I carried my unfinished coffee to the sink because my hands needed something to do before they began conducting the conversation themselves.

I wasn’t angry that Mark loved his parents.

I loved Richard and Patricia too, most of the time.

I was angry because sometime during the past twelve years, a major decision about our future had been made without either of us admitting that a decision was being made.

Then another thought hit me.

“If you take this job, what happens to mine?”

“I know.”

“No, Mark. I mean it. I’ve been with Riverside eleven years. I’m not quitting my job because your mother made you feel disposable.”

His expression tightened. “That’s not what I’m asking.”

“Then what are you asking?”

“For us to look.”

That stopped me.

“Not move,” he said. “Look. If it doesn’t work for both of us, I turn it down.”

“You’d do that?”

He blinked. “Claire. You’re my wife.”

The answer was so obvious that I felt slightly foolish for needing to hear it.

Still, I pointed at him.

“I’m not putting this house on the market until I know where I’m getting a paycheck.”

“Fair.”

“And we don’t tell your parents anything until we know this is real.”

“Also fair.”

He slowly reached for his phone.

“Now can I call Tom?”

I sighed.

“Call Tom.”

Chapter 2

Things moved faster for Mark than for me.

By Friday, he had completed two video meetings and had a formal interview scheduled for Monday.

The hospital system I worked for did have operations in Colorado, including a large facility in Aurora, but the first procurement position that matched my experience had been filled nine days earlier.

Nine days.

Few things are more irritating than discovering your possible future missed you by a week and a half.

For several days, we existed in an uncomfortable middle ground.

Mark’s opportunity became increasingly real while mine remained hypothetical.

Then his written offer arrived with better compensation than either of us expected.

He slid it across the kitchen counter without smiling.

“Well?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Not without you.”

I believed him.

That mattered.

Then, Tuesday afternoon, my HR director called.

A procurement manager in Aurora had unexpectedly resigned, and another department needed someone with almost exactly my background.

I completed two interviews over four days and tried not to behave like someone refreshing her email every seven minutes.