Chapter Two
Eva
Isurvey my apartment, which is in complete disarray. Boxes sit half packed on every piece of furniture and scattered across the carpet like forgotten intentions.
I’ve poured everything into getting prepared to hit the ground running in New York City. After handling all the legal paperwork and filing it with the state, I dived straight into building a brand, starting with a logo and website.
To say I’m nervous is an understatement. Hand me a sketchbook and an empty space, and I’ll create something unforgettable. But this? This is different. This is me selling myself. And that’s unfamiliar territory.
The company I just left always led with their brand. It gave me the freedom to focus purely on design. I didn’t choose the clients or the direction; I simply executed what had been asked of me.
But now I want more. I want the freedom to pursue the kind of work that lights me up.
I’ve wavered so many times, unsure if I was truly ready to take this leap. It was my brother, Walker, who finally pushed me to go for it.
I honestly don’t know what I would do without him. He’s my protector. My biggest cheerleader. Our parents are deeply traditional, conservative people. They’ve never supported my decision to focus on my career. Not when there are so many eligible bachelors, they think I should be marrying.
But Walker gets it. He understands I never want to be financially dependent on a man. If I ever do get married, it’ll be because I choose to, not because I need to.
My phone rings from somewhere across the room.
“Shoot,” I whisper to myself as I tiptoe to the opposite side of the room, dodging boxes and piles of bubble wrap.
I find it underneath a blanket in the corner of my couch. Walker’s name flashes across the screen.
I smile as I hold the phone to my ear. “I was just thinking about you.”
His light laughter rings in my ear. “All good things, I hope.”
“Of course. You know I save all my anger for Mom and Dad.”
“Don’t I know it? How’s it going?”
I look around at the mess. “Just trying to pack up my life of nine years.”
I’ve been in Chicago since my freshman year of college. I’m twenty-seven now. There’s an emotional element to packing up the life that I built here. I feel it deep down in my soul thatI’m making the right move, but this place helped make me the woman I am today.
It’s never easy, closing a chapter in your life that means so much to you.
“And you were wishing you had my organizational skills there with you,” he jokes.
“Ha! Yeah, right. Like I’m going to rely on someone who hires someone to manage his life for him.”
“Watch it. I don’t hire people to doeverything.”
“The fact that you have to clarify that it’s noteverythingmeans you’re a spoiled brat.”
I love my brother, but he has come into a lot of money as the top corporate lawyer in the city. He hasn’t had to live like a normal working-class citizen in a long time. He has his meals prepped for him, his laundry washed, his penthouse cleaned.
“Whatever. I didn’t call to argue,” he huffs.
“Really? What did you call me for?” I ask, holding the phone between my ear and shoulder as I grab a few more items to place in the box in front of me.
“I got you an interview,” he says, sounding pleased with himself.
I swear, men want a standing ovation for every minor accomplishment. It’s a miracle he gets out of bed without a cheering section to celebrate the sheer effort it must take.
“You know why I’m making this move,” I remind him. “It’s so I can finally work on projects that excite me—that aremine.”