But the “Congratulations, Alicia” stood out on the page and after looking it over at least five times, I stood up from my chair and let out a squeal.
“I did it!” I called out. “Oh, my God. I did it!”
Lauren busted into my room, her eyes as wide as her smile.
“You won?”
“I won,” I told her, finally feeling it start to sink in. “I won the competition!”
She ran up and pulled me in for a hug, practically lifting me off the ground.
“I knew you were going to win,” she announced, setting me down. “Congrats, Alicia.”
Lauren gave me another hug and said, “We’ll celebrate more soon, okay? Maybe we can get drinks this weekend.”
“Sounds great,” I said. “I'm looking forward to it.”
She grinned and gave me one more hug. “I'm off to run some errands. Congratulations again!”
She left my room and I closed the door behind her. My hands were trembling from the excitement. I couldn’t believe that it was actually happening. Six weeks of hard work had paid off and I had been offered my dream job. I sat on my bed in disbelief. I was beyond excited and proud of myself for what I had accomplished, but I couldn’t deny that my feelings were a mixed bag. My entire life was about to change and my new home would soon be Silicon Valley.
I thought about the conversation I had had with Jacob the night before, about how I didn’t think I could ever call The Valley my home. It was true. My real home was where I grew up.
When I took the job, I wouldn’t get to see my family or Jacob as often. Maybe I’d take a drive down on a weekend once in a while, but I couldn’t imagine that I’d be able to get much time off, at least for the first few months. I would have to look at the job description in the attachment to figure out what I needed to do.
I’ll just have to figure out a way to make it work, I thought. There’s no way I’m turning down the job at this point. That’s not an option.
I’d finally be making money and have a secure position with a great company. I’d be able to climb the corporate ladder and move up in the world, something I had wanted to do since I graduated. For the moment, I wasn't going to worry about what was going to happen next. For right now, I was going to be happy I had succeeded.
I grinned and did a little happy dance. I picked up my phone, ready to call Jacob and tell him the good news, but then I changed my mind. It would be so much more fun to tell him in person.
Chapter 14
Just five minutes after I stepped out of the shower, someone knocked on the apartment door. My hair was still wet and I was wearing only a towel. I hadn’t even had a chance to think about what clothes I wanted to wear for when Jacob got in town later that afternoon.
“Lauren, can you get that?” I called out.
There was no reply, so I walked over to my door and poked my head out into the living room.
“Lauren?”
The apartment was silent and Lauren’s bedroom door was open. She was nowhere to be found. I glanced at the clock. It was two in the afternoon and I assumed that she must have gone to the gym or for a run in the park.
There was another knock on the door, this time a little louder and faster than before.
“Hold on. I’m coming!” I said.
Crap, who’s here right now? I hope it’s not some salesman or something. I’m going to be so pissed if I rushed for that, I thought.
I ran back into my room and dropped my towel, before stepping into some jeans and a t-shirt. My wet hair fell around my face and I did my best to push it away as I walked back to the front door.
Whoever was on the other side continued to knock.
“Geez, give me a second,” I said, clearly becoming irritated.
I pulled the door open and my attitude changed the instant I saw who was standing on the other side.
“Jacob?” I said, my eyes widening with delight.