and Naomi said no dogs and Carly really wanted Baxter. Funny how that dog had worked its way into her membrane. Hazel, too, for that matter.
“Did you get moved in?” he asked.
“Today, actually. I went with the one in New Jersey. You know, the one with only the hour commute.” She laughed. “It’s actually not horrible.”
“Oh, well, then, not horrible,” he said with a chuckle. “What’s the place like?”
She looked around at the space. A tiny sink and an electric cooktop stove were two feet from her bed. Her bed—purchased at one of the big-box discount furniture places—left hardly any room for anything else other than a chair. There was a small space in the corner where she hoped she could stuff a dog bed. “It is teeny tiny,” she said. “I have a view of an air-conditioning thing and the bathroom has a shower and sink all in one, and I have a major closet situation working, as in no place for my handbags.”
“That sounds ridiculously unworkable, Carly.”
“It is! I looked at another apartment that would have accommodated the handbags, but rent is astronomically high around here.” And she’d thought Conrad’s rent was out of line. She laughed again, but the truth was that she was worried if she could really afford New York, even with her new salary. She’d signed a six-month lease in a building that catered to short-term rentals. That was all she could afford to commit to right now, and she sincerely hoped that she wouldn’t have to stay in this dreadful box any longer than that.
She missed her cottage. She missed Max and the dogs and everything about Austin. It was cold in New York. It was loud and crowded and there wasn’t a lot of green. Plus, there was not a decent breakfast taco to be found.
“How’s the job?” Max asked.
“Interesting,” she said. She still hadn’t figured out what she was doing there.
“Do you like it?”
Did she? She wasn’t sure. “I’ve only been on the job three days, so I’m not quite sure what I think. There’s so much to learn,” she said. “And my coworkers are . . . confused.” Confused was actually kind—her coworkers seemed mostly resentful of Carly.
“Why?” Max asked.
“Well, for starters, Ramona didn’t tell anyone she’d hired me. On my first day, when no one knew I was coming, they had to make room for me. Which meant moving a couple of people.” She shook her head. “It was horrible, Max. One guy quit and walked out into a rainstorm. My boss said he was always unhappy, but I don’t know, I think it was because of me. Still, it’s a great opportunity.” That was her mantra. She didn’t like the job right now, but she would. She had to give it time, she had to work hard. Everything new required a process of growth and she had to be patient. As Megan exhorted daily on her podcast, she had to pull on her big girl panties. “The magazine is doing a feature on Victor in April. And guess what? He’s in Los Angeles right now, working on a wedding collection for Lovely Bride.”
“Okay, that I cannot picture.”
She laughed. “So, hey, how’s my pup? Have you found that kangaroo food I told you about? He really likes it. And he really should have bottled water, Max. You don’t know what’s in the tap water sometimes.”
“Don’t you worry about Baxter. He’s living the life. I have a new dog walker who, insofar as I know, is not dealing drugs next to Stevie Ray. Fabian takes the creek path behind my house, and they love him.”
“They love everyone. But he sounds perfect. How’s school?”
“Good. The dean approved my tenure and sent it forward, so the ball is rolling. I should have a final decision in a month. So, hey, have you talked to your mom recently?” he asked.
Carly had been too busy to keep up with the family dramas. Mia had texted her, worried that neither parent answered her calls, or if they did, they were always too busy to talk. Something is not right, Carly, I’m telling you, she’d texted. And then she’d invariably launch into her complaints about morning sickness or the newest household catastrophe—Finn’s broken arm, earned when he climbed a ladder he found in the garage and tried to fly like Superman from it. I miss you so much, Mia had texted. I never realized how much I need you.