Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 169272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 846(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 169272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 846(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
Click, clack.
Clack, click.
Hmm.
Welp, it looks like UCLA’s system isn’t the exact same thing as U Dub’s. Which means it’s probably time for me to move along now.
Spoiler alert: I don’t move along. In fact, I spend the next two hours figuring out how to get in. And when I do, I head straight to the one place I shouldn’t go: the admissions database, where I quickly discern the mechanics of their internal search engine and enter the name Madelyn Milliken.
Nothing comes up as a search result, so I try Maddy Milliken. And then, some variations on Milliken with typos in them, just in case. Still nothing. Which means Maddy’s application hasn’t been entered into the admissions system yet.
Phew.
That was a lucky break. Like a fool, I almost did something I’d probably regret later on.
“You dodged a bullet, Peter,” I whisper into the void of Hannah’s tiny kitchen. “Now, log out and never go back.”
A text comes through on one of my phones—the burner given to me by the FBI bigwig I worked closely with in DC. She says she has an urgent job for me—an offer I won’t be able to refuse—and she wants to talk to me about it ASAP.
“Fuck me,” I murmur in annoyance. I’ve spent my whole career trying to be undetectable to The Man. Or, I guess, in this case, to The Woman. I’ve worked hard to slither and slide through online spaces like a phantom, while presenting Peter Hennessey as a mediocre cybersecurity dude. And now, the fucking Deputy Director of the FBI wants to hire me for a job? Shit.
The thing is, though, I’m far too intrigued, and maybe even a bit flattered, not to place the call. And so, in the end, that’s what I do. And when I finally talk to Deputy Director Leach, and hear her out, I discover she’s exactly right: the offer she’s made me is one I simply can’t refuse.
16
HANNAH
When I see Henn sitting at a small table at the Thai place, I wave and walk toward him, and he rises to greet me. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to introduce Henn around the office as originally planned, thanks to the kerfuffle caused by Kat announcing her immediate departure this afternoon. So, Henn kindly agreed to meet me here at the restaurant, instead.
“Hey, baby.” Henn kisses my cheek. “Everything okay?” When I called Henn to ask him to meet me at the Thai place, I didn’t tell him what happened to change our plan, but instead told him I’d spill some big tea tonight at the restaurant.
“Everything is great,” I say, settling into my chair. “Kat quit her job today, and our boss melted down.” I snicker—but before I can continue my story, our waiter appears with menus and a few suggestions. We order a couple of Singhas, the most “famous” of Thai beers according to our friendly waiter, and immediately resume talking as the server leaves. I touch Henn’s arm. “I wish you could have been there to see Kat’s grand exit. She did it with such panache.”
“Of course, she did. Panache is Kitty Kat’s middle name.”
“Thank God, she took me out to lunch before doing it to tell me her plans, so I wasn’t blindsided in the moment. She was actually planning on giving proper notice and being professional and all that, but then our boss started acting like a total bitch, so Kat finally said, ‘Take this job and shove it up your tight ass, Rebecca! I’m out!’”
Henn laughs with me. “I guess Kat’s not angling for a recommendation letter for her next job, eh?”
“She doesn’t need one. That’s the best part. Kat told me today she’s one hundred percent going to open her own PR company!”
“Oh, wow. Are you going with her?”
“Not yet. Kat’s not sure she’ll be able to take me on. She’ll know in a month or so, after she gets everything going.”
“Is that what you’d want?”
“I think so. Can you imagine how fun it’d be to create a new business with my best friend?”
“Yeah. Awesome.”
Oh, Henny. It’s not hard to notice the anxiety flickering across his handsome face. Plainly, he’s wondering how a new job in Seattle would impact the chances of me moving to LA one of these days. Frankly, I’m wondering the same thing, especially now that I’ve told Maddy I’ll move to LA and live with her, if she gets into UCLA. Fuck a duck, my head is spinning these days, whenever I try to imagine the foreseeable future.
“There’s still a chance it won’t work out with Kat,” I say. “Kat told me not to quit my job yet, just in case. Plus, I’ve got Maddy to consider. Lots of moving parts.” I’m not willing to say it yet, but Henn is rapidly becoming a major consideration for me, too. If things keep going this well between us, then it’s reasonable to think one of us will need to move at some point. If Maddy gets into UCLA, that’s an easy one. In fact, it’d be the best of all worlds, since I could move to the same city as my boyfriend, without pinning my relocation solely on our spanking-new relationship. But what if Maddy doesn’t get in?