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“They’re not laughing so much anymore.”
“It’s the material, not the comedian. Trust me. You’re funny, Giovanni. You don’t have to put on an act. You just have to get out there and be yourself.”
Erin had said something along the same lines, but he wasn’t sure people would enjoy stories about his boring family life. There was so much competition. He thought he had to deliver something edgy and dark. But maybe he was better off talking about day-to-day life. He could do a whole hour on his family’s Sunday dinners alone.
“Look,” Finn continued, “If you need the work, the job’s yours. But you have to be present. People depend on you, and someone could get hurt if your head’s elsewhere. But if you want to leave, I won’t take it personally.”
He couldn’t leave without a better option. “I’ll stay until I figure something else out.”
Finn nodded. “Good. Now get your ass back up in that tree because you can’t leave it the way you did.”
CHAPTER 24
“And what was that zip code again?” Erin jotted down the number. “Thank you. I’ll be sure to check the website. Take care.”
She ended the phone call and typed the web address into the search bar. It was nice to be in a town that got something better than mediocre cell and internet service. For the past two days, she’d been working from a small cubical at the Clifton Heights’s library.
The town was cute, boasting much of the same small-town charm she’d discovered when she drove through Ryder Creek. But nothing held the nostalgia she linked to Jasper Falls.
She’d always thought she hated her town and it held nothing but bad memories. But the further she drove the more she accepted that those memories would come with her wherever she decided to go.
Even her house didn’t bother her as much since she ripped up the carpets and painted the walls. She hardly felt her father’s presence there anymore, but it seemed silly to keep a house with a master bedroom she couldn’t enter.
Well, she could enter it, but spending more than a few seconds in that room always gave her the chills.
She found the webpage she was looking for and hit print. When she went to the front desk, the librarian, Wendy, smiled at her.
“Another one?”
“I’ll pay for the paper and ink,” Erin said, placing a ten on the counter.
Wendy waved the money away. “You’re on quite a roll.”
It was easy, now that she knew what she was looking for.
Wendy handed her the paper, warm from the printer, and she took it back to her little desk. Five hours later, she moved to a larger table and spread the printed notes out in front of her. Each set of guidelines was slightly different, but they all required the same general materials.
It had been a long time since she did any sort of personal assistant work, but she was good with projects. She always enjoyed when she had a clear set of objectives to follow and the sense of accomplishment that came after each step.
She made a chart for each location, their going rate, and whatever requirements they listed online, then she went back to the computer and started searching videos. Wendy brought her a set of headphones and Erin gratefully accepted them, aware that she might have been making a little too much noise for a library.
“I’ll keep it down,” she said, but couldn’t help the occasional laugh that slipped out.
That night, after a long bubble bath and some much needed self-care, she called Giovanni. She hated that he was worried, but she needed time to think. Once she had, she realized why he’d taken the job at the lumberyard.
Not used to people putting her first, she struggled with his decision. She’s always lived for herself since no one else worried about her well-being. It was a novel experience to care for someone else and have them care for her in return.
She liked having someone to care for, even if she wasn’t exactly sure how to do it. Taking time away gave her a new perspective of what was actually going on. Giovanni hated his job, but he’d taken it so that he could stay in Jasper Falls—with her. She had no loyalty to the town but couldn’t leave until she was finished handling her father’s estate.
They were both stuck in a sort of hiatus, both in between jobs, and neither of them sure what the next move should be. If they were going to stay together and make this work, they should at least try to be happy.
She came up with a plan as soon as she reached the little town, but she didn’t want Giovanni to talk her out of her decision, and she wasn’t ready to tell him what she’d decided.
They needed this. She needed to do this for them. No matter what he thought, she was doing this as much for her as she was for him. She felt good about her choice. It felt…right.
“When are you coming back?” he asked, his voice unsure and full of concern.
“I’ll be home Friday.”
