Turning to Dave, I give him a warm smile. “I’m sorry for wasting your time,” I start off, obviously taking him by surprise by the way he blinks at me like my words don’t make sense. “My mother set up this interview on my behalf under the mistaken impression that I’m looking for another job. The fact is that I have a job that I enjoy very much. It pays well and has a lot of perks, but it also requires a lot of travel, and she doesn’t like that. I’m the youngest and have always been the most obliging of us three, so I took the interview so I wouldn’t have to listen to her scolding.” I wave my hand like I’m clearing the air. “But you don’t really need the details of my family dynamics.” I hold out my hand, and Dave takes it, clearly mystified. “Thank you for your time. I hope you find a good fit. Unfortunately, I’m not it, so I won’t be wasting any more of your time.”
He stammers something like, “Okay, well …” but I just wave over my shoulder and head for the exit, not really listening to what he has to say. I don’t care. I won’t be working with Dave.
I barge into my parents’ house after the short drive home and immediately head upstairs.
Mom follows me. “Viola? What are you doing back so soon? That was a really short interview.”
“Yes. It was,” I confirm as I start gathering my things and stuffing them back in my suitcase.
“What’s going on? What are you doing? Why was your interview so short? Is that good or bad?”
Pausing, I look at her and tilt my head back and forth. “I suppose that depends on your perspective. I think it’s good. You might disagree, though.”
“Viola, stop!” she commands, and because obeying her is deeply ingrained in me, I do. “What are you talking about? What happened at the interview?”
I shrug, feeling insolent and rebellious, and resume my packing. “Nothing. He gave me a tour. I thanked him for his time and informed him that I wouldn’t be taking the job, so continuing the interview was pointless.” This time when I stop, it’s because I decide to stop, and also to make sure my mother gets the point I’m about to make. “I assured him that I have a job that I enjoy, and that my mother had set up the interview for me thinking she was doing what’s best, but that she’s misinformed.”
Mom splutters. “Misinformed?”
“Yes, Mom. You’ve told me that working for Cataclysm is a mistake all along. Told me to come home and apply for these other jobs. And even though I told you that this is a temporary break that has been in the schedule all along, you’ve ignored that and decided that me planning to come for a visit was me moving back in. You’ve misinformed yourself about my whole life.”
I flip the lid of my suitcase closed and zip it up, moving to the bathroom to gather my toiletries. Mom follows me like I knew she would. “Hang on. What are you doing?”
Stopping again, a bottle of face wash in hand, I give her a curious look. “Packing. What does it look like?”
“But—but why?”
Taking a minute to finish loading everything into my toiletries case, I zip it closed and turn to face my mother. “Mom, you’re a smart woman. I’m sure you can figure out the answer for yourself if you actually paused and thought about it. But since you asked, I’ll tell you. I do not feel welcome here. I do not feel like I’m able to just be myself. I like working for Cataclysm. I like traveling, even though, yeah, it’s exhausting and the schedule is grueling. And no, I probably don’t want to do it forever, but for now I’m happy. It’s challenging and fun, and I get to go places and see things, and I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time that could be better spent watching paint dry or grass grow. I have friends. I have a boyfriend. Or I did, anyway, until you destroyed everything with your screeching about good choices and appropriate men. Which, we both know, is just code for boring. That’s what you wanted for Blaire—a safe, boring life. And that’s all you ever wanted for me. Guess what, Mom? I don’t want that. I don’t want safe and boring. I want thrill and excitement and … and … Mason. I want Mason.”
On that declaration, I push past my mom and back into my room, where I stuff my toiletries case in my crossbody bag and sling it over my shoulder. Then I hoist my suitcase to its feet and extend the handle. Facing my mother again, I square my shoulders. “I love you, Mom. I do. And I know you’re just doing what you think is best for me. But I’m twenty-three years old. I get to decide what’s best for me. And right now, what’s best for me is boundaries.”
Her chin trembles, but she nods and lets me pass. I pull up my favorite rideshare app and request a car to take me to the condo building where Cataclysm lives in their off-time. While I’m waiting, I call Blaire. Because since I can’t stay here, I’m hoping she’ll let me stay in her condo while I figure out how to fix things with Mason.
Chapter Forty-Three
Viola
Kendra opens the door almost as soon as I knock on it. Like she was waiting for me. Which I assume she was, because as soon as I got off the phone with Blaire, I texted Kendra to let her know I’d be coming by to pick up the spare key to Blaire’s condo.
Kendra pulls me inside and gives me an enthusiastic hug that I’m not at all prepared for. I pat her back awkwardly until she releases
