Chapter 29 She Has A Boyfriend
CHAPTER 29: SHE HAS A BOYFRIEND
JACE
I look over at the time and it’s six forty-seven. Not only did I text her like a psycho last night after trivia, but I called her before seven in the morning. What’s wrong with me?
I make my way out into the kitchen to find Tanner sitting at our table eating a bowl of cereal and playing on his phone. His head pops up in my direction when he hears me. Through a large bite of Froot Loops, he says, “Last night was awesome.” He swallows hard. “Did you see the pictures Logan sent of the cabin? Fucking sick dude.”
“No, I haven’t had a chance to look.” I rummage through the fridge and pull out a carton of eggs, some cheese, and spinach to make an omelet. I crack three eggs into a bowl and begin to whisk them with a fork.
“That hug you got from Lacey was something,” he says.
“I guess.”
“What do you mean you guess? If Chris hadn’t cockblocked you I would have put money on you two kissing.”
“She has a boyfriend.”
He laughs, “You think that lame ass guy is her boyfriend? No fucking way dude. They’ve been on a few dates. She’s way out of his league.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“All I’m saying is she’s way too cool to be with a guy like him. Plus, she seemed pretty interested in looking at you last night. Don’t think we didn’t all notice you two eye fucking the hell out of each other.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. She wants to be friends and I’m happy I’ve been invited back into her world.”
He scoffs and takes another bite of his cereal.
“What?”
“It’s just—” My phone begins to ring and it’s Eli calling.
“Sorry, I gotta take this.” I abandon my breakfast and walk back to my room, swiping up on the screen.
“Hey, Eli. What has you calling so early on a Saturday?”
“Shit. Sorry. It’s just before one here.”
“I didn’t realize you were out of the country.”
“Just a little holiday in Paris with Lily. Anyway, that’s not why I was calling. Ryan called me with an opportunity I thought you might be interested in.”
“I’m listening.”
“They’re putting a team together to do a piece on the Great Barrier Reef. We would leave at the beginning of September and would be gone for six months, maybe longer. It seems like a lot of the Bix crew has already signed up to go. I told him I would talk to you and convince you to come.”
I run my hand over the back of my head. Six months in Australia sounds awesome, but I’m not sure it’s what I want. My friends know I’ve been wavering on returning to my job, but no one at work has any idea.
“Can I think it over?”
“Oh, um, yeah. Ryan needs to know by the end of July. I know it’s no Bix, but I really hope you do it. It would be great to have everyone back together and we could really use another photographer as talented as you.”
“Definitely. We’ll talk soon.”
We hang up and I walk back out of my room to finish making my breakfast.
“What was that about?” Tanner asks.
“It was Eli calling. A job came up in Australia and she wants me on the team.”
“You gonna take it?”
“I’m not sure. Don’t get me wrong it sounds awesome, but I’d be gone for six months. Maybe more.”
He nods and sips his coffee. “Have you applied for the job here?”
“No, but it’s on my list of things to do this week. If it’s even still available.”
“When does Eli need an answer?”
“End of July.”