Page 66 of Until the Last Star Fades

Thank God. Riley exhaled quietly. I can do without Erika spazzing out. She cut a bite-sized chunk of waffle and swirled it through the merging pools of ice cream and maple syrup on her plate, catching an eyeful of her sunny yellow Kate Spade dress. Even though it was secondhand, it was the most expensive piece of clothing she owned. I’m glad I dressed up.

Fussing with his tie, Josh nodded at her plate. “Make sure you eat up—you’ll need lots of energy for ring shopping and for what I have planned later!” He dug into his egg white frittata stuffed with spinach and broccoli. Grilled turkey bacon and a bowl of steel cut oatmeal sat in reserve alongside his coffee. He reached into his jacket pocket. “I was going to make you wait, but…”

“But?”

He handed over his phone, a grin creeping through his scruff. “Check out this email.”

Another surprise! Without hesitation, Riley began reading.

Dear Josh,

Please thank Riley for her interest in KMIN-TV. We’re pleased to inform her of an upcoming production assistant vacancy in our sports department. The position is a maternity leave fill and will commence September 4th for the period of four months.

We have scheduled an interview with Riley at our office on June 21 at 1 P.M. To confirm, please ask her to call 952-555-7623 ext. 2671 or email me at…

He didn’t… The hot chocolate in Riley’s stomach curdled. She read it again quickly. Yep, he did.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Josh leaned over his breakfast. “I got chatting with this TV guy after the championship and when I said my fiancée was into hockey and graduating from Tisch, he told me about this job. He says the interview is a formality. Job’s yours!”

Yeah, a job YOU want me to have—in Minnesota. Her smile waned.

“Your degree can be put to use right away. I told you, didn’t I? I got this, babe. I’ll take care of everything.”

“You did.” She set his phone down on the table. “But you shouldn’t have gone to this trouble.”

“Oh, it was no trouble.” He smirked, picking up his coffee. “It’s who ya know, not what ya know!”

She lifted her fork and batted a blueberry around the flooded waffle. “But being a PA in a news department—”

“It’s sports, Riley.” Josh’s eyebrow peaked along with his tone. “You love sports.”

“I do, but it’s the sports desk in a news department. It’s a great job…for someone else.”

“What?” He frowned, resting his cup on the table. “You’re turning it down?”

“Josh, I’ve spent four years preparing to work in production making sitcoms or dramas. This job’s in sports television—that’s broadcasting. Production and broadcasting are two different things.”

He jabbed his fork into his frittata. “Well, you have to start somewhere.”

“I know, but this job is starting at the other end of the spectrum. It’s like I’ve been studying German and you’re expecting me to speak Chinese.”

“I think you’re exaggerating. He knows you’re clever. An NYU graduate? Come on! He said what you don’t know, you’ll learn on the job.”

“It’s not a question of learning—of course I’d get the hang of it—but it’s not what I want. I told you ages ago, I want to try California.”

Josh dropped his fork, his head tipping back as he closed his eyes. “Ryyye! You’re expecting me to walk this back? Do you know how bad that looks for me? This guy will be covering my career from day one.”

“So that’s what this is? I’m supposed to take this job to make you look good? I didn’t ask you to do this—you went behind my back!”

“Rye—”

“This is exactly what I was worried about—my career taking a back seat to yours—and now you’ve proven me right.” Maggie’s words ricocheted in her head. “It’s hard watching your husband do what he’s always wanted, while your dreams stay on the shelf.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. I wanted you to have something of your own when we moved to Saint Paul to keep you busy, so you wouldn’t feel homesick or lonely. That’s it! Jesus, you make me sound like a manipulative asshole.”

If the shoe fits… Staring back at him, she crossed her arms. “For TWO years, I’ve talked about finding a production job in California. Nice to know you listened.”

“Look, can we discuss this later?” He picked up his cup, lowering his voice. “I don’t want to spend today arguing.”