At my in-laws’ 50th anniversary, my mother-in-law announced that my husband would inherit nothing from their $5 million estate because “Mark doesn’t need it.” Ten minutes later

Nine days.

Few things are more irritating than discovering your possible future missed you by a week and a half.

For several days, we existed in an uncomfortable middle ground.

Mark’s opportunity became increasingly real while mine remained hypothetical.

Then his written offer arrived with better compensation than either of us expected.

He slid it across the kitchen counter without smiling.

“Well?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Not without you.”

I believed him.

That mattered.

Then, Tuesday afternoon, my HR director called.

A procurement manager in Aurora had unexpectedly resigned, and another department needed someone with almost exactly my background.

I completed two interviews over four days and tried not to behave like someone refreshing her email every seven minutes.

Meanwhile, Mark’s parents carried on as though nothing had changed.

Wednesday night, Patricia texted him:

Dad’s cardiology appointment tomorrow at 9:15. Don’t forget.

Mark showed me.