Page 1 of Anyone But Me

It wasn’t my intention to take a phone call during the reception for my moms’ vow renewal, but when I saw the number come up for VisuSphere, I felt like I didn’t really have a choice.

This was the moment I had been waiting for since my second interview with the company three weeks ago.

When I hadn’t heard back, I assumed they chose a more qualified candidate.

I was surprised to even get a call back in the first place after I applied.

This was a huge up-and-coming company, and surely they were looking for someone with more experience.

I had applied on a whim (which is very unlike me), mostly because I figured I didn’t actually have a chance.

The two interviews I procured had given me a little bit of hope, even though I tried my best to not get excited.

I walked inside my grandparents’ house to escape the loud music of the outdoor reception. “Hello?” I answered as coolly and confidently as possible, which was hard when my heart was beating out of my chest.

“Hello! Is this Miss Carter Miller-Cooper?”

“Yes. This is her.”

“Miss Miller-Cooper, I am very sorry to bother you on a Saturday, but I won’t keep you long. I promise.”

“No problem at all.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.

“This is Mike Domingo from VisuSphere. I wanted you to know we were very impressed with your interview and would like to offer you the data scientist position at our company. I apologize for the delay, but if I’m being completely honest, there was a lot of back and forth given your age.

The other candidates had more years and experience than you, but in the end, there was no question that you are the perfect fit for VisuSphere.

Now, the issue is, we need your decision by the end of the workday on Tuesday.

I know that doesn’t give you a lot of time, which is why I wanted to call you today rather than wait until Monday. ”

I swallowed hard as I tried to figure out if I had actually heard him right. VisuSphere wanted me? Carter Miller-Cooper? That couldn’t be right, could it?

“I’m sorry. I didn’t lose you, did I?” Mike asked with a chuckle, as if he somehow knew he hadn’t really lost me, and I was just in shock.

I shook my head, even though he clearly couldn’t see me.

Speak, Carter. Say something. Say anything.

Okay, not anything. Make sure you’re professional.

“No, you didn’t. I’m still here. My apologies.

Thank you so much for the offer. I do have a few things to consider, especially since taking the position will require me to move. ”

“Of course. I’m going to be emailing the contract for you to look over in the next hour or two.

I’ll make sure it includes the coverage of any moving expenses you incur.

Your official start date won’t be until the beginning of September, so you will have plenty of time to get everything in order.

The reason we need your answer so quickly is because we can’t afford to lose your backup if you decide our company isn’t the one for you, but I have to say, I think you’re going to be very happy with our offer.

” Mike paused for only a moment before speaking again.

“I’ll let you go for now. I look forward to hearing from you. ”

“I will be sure to get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you so much. Have a great weekend, Mr. Domingo.”

When I hung up the phone, I felt like I was in a haze.

I couldn’t believe that had actually just happened.

VisuSphere, the company that was projected to become bigger than Google and Meta, wanted me.

How? Why? I couldn’t even begin to wrap my mind around it, but all I wanted to do was tell my moms. They were the first ones I went to at the highest and lowest points of my life.

Aside from my sister and brother, they were my two best friends. Pathetic, but true.

Today wasn’t about me though. It was about celebrating thirty years of marriage for my moms—a feat that wasn’t to be taken lightly, especially given that they had gone from a family of two to a family of five in less than two years after getting married.

It wasn’t always easy being a triplet, so I can only imagine it was that much harder having triplets.

I looked outside and found my moms and my Uncle Jamie standing by the lake in my grandparents’ backyard.

It looked like they were having a moment, and as much as I didn’t want to interrupt, I felt pulled toward them.

I would wait until tomorrow to tell them about the offer, but for now, I just wanted to be near them.

My anxiety was through the roof thinking about the huge decision I needed to make and what a big change it would be if I decided to take the job and move from Philadelphia to New York City.

If anyone could make me feel grounded, even unintentionally, it was my moms.

I took a deep breath before walking out of the house to join them. Apparently, I didn’t have a good poker face, because as soon as I reached them, my mom gave me an incredulous look. “Okay, spill. What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying my best to play dumb.

“There’s clearly something you want to say. It’s written all over your face.”

I shook my head. “It’s nothing.” Except possibly the biggest moment of my life thus far. “We can talk about it tomorrow.”

My Uncle Jamie laughed. “Even I can tell that’s a lie.

” He squeezed each of my moms’ arms before taking a few steps away from them, then gave me a kiss on my temple.

“Whatever it is you need to tell them, just do it,” he whispered.

“Trust me. Nothing is more important to them than you and your siblings.” He gave one last wave before walking away.

“What is it, sweetie?” my mama asked, her eyebrows furrowed as if she was concerned.

“Are you sure you want to talk about this now? It can wait until tomorrow. Today is about you two. Not me. I’m fine. I promise.” I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. “This is good news.”

“That’s even more reason to tell us now,” my mom said with a wave of her hand.

Both of my moms watched me with wide eyes and big grins, while I tried to think of the best way to explain the phone call I had just gotten.

Since I assumed I had no chance of getting the job, I hadn’t told anyone in my family (or anyone at all, for that matter) that I had applied or done two interviews, so this was going to be a surprise for them.

I just hoped they saw it as a good surprise.

I was the only child still living close to the area where we grew up, so if I left, my moms would officially be all alone.

Sure, New York wasn’t super far, and it was where my sister, Olivia, was already living, but it also wasn’t the forty minute drive they were from me now.

I opened my mouth to tell them, but before I could, we were interrupted by Olivia skipping over to us. “I have something to tell you!” she stated loudly as she stopped and looked between the three of us. “I think you’ll all be very excited about it.”

“And we can’t wait to hear your news.” My mama’s blonde hair with subtle streaks of gray twirled along with her white sundress as she turned from looking at my sister to focus her attention back on me. “But first, Carter had something she wanted to tell us.”

She winked at me as if she knew I was about to shy away from my news to allow Olivia to share hers.

Then again, of course she knew that’s what I would do.

It’s what I’d been doing my whole life. What choice did I have when both my sister and brother were so much louder and bolder than me?

I was used to fading into the background, even if my moms did their best to make sure I always felt seen.

Olivia wiggled her eyebrows at me. “Big news? What is it? Did someone finally tempt my baby sister out of her shell?”

I rolled my eyes at Olivia. “First of all, I’m four minutes younger than you. I’m hardly your baby sister. Second of all, I don’t have time to date right now. I tell you that all the time.”

Olivia rolled her eyes right back at me. Even at twenty-eight, we still brought out each other’s childish sides. “Yeah, yeah. Wishful thinking, I guess. So, if you’re not getting your lady parts pleasured by some super hot CEO or whatever it is you're into, what is your big news?”

I shook my head, my face heating up over the fact that Olivia actually uttered those words in front of our mothers. “I wouldn’t exactly call it news, per se. I don’t even know if I’m going to accept the offer.”

My mom’s head swung around, and she stared at me with her mouth slightly agape. “Offer? As in a job offer? I thought you loved your job.”

“I did. I mean, I do, but this is a huge opportunity. That’s why I didn’t even bother to tell you all that I applied. I never in a million years thought I would actually get the job.”

“Well,” Olivia bounced up and down on the balls of her bare feet and waved her arms around. “Don’t keep us hanging! What is the job?”

This was something I had always loved about my sister. Her life was much more exciting than mine from the time we were kids, but that never stopped her from being my biggest fan and celebrating my accomplishments that others would find boring.

“It’s a data scientist position at VisuSphere, which is a technology company that’s supposed to be fairly similar to Google, but last year, Forbes predicted that they are on track to eventually become more successful than Google.

The best part is that the CEO is not just a woman, but a lesbian.

” I put my hand up when Olivia gave me a look I knew all too well. “A married lesbian in her mid-sixties.”

“Fine. You’re not going to live out the CEO fantasy I have for you, but that still sounds awesome. Not gonna lie, I have no clue what a data scientist does, but I have no doubt that you’ll rock it. Is the company based in Philly?”