are you doing?
Luckily enough, she responds within seconds.
Waiting in between clients. What are YOU doing?
I decide to FaceTime her. I need to see her when I give her the news, because I think I know what I’m going to decide, but I need to hear her opinion first.
“Oh my gosh, look at you!” Eleanor says when she first sees me. “You’re…glowing.”
I blush, which is silly. Maybe it’s all the great sex I’m having with Theo. I don’t know. “It’s just another Friday in Pebble Beach,” I tell her.
“Please. Girl, I hear the rumors.” She waves a dismissive hand, a giant smile on her face. Eleanor is blond and bubbly and cute as a button. She’s also madly in love with her pro football player. Those two will probably get married eventually.
For once, I’m the teeniest bit jealous. Marriage normally doesn’t appeal to me, but since I’ve been spending so much time with Theo lately…
I’ve started thinking about it. And realizing that maybe I do want the fairytale. The happily ever after.
“What rumors?” I ask her.
“About you and Theo. My former date.” She bursts out laughing, and I can’t help but giggle too. “Our financial advisor! Tell me, does he count his money when you two have sex?”
“He’s too preoccupied to worry about money when we’re together,” I say coyly, making her laugh harder. “Look, I have something serious to tell you.”
She sobers up immediately. “What is it?”
“I got offered a promotion—at Wilder.” I can barely contain the smile that spreads across my face.
“Oh my God, that’s amazing! Congrats! I’m so happy for you!” This is why I called Eleanor. Not only is she one of my closest friends, but she’s also probably the most enthusiastic person I know. I was craving her exuberance and she’s delivering, just like I hoped.
“Here’s the thing.” I take a deep breath. “I was offered my choice of jobs. One at the Vegas location—”
“Get the hell out!” she interrupts, making me laugh.
“And one at a Wilder Hotel in…London.”
She screams and shouts for a while, and I turn down the volume on my phone, hoping I don’t disturb Alex’s phone call. Luckily enough, no one else is around in our small office, so I’m not bothering anyone.
I let Eleanor get it all out before I finally say to her, “Help me make a decision.”
“Oh, I can’t make that choice for you,” she says, sobering.
“I don’t want you to make the choice, but I need advice.”
“What does Theo think you should do?” she asks.
I press my lips together and drop my gaze, feeling like an asshole.
“Kelsey.” Her voice is stern. “You have told Theo about this, right?”
I lift my head and hiss out a breath. “No?”
“Oh my God.” Eleanor sounds completely exasperated with me. “Why haven’t you told him? You’ve been with him for a month. You’ve been friends for longer than that!”
I’ve given a few details to Eleanor about me and Theo, but not too many. Looks like other people have been talking. Which is fine. It’s my friend group, and I know they all mean well, but what Theo and I have isn’t that serious—
Wait a minute. I need to stop. I’m lying to myself. What we have is fairly serious. I don’t know what falling in love feels like, but I think it’s pretty close to what I’ve been experiencing with Theo these last few weeks.
Holy. Shit.
“I legitimately forgot to tell him about the interviews when I first found out, and then after a while, so much time had passed, I didn’t know how to tell him without worrying he’d get upset,” I explain.
“Right, so you’re going to tell him once you’re packed up and ready to leave? That’s not cool, Kelsey.” Eleanor shakes her head.
I hate that she’s disappointed in me. Worse, I’m disappointed in myself. I don’t want to hurt Theo. He means too much to me. And I don’t want to be another Jessica, breaking his heart and leaving him.
That would be awful.
“I’d tell him before I leave, I swear. I just—I don’t know how.” My stomach roils again, and I swallow hard, hating how nauseous I feel. My mouth tastes awful too. Quickly I open the top desk drawer and pull out a piece of gum, popping it into my mouth. I hope the minty taste will ease the nausea quickly.
“He deserves to know what’s going on in your life. You need to come clean,” she says firmly. “Tonight.”
“The rehearsal dinner is tonight.” I make a face. If I looked