“What? What did you say?” Josh asked. “It has to be good if you are reacting this way!”
I lowered my hands and took a deep breath. “Okay, fine. I told Carson that he could never tell my mom I said so, but that his breakfasts were some of the best meals I had ever had in my entire life.”
Josh started laughing. “Well, that will do it,” he said.
“I guess so,” I answered.
“Yep,” Rylan said, jumping to his feet. “So I just noticed that some of my friends are over there playing football. Is it alright if I go play with them for a bit?”
“Of course,” Josh said.
“Sweet,” Rylan answered, turning to look at me. “And congratulations on how great the week went, Miss Brenna. You’re obviously good at your job.”
I laughed as he turned and ran towards his friends.
“He is such a great kid,” I said.
“I know,” Josh said.
We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, looking out at the water. Finally, Josh spoke again.
“I’m so happy for you, Brenna. The fact that this week went so well is a huge indicator that you are going to be very successful. You have great instincts for this, and you have also surrounded yourself with a strong team. I know this is going to thrive.”
“Thank you,” I said. “And thank you for being part of that team.”
Josh smiled, but his eyes looked sad.
“I’m honored to be a part of that team,” he said. He took a deep breath before he continued. “And I want to still be part of your team, but I will have to do it from a distance.”
“You’re taking the job in London.”
He nodded. “Yes, I am. I’m calling them tomorrow to let them know.”
Although I knew this was an outstanding opportunity for him, I felt sad. I wanted to be supportive, though, so I forced myself to smile.
“That’s exciting for you!” I said, hoping I sounded happier than I felt.
“It is,” he said. “It is such a great opportunity for me professionally, and it’s really the best time to do it. There is a great school there that I have already been in touch with, and Rylan will have no trouble enrolling.”
I looked over at Rylan playing with his friends. “He will miss his friends,” I said. “Will you guys come back to visit?”
Josh nodded. “Yes. Well, not immediately because we will be setting up our life over there, but we will come back to visit. My parents are staying here, so I’m pretty certain I will be back in town a few times a year.”
I nodded. “That makes sense. What about your house? What are you going to do with that?”
“I am actually going to rent it out as a vacation rental. That way, it is available for me whenever we come back to town, and I will be able to make a little bit of extra income with it. I don’t want to sell it because I absolutely love it.”
“That’s a great idea," I said. “It’s an awesome place, and I know you’ll have no trouble renting it out.”
Josh shook his head. “No, no trouble at all. I actually have a friend who’s going to be the property manager for me, and I know that it will go smoothly.”
“So when is all of this going to happen?” I asked.
“Well, I’m going to call them tomorrow and let them know. Then I will let Greg know that I have made my final decision. He knew that there was a possibility of this happening, so it’s not going to come as a complete surprise to him. Then I’ll just start packing everything up, and I think we will leave in about three weeks.”
I inhaled sharply, but then forced myself to smile again. “Do you have a place lined up over there?”
Josh nodded. “Yes, they have a corporate apartment that they are going to let me stay in for the first three months that I am there. That will let me get a feel for where I want to settle.”
