“Yes, it is. Ginny Sorrentino got married, so I’m staying with my mom until I can find something affordable in Charlotte.”
“I might have the solution to your problem. My roommate is moving out January first. Would you like to come back to Charlotte? You’ll have a nice big bedroom and your own bathroom.”
Kacey sat up straight. “What’s the rent?”
Jackie gave her all the details, and the rent and utilities were within Kacey’s budget.
“I know you don’t go in very often, but it’s right near your office too,” Jackie added.
“This sounds too good to be true.”
“It’s not! You’d be doing me a huge favor, because I can’t afford this on my own, but I love the location.”
“Well, it’s perfect. I’m in.”
“Fantastic. I’ll call you after Christmas, and we’ll work out the details.”
“Thank you for thinking of me,” Kacey said before disconnecting the call. She stared down at her computer screen, and a mixture of gratitude and sadness filled her. She’d been worried she wouldn’t find a new roommate in the city she’d grown to love, but she was going to miss her family. And her heart began to break at the idea of leaving Drew behind. What if Charlotte wasn’t her future anymore?
As if on cue, her phone buzzed with a text from him:
Dinner tomorrow night? My treat.
She grinned as she typed back:
Yes. Only because you’re paying.
Pick you up at 6.
Don’t be late.
She sighed and rested her elbows on her desk as she pondered moving back to Charlotte. How would she ever recover from losing Drew a second time?
“I have some news,” Kacey said as she sat across from Drew at the Little Italy Italian restaurant the next night.
Drew closed his menu. “I do, too, but you go first.”
“Okay,” she began. “So, it looks like I’m going back to Charlotte after Christmas.”
His smile faded. “So soon? What happened?”
She explained how her friend Jackie called and asked if she wanted to move in January first when her roommate moved out.
“That’s great, Kace.” His smile seemed forced, and didn’t quite meet his eyes.
“Yeah, I lucked out. What’s your news?”
“I got the music department head job in Newton.”
“Oh wow.” She tried to sound excited as disappointment overcame her. Would she even see Drew when she came back to visit her family? She tamped down the thought and leaned across the table to place her hand on his. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks. It’s a big raise.”
“That’s fantastic. When does it start?”
“After the holidays.”
“So you need to sell your house and find a place to live there.”
