Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
I pulled my phone from my back pocket and checked the time.
Three minutes. That’s all the time I had before I needed to decline. Before my fingertips slipped off my dream.
For those three minutes, I stared at the sunset pictures of the Serengeti and the midair jump of lemurs in Madagascar and let myself soak it in. I had won an internship. In another life, my eyes would be prickling with joy as I scurried to pack my life into a rucksack.
But this was the life I’d chosen.
Sutton hadn’t, and she was what mattered.
My phone rang, and I swiped to answer it. “Hello?”
“Ms. Thorne?” a feminine voice said through the line.
“This is she.” My heart clenched. Was I really about to turn down the chance of a lifetime?
“Hi! I’m Maggie Brettwell from World Geographic, and I’m so excited to chat about your internship!”
My eyes slid shut as my throat tied itself into a knot. “Maggie, before we get too far into this, I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to decline.” Somehow, I got the words out.
“Oh?” She sounded as stunned to hear it as I felt having to say it.
“I—” What the hell could I say? That my boyfriend conspired to enter me behind my back? “I have an eleven-year-old daughter. And as much as I have dreamed about being chosen for one of your incredible internships, I just can’t leave her. Not for a year.” The idea of it was unbearable.
“Oh!” She laughed. “You had me worried there for a moment. That’s not a problem, Calliope. Our business model changed a few years ago, and we’re very kid-friendly. Just bring her with you!”
My jaw hit the floor. “I’m sorry?” Did she just say what I thought she did?
“You’re more than welcome to bring your daughter with you.”
“I am?” My mind spun and I backed up a few steps to lean against the couch for balance.
“Absolutely.” She sounded like this was a normal occurrence. Maybe it was. Maybe I’d been wrong about this all along.
The front door opened and Weston stepped in, accompanied by a gust of cold air. He had on his favorite baseball cap despite the temperature and shot me an inquisitive look from under the brim.
World Geographic, I mouthed, pointing to the phone.
He nodded and proceeded to take off his winter gear, storing it in the closet.
“Let me get this right,” I said into the phone, my pulse skyrocketing at the possibility of actually holding my dream. “You’re okay with me bringing my eleven-year-old daughter for a year-long internship around the world?”
Weston’s head snapped up and his wide eyes met mine.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. You’ll be with a full staff of our photojournalists and a few others travel with their kids too. Of course we already have next year’s publications mapped out, so we know exactly where you’d be, and in my opinion, the itinerary is one of our best yet.”
“But school…” My brow puckered.
“You would have to homeschool,” Maggie said. “But there are some great online programs the other photographers can tell you about, and we make sure to have Wi-Fi at our base locations, so the kids don’t fall behind. Oh, but there’s one thing.”
“I figured there had to be a catch,” I replied with a slightly panicked laugh.
“While the company pays for all your expenses—and it’s a paid internship, of course—we don’t cover family members, which can eat into your check.”
I blinked. “So that’s it? The catch is I wouldn’t get paid as much?”
Maggie chuckled. “Well, it can take up a lot of your check, especially for those who travel with two kids, but of course our staffers get paid a bit more than our interns.”
World Geographic photojournalists made bank.
“But if you’re okay with less pay and homeschooling for a year—or longer, if you choose to stay on as freelance or maybe even staff, depending on how the year goes—then your daughter is more than welcome. From what I hear, the kids love the travel.”
Sutton could go with me. Holy crap. I had enough money in my savings account, even if the insurance didn’t cover her helicopter ambulance. We’d have to save up again for a house, and we’d be gone for a year, but the things she would see? The opportunities we’d have?
I’d never once imagined it was possible, and now that it was—
“Callie?” Maggie prompted.
“Sorry.” I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “I’m just a little shocked. How soon would we need to leave?”
The sound of a mouse clicking came through the phone. “We could have you meet the team in as little as a couple of days, or give you a month or so to get everything straight if you need to. Most of our interns need a couple weeks. You’re in Colorado, right?”
“Yes.” A couple of days?