Page 49 of The Calendar of New Beginnings (Dare Valley #9)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

M oira finished up her call for a potential job in Denver and tried to whoop and holler about the offer they’d laid out.

She’d crushed the interview last week. Blown them out of the water.

Now they were offering her a fabulous position with greater responsibility and a better title.

Plus, the offer was in her salary range and came with great benefits.

She’d told them she would think about it.

But it wasn’t the job she wanted. It was, at best, a good Plan B.

What in the world was taking Chase Parker so long to get back to her?

She’d run into Evan at Margie’s bakery the other day, but he’d held up his hands and said the ball was in Chase’s court.

She’d gritted her teeth to keep from asking more questions.

The man was thorough. Industry standards suggested good human resource practice was to ask for three references.

Chase had asked for five and checked them all personally, which showed his seriousness.

A man of his position didn’t usually check references.

She was so fed up with the waiting. Being without work gave her way too much time to think about things.

She needed to take a second Latin dance class or something to release all this frustration.

The doorbell rang, and Moira went to answer it, grateful for a distraction.

She was surprised to see Lucy on the other side of the door. “Hi, Moira,” she said, sounding a little nervous.

Of course, Moira knew why she would be nervous. Her mother was deeply upset about the fight between Lucy and her mother. “Hi, Lucy. If you’ve come to see Mom, she’s out at the store.”

She shifted on her feet. “I’m here to see you, actually.”

Moira tilted her head, puzzled. Something told her this wasn’t a social call. “Okay. Come in. We can talk in the kitchen.”

Once Lucy was settled at the table, Moira asked if she wanted anything to drink. Lucy’s request for water confirmed she wasn’t here for a drink and a laugh.

Moira set the glass of water in front of her and sat down beside her. “What’s on your mind, Lucy?”

Her exhalation was more an explosion of pent-up energy. “I just spoke with my mother about the calendar, and it’s going forward as I’d envisioned. I assume your mom mentioned the fight.”

“In epic terms,” she said, making a face. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Lucy said, running her finger over the blue flowers on the white tablecloth. “Things are better. For the moment. We still have a long way to go.”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Moira said, wishing she had more than clichés to offer.

“So…about the calendar,” Lucy continued, taking a quick sip of her water. “You might have wondered what was going on at Jill’s photo shoot.”

Moira blanked. “You’ll have to help me out here. ”

Lucy laughed self-consciously. “So, you didn’t realize I was having trouble taking photos that day?”

“You seemed pretty nervous, and I remember you having some issues with your new camera, but I don’t remember thinking anything was wrong.”

“Whew!” Lucy put her hands on her head and laughed a little harder. “I told your brother I was sure you were on to me, but he said you hadn’t said a word to him.”

On to her? “Lucy, now I’m really confused. Help me out here.”

Lucy lowered her hands to the table and gripped the edge. Moira’s gaze flew to her face, and suddenly she knew the other woman was about to confess something big.

“Let me tell you why I returned to Dare Valley. And why I need your help with the calendar.”

And so she began. Halfway through her story, Moira extended her hand to Lucy.

When Lucy’s voice broke at this small gesture of compassion, Moira knew she had been right to give it.

Usually when someone was telling her a difficult life story at her work, she tried to keep a step back from them.

But this was her brother’s girlfriend. One of her idols.

Moira felt tears gather in her eyes as Lucy described her fears about taking photos again. She found her heart breaking a little for this brave woman she admired so much. Moira enjoyed photography, but it was Lucy’s life and blood.

“I’m going to do the calendar,” Lucy continued after drinking more water, “but I talked to my mother about having you help me. You…understand what it’s about. Because of Kim.”

She really had to blink back the tears this time. Kim had been a shining light in all of their lives and when she’d died, it had felt like the sun had been stolen from their family.

“I’d be happy to help,” Moira told her, clutching her hand. “Lucy, I know I’m not as good as you are. I never could be. But I’ll do my best.”

“We’ll figure it out together,” she said, returning the grip.

“I don’t want these photos to suffer because of my current limitations, and I know you can help offset those.

I’m still adjusting to the electronic finder, but the biggest issues are that it’s hard for me to see whether the lighting is right and if the picture is blurry as I shoot. There could be a problem?—”

“But you can’t distinguish it as easily on the fly,” Moira finished. “I can’t imagine how horrible this must be for you.”

Truthfully, she was amazed Lucy had even agreed to do the calendar in the first place. Now she understood why Andy had told her to give Lucy some space.

“The only people who know about my…situation are your brother, Tanner—because he’s been in the same hot spots and gets it—and my mother,” she said, “although I expect my dad will know soon enough. I need to tell him the whole story myself, but it’s…been a day.”

Moira nodded. “No doubt. I’ll help you any way I can. I don’t want you to worry. I have your back.”

Lucy gave her a weak smile. “You Hales.”

The way she said it made Moira smile back. “What are you going to do long-term? About your career.”

“That’s the million-dollar question,” Lucy answered, suddenly pushing out of her chair like she couldn’t be contained any longer.

Moira let go of her hand and stood. “You should head on home, drink some wine, and take a bath. We can talk about the calendar in more detail when you’re ready. ”

Lucy reached for her oversized bag hanging on the back of her chair.

“I wanted to show you my choices for the three volunteers so far. I…showed Andy, but he doesn’t have a photographer’s eye.

And your mother liked them… We won’t talk about what my mother said yesterday.

We came to a new understanding today. They need to be touched up a lot more than usual, but I hope what they’ve captured is as good as I think. ”

Lucy’s hand was trembling as she drew the photos out and arranged them in a row on the kitchen table. Moira immediately zeroed in on the photo of Jill.

“Wow! You captured Jill perfectly. I’ve never seen her softer or more timeless.”

“Whew, that’s a relief,” Lucy said, a smile dancing on her lips like she couldn’t quite sustain it.

Moira peered closer, studying the remaining two.

“The one of Old Man Jenkins almost breaks your heart, doesn’t it?

It should be funny, right? A ninety-year-old guy is sitting with nothing but an American flag in his lap.

But there’s wisdom and power here. You want to sit at his feet as he tells you how to navigate this thing called life. ”

“Exactly!” Lucy said, and Moira heard excitement in her voice.

She turned back to the third photo. “I don’t know Rhett as well as Jane, but I’ve gotten to know him some. I have to say you captured a vulnerability I expect few have ever seen in him. He’s such a force of nature, you know?”

“But here he is, holding the poker cards given to him by the uncle who taught him the game.”

“It’s wistful and haunting and ridiculously sweet,” Moira said.

“But technically,” Lucy pressed. “I still think there are a few places to improve.”

Moira leaned over them, starting at the outer edges of the photo and then going to the center. “There’s the smallest shadow on Jill’s left cheek. And I would sharpen the color of the fruit in her hat a little more to add punch.”

When she straightened and looked up, she realized Lucy was brushing tears away.

“Hey!” Moira said, putting her hand on her arm. “I can’t tell you it’s going to be all right, but I’m here to help.”

Lucy bit her lip and nodded bravely. “Can I leave these with you? I have other copies. I’d like you to take your time with them. I can send you the electronic files when I get home.”

“That would be great,” Moira said, giving her an encouraging smile.

“Well, I’d better run. You’re right. It has been a long day. And I haven’t even talked to your brother yet.”

“What did he do?”

“Besides visit my mother as an emissary of peace while she was in the hot tub?” Lucy asked, rolling her eyes.

Moira couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. “I hope he burned his eyes out. I mean, I love my brother, but sometimes he gets these ideas in his thick skull about fixing things.”

“I know!” Lucy said, and they shared a smile of understanding. “But he’s pretty great, and it did end up helping. I’m trying to decide how angry I am.”

“We’ve all struggled with that conundrum at one point or another,” Moira said. “You’ve known him forever, so you know he means well. I’m sure you’ll find a way to draw the line with him.”

“One would hope,” Lucy said, pulling her into a hug. “Thanks, Moira. I was so scared to tell anyone what was going on with me, which is why I kinda…kept you at arm’s length. I’m sorry about that. I hope we can be friends.”

“That would be great, Lucy,” Moira said, wishing she could high-five herself. “I’m honored you trusted me enough to ask for my help with the calendar.”

“Well,” Lucy said, shrugging, “you Hales are a pretty special lot. Tell your mom I said hi.”

“Will do,” Moira said and saw her to the door.

As she walked back to the kitchen, she was smiling. Lucy O’Brien had just agreed to be her friend and let her help with the calendar photos. Talk about awesome.

She scanned the photos again. It felt good to be involved in something that mattered.

If she got the job at the Artemis Center, her whole career would be devoted to making a difference in the world.

She’d had a long time to self-reflect over the past several weeks, and no question, that was what she wanted.

Dammit, Chase Parker! Call me back and offer me the job, she thought. You know you want to.

Then she realized she wasn’t going to give him another day to call her. She had an offer in hand. Why not call and tell him about it?

When he came on the line, she went for honesty. “I have a pretty competitive offer from another company in Denver. You checked five of my references personally. How much longer are you going to take to offer me this position?”

Because her gut told her the job should be hers.

“Hello to you too, Moira,” he said in that even-Steven baritone voice of his. “Evan said you were pestering him for a progress report at the bakery.”

She made a face. Good thing he couldn’t see it over the phone. “I don’t pester. I ask reasonable questions. ”

“Oh,” he said, sounding amused. “Is that how you’d qualify the question you just asked me?”

“Truth or dare,” she said, putting it all out there. “When was the last time you personally checked five references on someone?”

“You mean other than the defense minister of the former Yugoslavia?” he asked blandly.

She knew better than to ask if he was joking. “Exactly.”

“Our HR director sent the offer to our lawyers for final review yesterday,” Chase said. “I’ll give them a call and make sure they know I want the final copy ASAP. Would that be agreeable to you, Ms. Hale?”

More than. She executed a salsa step, grinning like a loon. “You can call me Moira,” she told him primly to get his goat, “and yes, it would be.”

“I’m going to like working with you,” he said, chuckling softly over the line.

“You’d better have put together a better offer than the other one I have on the table,” she told him. Okay, she wasn’t planning on taking it regardless, but still… He needed to understand what others were willing to offer.

“Don’t try and bluff me. You don’t want that other job, but you’ll be happy to know Quid-Atch has a reputation for offering its people top dollar. It encourages company loyalty and productivity.”

God, he was attractive when he talked all corporate like that. “Don’t forget about employee retention.”

“Exactly.” His soft chuckle made her smile. “Did I mention top executives receive signing bonuses?”

She jumped in place. Forget the salsa. “No, you forgot to mention that,” she replied, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

“Care to ask what that might be?” he said, the glee apparent in his tone now. “I have a mind to break through that exterior reserve you put on so well.”

It couldn’t be that much, could it? Normal signing bonuses ran anywhere from two to ten thousand in her line of work. But this company wasn’t exactly normal. “Okay, shoot.”

“Are you sitting down?”

There was no mistaking it. He was laughing at her. “I’m fine standing.”

He named the number. Moira’s knees gave out, and she struggled her way into a chair. For a moment, the only thing she heard was the buzzing in her own ears. Holy freaking baloney.

“Are you still there? I assume that’s acceptable since you don’t have a witty comeback for me.”

He had her number all right. “Does it come with a company car?” she asked, just to be punchy.

He sputtered, and this time she laughed silently.

“In Dare Valley? Please. You’ll have to drive like two miles at best.”

“But I’ll be working in a high-tech facility,” she pressed, loving the process of negotiation, particularly with him. “Evan has a Maserati.”

“This week,” Chase said with a sigh. “And Moira? The whole car ploy is a no-go, but please do keep those kinds of tactics in mind when you’re meeting with potential donors to the Artemis Center. I like people who push for more.”

Oh yeah, this was going to be fun. “I’ll look forward to seeing the offer.”

“Really?” he drawled. “Please don’t sign it in purple ink. I understand from Evan that your cousin Jill has a fondness for purple tutus. I wasn’t sure whether an affection for that particular color runs in the family. I’ll only have to send back the contract, you see.”

“I don’t have a purple pen—or purple tutu, for that matter—so you’re safe,” she said dryly, tucking away the reminder that Evan apparently shared a great deal more than business impressions with Chase.

“Thank God. We’ll talk again once everything is official. You can jump up and down and cheer now.”

He hung up. And she did jump up and down, shouting the numbers of the signing bonus out loud.

She was going to be able to do something meaningful in the world, and that was important.

But she was also going to be able to pay for her new car in cash.

Like the calendar she was helping Lucy with, she had the makings of her own new beginning in Dare Valley.