes Barre for a job in my field, and the bonus is getting to be with Travis. In that order. I am not the type of girl to run after a boy—or I’d already be there.” Her words were pointed, but she didn’t like being accused of running after a guy. “I’m not going to lie; this long-distance relationship stuff is for the birds. But if this job hadn’t come along, I wouldn’t even be considering moving.”
“Point taken,” Uncle Sam said softly. “Sorry.”
“It really is an amazing opportunity for me,” she tried to explain.
He shrugged, almost as if he was defeated. “I know. It really is.”
“Yes, it is,” Aunt Trina agreed cautiously.
“I’ll only be four hours away, so I can be here for holidays, special events, and even long weekends—work permitting.”
“True,” Sam mumbled. “And you know you are welcome here any time.”
Her uncle sounded disappointed that they wouldn’t be moving forward with the plans to turn his basement into an apartment for her. In a way, she was disappointed, too. It meant a lot to her that he was willing to go to all that trouble to compromise, just to give her the space she deserved.
“I took the interview thinking they’d never pick me. I’m young and have no experience. And I was as shocked as you are when they offered me the position.”
She always hated when her aunt and uncle had to leave California to go home, and there was a similar feeling sitting in her gut right now.
“We’ll miss you, that’s for certain,” her aunt said.
“Morgan, you already knew I wasn’t going to like this. I want to tell you no. I want to not allow you to go. But I can’t do any of those things. You’re not a child anymore, and you’re free to make these decisions for yourself.”
Even though she was relieved that her uncle accepted her decision, her heart sank. “You’ve been everything to me that a dad would be. I had the coolest aunt and uncle growing up. All the kids thought so. Mom and I appreciated everything you and Aunt Trina did, and I still do. I mean, you guys put me up in your home.”
“You mean we welcomed you into your new home,” Aunt Trina corrected.
“Right. And I can never repay you guys for everything you did for me. But this is a really huge opportunity for me. And trust me when I say, if Travis wasn’t part of the equation and this job opportunity came up, I’d still take it—if there wasn’t one here, that is. It’s only four hours away.” She blinked at the sting of tears forming and tried to swallow the lump that had taken up residence in her throat.
“I guess four hours away is better than your being in California.”
“It is,” she responded. “And if this helps, I’m getting my own studio apartment.”
Sam’s face brightened up. “Well, that makes me feel a little better that you’re not moving in with the rookie.”
“No, I think it’s a bit too soon for that, don’t you, Unc?” She grinned, because she’d heard the stories of when her uncle had met Trina. Something about a fling at the beach and they had been inseparable ever since. Surely parenthood had made him stricter with the rules. She couldn’t help but tease him by adding, “I mean, I could certainly ask him, if you want me to.”
“Don’t even joke! I still have hopes that you’ll meet a nice doctor,” Uncle Sam teased. “I don’t like that you’re leaving, but you’re making your own way in life, and that’s all I want for you—and happiness, of course. And I think your mom would be proud. You really deserve the best out of life. And your own apartment with no male roommates.” He smirked.
“And we’ll always have a bedroom with your name on it,” Aunt Trina added.