“Thank you,” I said. “I’m still kind of in shock about it, honestly. It doesn’t even seem real.”
“I’ll bet,” he said. “What does the job look like? What are they going to have you working on?”
“It was in an attachment, so I haven't read it yet.” I shrugged and gave him a sheepish smile. “I just kind of wanted to enjoy the high of winning for a little bit before seeing what kind of work I'm in for.”
Jacob nodded. “You worked hard and you deserve a little bit of happiness. I'm so proud of you.”
I grinned. His approval meant the world to me. “I don't have to sign anything until Monday, so I have the whole weekend to look at contract.”
Jacob frowned slightly before pushing at his glasses again. “Be sure you look it over carefully. I've heard some shady things about ZephTech, and I just don't want you to fall prey to them.”
“Shady things?” A slight annoyance spiked through me. “And you didn't say anything?”
“I did some research after you got the internship,” he admitted. “It's just things like they demand overtime, extra unpaid hours, and the culture is to go above and beyond all the time. Nothing illegal or wrong, just... shady.”
My mouth twisted for a moment. I wanted to tell him he was wrong, that my experience at ZephTech had been nothing like that, except it hadn't. That was my experience to a tee. It was the culture there to be available for crazy hours and always be running above and beyond for the love of the company. To be honest, the constant drive for excellence was what had initially attracted me to the company.
“It’s what you want, right?” he asked. He smiled gently. “Because, if it's what you want, then I support you.”
“Yes, it absolutely is,” I replied quickly. “This is the beginning of my career and if I accept the position, then I've got the world open to me. Even if it's a little rough to start.”
Jacob placed his hands over mine and squeezed them affectionately.
“I know you know this, but you don’t have to take the job offer, Alicia,” he said.
“You’re right, I guess,” I said. “But I’m going to take it. I need a job and this is my dream job. I’m just nervous for the change.”
“Hey, you won’t be living that far away from home. It’s not like you have to move to the east coast or something,” he replied. He shrugged and looked around. “And the drive isn't that bad.”
“You promise that we can still see each other?” I asked. “Even if I'm in Silicon Valley and you hate it here?”
“Of course,” he assured me. “I’m not going to stop dating you just because you’ll be living up here full time. I’ll admit, though, that it might be tough sometimes. The past few weeks have been a struggle for me. But we’ll make it work. It’s worth it.”
His words made me feel a lot better about the situation. It suddenly felt a little less daunting.
“Thanks for being so supportive,” I said.
“All I care is that you’re happy,” he said. “I know you want this job, Alicia. It’s what you’ve been working toward for years. Just make sure that what they are offering is what you want. Don't take it just because it's ZephTech. Take it because it's right for you.”
“I'll make sure it's what I want,” I promised. “But, for now, I want to celebrate.”
“Then, I’d say it’s time for a
celebration drink,” Jacob declared.
The waitress had just walked up with our food as Jacob finished speaking. She set our plates down and Jacob turned to face her.
“We have some celebrating to do,” he told her. “My beautiful girlfriend here just got offered the job of her dreams.”
“How exciting,” the waitress said, with a warm smile. “What would you like to drink?”
It was barely after two in the afternoon and my stomach still wasn’t feeling all that great from whatever stomach bug I had. I shrugged.
“Ginger ale?” I suggested.
“Whoa, you’re serious about this celebration,” the waitress said with a wink.
“That’s all you want?” Jacob asked, frowning slightly.