Kat smiled at Jamie as she came out of her room. "Hey, pretty lady," she teased her best friend. "You have a date tonight?"
Jamie flushed and glanced down at her blouse and skirt. "Actually..." She hesitated.
Katherine's eyes widened. "Seriously? With who? Whom?" She looked puzzled before casting that thought aside. "Edmund?"
"No," Jamie said harshly. "Emmet." She bit her lip and waited for the teasing sure to follow.
Her best friend simply smiled. "Cool. In that case, I don't feel so bad for going to hang out with some friends tonight."
Jamie raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Yeah, Keith and Neil and I are getting together to discuss guitars. It'll be like old times." Katherine grinned. "Remember when we met them, and I said I didn't really like Keith because he was too crazy? God, that feels like a lifetime ago."
Smiling slightly at the memory, Jamie laughed shortly. "You also said Neil was, like, too old for you but you didn't want to date Keith or whatever. And your guitar was better than Neil's. Yeah, I remember."
Katherine flushed slightly. "Yeah, well, silly me."
Jamie watched her friend busy herself with her makeup. "Kat?" she asked, starting to get suspicious.
"Yeah?" Katherine asked innocently. "When did you start calling me that? That's Keith's name for me."
"What aren't you telling me?" Jamie asked.
Katherine delicately applied lip gloss and smiled hesitantly. "Nothing, hon. I promise."
"I'm the psychologist here," Jamie teased her. "I can see right through that. Are you...have you started dating Keith?!" Her eyes widened.
"Speaking of you being the psychologist," Katherine said suddenly, "you have mail."
Jamie frowned. "What? Don't change the subject."
"No, really. It's from a counseling place in New York." Katherine motioned to the counter. "You should read it."
Jamie hesitated before going to the counter and ripping open the envelope addressed to her. She read silently before glancing up, her eyes huge. "Kat," she whispered, "it's a job offer. Since I'm first in my class, they want to offer me a job at Collings Counseling. New York City."
Katherine's mouth hung open. "Oh my stars," she breathed. "What are you going to-"
A knock at the door surprised them both. Jamie rushed to open it and smiled. "Hey, Emmet, come in. I just have to... Be right back."
Emmet smiled and stepped inside. "No problem," he said easily.
Jamie turned to Katherine. "Will you help me?" she asked, a touch desperately.
Katherine followed her into her bedroom. Jamie sat down on her bed and put her face in her hands. "Kat." She breathed, in and out, slowly. "Oh my god. I can't do this."
"Do what?" Katherine asked, confused. She ran her hand over Jamie's back, soothingly.
"What if... What if I take the job in New York, and then I have to leave here, leave you, and Emmet, and my hometown, and I break not only my own heart, but if I date Emmet, then his as well, only adding to Edmund's broken heart...my list will stretch on and on, and Kat, what if I don't get the job? What if they turn me down? Jobs are hard to come by..." Jamie found catching her breath hard and drew in a ragged breath before coughing hoarsely.
Katherine raised her eyebrow. "Should I tell Emmet it might take a few minutes?"
Jamie nodded as a tear squeezed out of her eye. "Or maybe that I'm sick and can't go at all." Her chest was rising and falling quickly now.
Katherine walked out of the bedroom and shut the door securely.
Emmet took one look at her face and stepped forward, worried. "What's the matter?"
"She got a job offer." Katherine sighed.
"That's great," Emmet said immediately, confused. "Right?"
"It's in New York." Katherine sighed again, longer, lingering. "She's worried that she'll break your heart."
Emmet gaped at her a moment before regaining his composure. "Can I...talk to her?"
"Please," Katherine said, motioning to the bedroom.
Emmet shut the door behind him. "Jamie," he said softly.
Jamie's head snapped up in shock. "What are you doing in here?" she demanded, attempting to dry her face.
He smiled and grabbed her wrist. "Don't worry about your tears," he murmured. "It's okay. You can cry."
"Did Kat tell you?" Jamie asked.
"Yes." Emmet hesitated. "And if you think that you shouldn't explore any job because of me..."
"It isn't just you, Emmet," Jamie said impatiently. "Its...my whole life is here. Everyone I love, every place I've ever set foot. Every school I've ever been to. Everything. All here." More tears filled her eyes. "And New York is an incredible, fantastic opportunity, but I just don't know..."
Emmet smiled. "Hey. Hey. It's fine. You know you have time, right?"
Jamie shrugged and got up to look out the window. "I'm ruining your date," she said quietly, watching the sun set slowly.
He walked over behind her and turned her around before grabbing her hand. "Want to dance?"
"What?" she asked, wiping her face dry and leaving confusion spread across her face.
He twirled her and laughed. "We could dance here. In the sunset. How cute would that be?"
Jamie finally cracked a smile. "It would be like a cheesy Hallmark movie," she agreed. "We don't have music."
"I'm offended," Emmet exclaimed. "I'm a singer, remember?"
She narrowed her eyes. "You really want this to be our first date?"
"The way I see it, we've been on about ten dates now." Emmet grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Ice cream dates."
Jamie rolled her eyes but laughed. "Yeah, sure. The ones where we discussed psychology and such?"
"Yup." He twirled her again. "Want to dance?"
"Sing something first," she commanded.
He thought for a moment. "What should I sing?"
"Something from Celtic Thunder," she suggested. "I've never heard anything by them."
Emmet let go of her hand and stared at her in shock. "How long have we known each other again?" he demanded. "How could you not have looked us up?"
She laughed. "Just sing."
After studying her for a moment, Emmet pulled Jamie to him and began singing in her ear. "When I'm less than I should be... And I just can't face the day... When darkness falls around me, and I just can't find my way...."
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Katherine smiled at the sound of singing before pulling out her phone. "I'm leaving now. Still meeting with Neil and me?"
Keith texted back moments later. "which guitars should i bring?"
She smiled. "Your favorite. See you soon!"
----
Keith bit his lip and thought for a moment, looking around his studio. "I'll just bring my five favorite," he decided. After grabbing a couple, he turned to take them out to his car before turning back. "Maybe...my favorite six." He nodded before packing up his car.
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Whoa! So finally something happens between Emmet and Jamie! Woo hoo! Took me long enough. Love you all