Page 8 of Inevitable

“We can’t wait to hear all about your adventure!” Lea said, giving me a hug before ushering me inside the house. “Oh, and your storage pod arrived last week.”

“Awesome,” I said, though I hadn’t missed most of the stuff in it.

“Now, I know you don’t want to attend graduation,” Lea said, leaning against the kitchen counter while Dad carried in my bags. “But what about a small party here?”

I shook my head, grateful she wasn’t trying to change my mind about graduation. If my parents thought it odd that I didn’t want to attend, they’d since given up on trying to convince me otherwise.

“I’m good. Really. Why don’t we wait and throw an even bigger one when I graduate with my MBA?”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

I nodded. “Definitely.”

“Well, we should do something to commemorate you finishing college. It’s a big deal!” She considered it a moment, then said, “I know. How about a spa day? Just the two of us.”

I smiled. “That sounds perfect.”

Dad and Lea cooked, dancing around each other in the kitchen with grace and ease. While they prepared dinner, I told them all about Semester at Sea. Communication during the trip had been limited, so I’d only been able to send them postcards or emails occasionally. I’d mentioned the flight from hell briefly, but I’d downplayed the severity of the situation. There was no need to worry them; I was fine.

I told myself I was fine, but the flight to join my classmates for Semester at Sea had been one of the most terrifying experiences of my life to date. Terrifying and eye-opening. It had made two things abundantly clear—I was done living my life for anyone else, and I didn’t plan on flying again anytime soon.

“Sounds like quite the experience,” Lea said as we sat down to eat. “Have you made any decisions about this summer?”

My dad had mentioned the possibility of interning with his best friend. While it was a great opportunity, I hesitated, knowing commercial real estate wasn’t where my heart lay.

I sipped my water. “Not yet, but I have an interview later this week.”

I didn’t mention it was with a potential client. I was working to build my client base for the coaching business. The one Nico thought was stupid and destined to fail, though I didn’t want to believe him. I’d put together a solid business plan, and I’d been reading everything I could get my hands on about life coaching, productivity, motivation, and more. I’d also devoured any podcast I could find that related to those topics, and I was planning to start my own one day.

Dad and Lea shared a hopeful glance, then Dad said, “So, you’re still available?”

“Yes, but…”

“Great. I know Jonathan’s really hoping you’ll intern with him.”

“I don’t know, Dad. I’m not sure I’m interested in commercial real estate.” I cut into the chicken, swirling it in the lemon-butter sauce.

“What better way to find out?” He spread his arms wide. “Besides, it could be good for you. You’ve had a lot of change lately, and this might give you some stability.”

I frowned but said nothing, taking a moment to focus on my dinner as I digested his words. “Are you sure this is what he wants?”

“Yes.” Dad nodded, swallowing his food. “There’s always been an open invitation for you to intern with him—you know that.”

I furrowed my brow. Perhaps that was true, but I got the sense there was something more at play. My dad was just a littletooeager. Lea, too, now that I thought about it.

“Okay. What’s really going on?”

They glanced at each other, silently communicating something in couple-speak, then turned back to me. Bright smiles. Wide eyes.Totallyguilty.

“Nothing,” Lea chirped.

“Oh please.” I rolled my eyes, settling back into my chair. “You’re both lying.”

“Fine,” Dad huffed, and Lea’s shoulders immediately relaxed. “The truth is, you’d really be doing me a favor.”

I tilted my head to the side, not sure I followed. “Huh?”

Lea placed her hand on my dad’s. “We’re worried about Jonathan, aren’t we?” They shared a sad smile.