He lets out a dramatic gasp. “Old man? You wound me, MJ.” He flexes his arms like he’s in a commercial, which only makes me laugh harder. “Do I look old?”
“Like a fossil,” I shoot back, grinning. “But a lovable one. Don’t worry, Mom still thinks you’re hot.” I grimace and gag a little at the thought.
Devon chuckles, shaking his head. Then, his expression softens as he watches me fuss with the dip. “So, any word on that job interview yet?”
The question is like a punch to the gut and my hands freeze on the cheese. I force a smile that doesn’t quite make it to my eyes. “Nope. Never got a call back.” I try to keep my voice light, but the lump in my throat betrays me. “Guess I wasn’t good enough for them.”
Devon’s brow furrows. He sets his beer down and steps closer, nudging my shoulder with his. “Hey. Don’t do that.Even if they didn’t pick you, that doesn’t mean you’re not good enough. It just means they weren’t smart enough.”
I huff out a shaky laugh, blinking quickly before my eyes can betray me. “Yeah, well, doesn’t make it sting any less.”
“Of course it stings. But you’ve got grit, Mya. And that’s worth more than any one company’s decision.”
Just then, Mom walks in, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She takes one look at me and narrows her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Mya’s beating herself up about the job.” My step dad gives her a look that sayshelp me out here, and before I know it, they’ve flanked me, like some kind of motivational tag team.
Mom cups my cheek. “Oh, sweetheart. Listen to me. One job doesn’t define you. You are brilliant and hardworking; anyone would be lucky to have you.”
I glance between them, my chest tightening at the way they’re both looking at me, like I’m capable of so much more than I ever give myself credit for.
“You two really need to take your act on the road,” I murmur, trying to disguise just how much their words mean to me.
Mom laughs, pulling me into a hug. “We’ll be your cheerleaders as long as you need us.”
“Even if it means wearing Cowboys gear,” Devon adds with a groan.
That gets a real laugh out of me, and the heaviness in my chest feels a little lighter.
Devon finally drifts out of the kitchen but Mom lingers, leaning against the counter. Her eyes soften, and I already know what’s coming.
“Hey. There’ll be other jobs. Plenty of others. You’ll find your place.”
I swallow hard, trying to focus on smoothing out the dip. “I know… It’s just hard not to feel like I’m disappointing Dad.” The words slip out before I can stop them.
Mom pushes away from the counter and steps closer, taking my face in her hands again so I have no choice but to meet her gaze. “Sweetie, your father would never see you as a disappointment. He’d be so proud of the woman you’ve become.”
Her reassurance should ease the guilt gnawing at me, but it only makes my throat tighten more. “I want to make him proud. And every time I fall short, it feels like I’m letting him down.”
“You’re not,” she says firmly, her voice carrying that no-nonsense edge I’ve known my whole life. “The only person putting that pressure on you isyou. Your dad would want you to be happy, Mya. That’s all. And I know for a fact he’d tell you the same thing I’m telling you right now.”
Her thumb brushes away the tear I didn’t realize had escaped, and I lean into her hand.
“You carry him with you, Mya,” she whispers. “Everywhere you go, in everything you do.”
My chest aches with the truth of her words. Grief has a cruel way of twisting love into expectation, making me believe that if I stumble, it somehow erases him.
“I’ll try to remember that.”
Mom presses a kiss to my temple, her hand lingering at the back of my head the way she’s done since I was a kid. “That’s all you can do.”
Before I can respond, Tiana struts into the kitchen, tossing her purse onto the counter. She takes one look at Mom holding me like I’m on the verge of collapse and quirks a brow.
“Yikes. Who died?”
I roll my eyes, wiping quickly at my face. “Really, TJ?”
Mom chuckles and gives my arm one last squeeze before stepping away. “I’ll let you girls talk.”