Chapter 2: Thirty Days Only

NADIA

Bill knew I couldn’t be away for long, yet he was still forcing this assignment on me. The only upside? It doubled my pay.

And that extra money meant better care for Nathan. Nathan was my younger brother.

I had assumed responsibility for his care since our mother prioritized her alcohol consumption and social activities over her parental duties. Neither of our dads stuck around—both bailed the moment they found out she was pregnant.

That was part of why I’d never fully trust a man. Nathan was also sick.

He had systemic lupus erythematosus—his immune system attacked his body instead of protecting it. We didn’t have insurance.

He wasn’t legally my dependent, so I couldn’t add him to my plan, and our mom wouldn’t pay for anything. Every visit, every prescription, came out of my pocket.

He had good days and bad days. The bad ones? He curled up into a ball and cried from the pain.

It was gut-wrenching. His case was rare—lupus usually hit women, and most people weren’t diagnosed until adulthood.

Nathan was only nine when he was diagnosed. The butterfly-shaped rash on his face was a big clue, and from there, the doctor pieced the rest together.

Since then, we’d been fighting an uphill battle—emotionally and financially.

“How are you feeling?” I asked him.

“Good. How was your meeting?”

I sighed. “I have an out-of-town assignment. I’ll be gone for a few weeks.”

“I don’t have to stay with Mom, do I?”

I shook my head. “Absolutely not. We haven’t seen her in months, and even if she was around, she wouldn’t care if you had a flare-up, so it’s best if you stay with a friend. I’ll ask Jay’s mom if you can stay with them for a while.”

He smiled. He was only eleven, but he was still my baby.

Lupus had aged him in ways I wished it hadn’t. It had made him more aware than a child should be.

He knew what labs meant before I said a word. He watched my face when the doctor spoke, scanning for clues, trying to read the truth between soft reassurances.

“How was school?” I asked.

“It was good. There’s a field trip coming up—an overnight trip to the city for the sixth graders. I want to go.”

I didn’t say anything at first. With our finances, every spare dollar went toward his treatments.

I hated telling him no. “Tell me the details. I’ll think about it.”

“That means no,” he muttered.

I was about to reassure him it didn’t mean no, but my phone buzzed, and an unknown number popped up.

Unknown

Hey, it’s Theo. When’s a good time to meet?

Nadia

Not now.

I didn’t want to deal with him. The fact that he was already pushing to meet meant he wanted to get this over with—as did I—but I wasn’t about to make it easy for him.

Theo

How about tomorrow?

Nadia

Maybe.

Theo

The sooner we meet, the quicker this’ll be over.

Nadia

Pick somewhere you’d go if you were married. Doesn’t matter to me.

Theo

Nope. I never planned on getting married. If I pick, I’ll just choose some cool destination that’s definitely not “honeymoon-y.”

I sighed.

Nadia

Fine. Tomorrow. nine a.m.

I texted him the address of a local café. No way was he getting anywhere near my house—my life stayed private.

***

When I arrived at the café, Theo was already set up with his laptop. I had to admit, he looked good—focused, intense, and annoyingly charming.

His brow was furrowed in concentration, fingers flying across the keyboard like whatever he was working on might detonate if he hesitated. There was something about the way he tucked his bottom lip between his teeth when he was thinking.

As I walked up to the table, I greeted him quietly. “Hi.”

“Oh, hey. I would’ve gotten food, but I didn’t know what you liked. Want anything?” he quickly responded.

“I’m fine, I ate before I left,” I lied.

“You sure? I don’t mind.”

I gave in.

“Green tea and a chocolate muffin.” I sighed, letting him know I was a little annoyed, but the muffin wasn’t for me—Nathan loved them, and we didn’t splurge often.

Theo handed me his laptop. “Here are some places I’ve researched. Take a look.”

He seemed a little ~too~ eager about this. It was weird.

As I started scrolling, a message popped up on his screen:

Etta Meyers

What’s your new assignment? Where are you going, and when do we get to see you again?

I ignored it. Not my business.

I clicked through the destinations. One was in Oregon—great, cross country.

That was a hard no. Next was somewhere in the Midwest, then the South, and finally a local spot.

***

“What do you think?” he asked as he set my drink and muffin on the table.

I shrugged. “Not the West Coast.”

“Why not?”

“It’d mean being gone too long. I couldn’t be away that long,” I said, not wanting to give him more information about my personal life.

“You ~can’t~ or you ~won’t~?” he said in a mocking tone.

“Both. I have responsibilities. I don’t want people asking where I am or when I’ll be back like they do with you.”

“You just need to be more adventurous.”

“I don’t have that luxury. You get to chase freedom, while I have to stay grounded,” I snapped.

Theo sighed. “Fine. Where would you be okay going?”

“Nowhere west of the Mississippi.”

The silence between us was heavy. I could tell he didn’t like that answer, and he was holding back from saying something.

“If I’m not needed, I’ll go,” I said. I wasn’t going to stay here if he didn’t want my input.

He just stared at his screen. As I stood up to leave, he grabbed my hand.

“You ~are~ needed,” he said quietly. “I’m just trying not to say something I’ll regret. Traveling makes me feel alive. I’m not used to anyone else having a say.”

“Well, get used to it,” I said as I sat back down.

“Same goes for you. You could board your damn dog instead of whining about your responsibilities,” he snapped.

I froze.

“It’s not a dog, Theo. It’s my brother. Maybe think before being a complete ass. The world doesn’t revolve around you.”

He looked away, ashamed. For a second, I felt brief satisfaction.

“Just pick the locations,” I said. “But this job? It gets thirty days. That’s all I’m giving it.”