Chapter 7
Then his face changed.
“That guy
last night-did you know him?”
I shook my head and looked away.
Richard let out a slow breath. “One of Jenny’s friends. I’ll have to talk to her about who she
lets in as her guests.”
That surprised me. He never acted this stern with her.
“I don’t think they’re close-I’m not even sure she knows him well,” I said quickly.
He didn’t budge. “She let him in. I don’t care how well she knew him-she’s going to answer for it.”
“I don’t really think it’s her faul-”
“So,” he cut in suddenly, “you’re still in school?”
I blinked. “Uh, yeah. Third year.”
“You said you’re job hunting. But you’re a full-time student?”
I blinked again, thrown. When had I said that? Was it last night? Had he heard me on the
phone? Oh. Of course. I had just said it-to my landlord. He must’ve heard. The realization
hit and made my face warm. He’d just been paying attention.
“The university wants us to get internships,” I mumbled. “I haven’t found one yet.”
He nodded. “What kind of work are you hoping for?”
“Communications, maybe. Or being someone’s assistant. I’ve taken some political science classes but… that stuff’s intense.”
“Mm.” He tilted his head. “You ever think about something more structured? Like admin or
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planning work?”
“I mean… not really. I guess I’m at the point where I’m just hoping someone will take a
chance on me.
He studied me for a second. “Don’t sell yourself short, Amelia.”
For a moment, neither of us said anything. It wasn’t awkward-just quiet. Like something honest had passed between us and neither of us wanted to break it right away.
Then he turned toward the door, back to business. “Jenny’s back in her room. I called a car
for you.”
“Thank you,” I said, grabbing my stuff. My stomach twisted again at the thought of seeing
Jenny.
At the door, I paused. My hand hovered over the handle, and I couldn’t stop the question from bubbling up. “Did we, um…” I hesitated, my voice catching in my throat. “Did anything… happen?” The words came out slower than I wanted, clumsy and unsure, but I
needed to know.
He looked at me seriously. “No, Amelia. Nothing happened.”
Relief flooded me. It didn’t make sense-wasn’t this what I had wanted?-but it was there all the same. I exhaled, tension slipping out of my shoulders before I could even try to hide
Just as I reached back for the doorknob, a knock on the other side made me jump. I yanked my hand back.
“Miss Amelia?” came the Beta’s voice. “I’m here to escort you to the car.”
I cracked the door open slowly and peeked out, relieved it was just him. He gave a small nod,
all business.
“This way, Miss Amelia.”
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Chapter 7
We walked quickly. Every sound made me flinch. When we passed near a closed door and I
my skin. heard Jenny’s voice, I nearly jumped out of
Beta gave me a small smile. “We’ll use the service stairs. Quieter.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
As we walked, he looked over his shoulder. “How are your classes going?”
I blinked. “Okay, I guess. Just stressed about finding an internship. Something that will pay my rent”
I had no idea why I was being so honest.
“Well,” he said, “our campaign team is looking for new assistant interns. I heard your studies line up well. Would you be interested in an interview?”
My jaw dropped. “Really? Yes! I mean-yes. Absolutely.”
He nodded. “Great. I’ll make sure you get the details.”
I slid into the car, heart pounding. For the first time in weeks, something actually felt like it
might go right.
It was like… King-I mean, Richard-was my lucky charm.
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