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“Hi Is the offer still good?”

Hope blew past wariness into full-on excitement “Yes – absolutely – yes!”

“Then I’m in,” I said, a lot less enthusiastic than Glen “What do I do?”

“You’ll need to come by the office so we can set you up… and then we’ll put you on the next plane to LA”

61

Four Years Ago

Derek walked me back to my room Neither of us said much on the way up the stairs I was seriously nervous; he was Mr Calm, Cool, and Unruffled

“You need help packing?” he asked

“Uuess…”

I unlocked the door and we stepped inside Shanna’s half of the room was stripped bare – metal-frame bed, oldat it

“Can I ask you a favor?” Derek asked

“Um… depends on what the favor is…”

“Can you not leave today, and just stay oneinto my eyes

“I… I told my parents I’d be back today…”

“I’ain once you leave Could you please, please just stick around one ive me some more time with you?”

One ht

The phrase made me weak in the knees

Maybe fros

“…please,” he whispered

All the little voices in , No! Don’t! Bad idea!

But the feelings inelse entirely

“…okay”

He grinned, one of the happiest smiles I’d ever seen him wear “Good Thanks”

I nodded and just stood there looking at him

“Don’t you need to call them?” he asked, concerned

“…who?”

“Your parents”

“Oh – oh yeah…”

Daet lost in his eyes…

I got my phone out of my purse and started to dial –

“Could you, uh, talk to them out in the hall?” he asked

I frowned “What? Why?”

“I have a surprise for you”

I stared at him “What?”

“You’ll see”

“You need me to be out of the room while you set it up?”