Page 7 of The Calendar of New Beginnings (Dare Valley #9)

CHAPTER THREE

M oira Hale was a little embarrassed of her fangirl moment, but the way Lucy saw the world and photographed it…

few people had that kind of gift. Moira had always admired her for her courage and abilities, but the five-year age difference between them had felt a lot larger when they were kids.

Now that Lucy was home, for however long, Moira hoped they might become friends.

And if she could learn anything about photography from her, she would be in seventh heaven.

She had been watching the door, waiting for Andy and Lucy to walk back in—hoping she was wrong about there being some dire reason for Lucy’s return, knowing she was not—but maybe it was time for another drink.

Something to pass the time until they returned.

She stepped up to the O’Briens’ makeshift bar in the dining room of their house and considered her options.

Her phone vibrated in her jeans pocket again, and she almost cursed aloud.

Her new boss had no right to hound her like this!

Moira reached for something stronger than her earlier Guinness.

An Irish whiskey might remove the bad taste in her mouth from her boss’s ongoing texts, not to mention her worry about Lucy.

“You’re going for the Knappogue Castle single malt?” her brother, Matt, asked, crowding close. “What’s wrong? This isn’t just concern about Lucy. You’ve been checking your phone more than usual.”

Before heading to the O’Briens’, their family had gotten together at Natalie and Blake’s house for an early dinner. She’d stepped out twice to call her boss back.

“No, it’s not only Lucy, although I practically had to shove Andy toward her.”

“I noticed you giving him a pep talk,” Matt said, a half smile on his face. “I knew he was in good hands.”

She nodded, pouring herself a hefty shot of whiskey.

“The other reason is my boss. She’s driving me nuts!

I’ve had a lot of bosses in the past ten years, and not all of them have been a peach to work for.

I always end up winning them over in the end.

But honestly, Taylor Brennan makes all the others look like cupcakes. ”

“She still giving you a hard time?” Matt asked, pouring himself a whiskey. “Jane is driving, so I’ll join you.”

“Yeah,” Moira said, taking a measured sip even though all she wanted to do was knock it back. “I think Taylor is trying to push me out. I’m going to have to start looking for a new job.”

Her brother put his arm around her. “I was afraid of that. Based on everything you’ve told me, there isn’t anything more you can do.”

“No, I think she made up her mind about me in our first meeting,” Moira said, taking another sip of the whiskey, remembering the frigid way Taylor had asked her to summarize her hiring suggestions in the company for the last six months.

“I hate female bosses who see other women as a threat. It’s so freaking old school.

A cliché. Shouldn’t smart, confident women support one another? ”

“She’s obviously insecure as hell and doesn’t want anyone else catching on,” Matt said with a sigh. “Male managers do it too. Hence the Napoleonic syndrome. I saw it all the time at my old law firm.”

Moira was so pissed off she wanted to kick something.

“I’ve made a good name for myself at Peterson Engineering.

” Heck, she’d been promoted three times in the past five years and now served as the human resources director.

“Part of me wants to tough it out just to spite her, but I’m done with all her late-night and weekend texts, last-minute deadline changes, and demands for information she could access on her own. ”

“She’s a bitch,” Matt said, and then glanced over his shoulder. He was probably checking for Danny, who was talking to Jane and Caroline in the corner with their mom. “You’ll have no trouble getting another job.”

“I know,” she said, and this time the burn in her throat was from something other than the whiskey. “I’m going to get a forty percent increase on my salary too. I’m ready for six figures.”

“You go, girl,” Matt said, thrusting out his tumbler. “To bigger and better things.”

“What bigger and better things?” Natalie asked, appearing beside them. “Oh, no. Whiskey, Moira? Weren’t you going to drive home to Denver tonight?”

She gave her older sister the fish eye as she clinked her glass with Matt’s and then took another sip. “Caroline can drive.”

Sure, they’d taken her car, but it wouldn’t be the first time Caroline had driven it back to Denver.

Moira’s phone vibrated again, making her see red.

She slammed her glass on the table and dug it out of her pocket.

Sure enough, Taylor had texted her again, asking if she’d received her last four texts—in all caps this time—noting that she needed the references for the computer programmer candidates they were hiring.

Like the company would end if Taylor didn’t get them on a Sunday night.

Natalie leaned in and peered at the screen. “You weren’t kidding about her being a bitch. By bigger and better, did you finally decide to look for another job? I’ve been hoping you would. That woman has it in for you.”

“Yeah, she knows she can’t fire me. I have one of the strongest performance ratings in the company.

But enough is enough. I can’t keep working with someone like that.

Excuse me while I call her back and tell her how it’s going to be.

” Maybe it was the whiskey talking, but the words felt right.

And it felt liberating to finally walk away.

The mountains seemed to wrap around her when she stepped outside into the O’Briens’ backyard. The calm that washed over her told her this was the right thing to do.

Being as diplomatic as possible, she told Taylor that she was leaving Peterson Engineering for personal reasons, and would tender her official notice tomorrow morning.

Rather than try to talk her out of it, Taylor said she’d prefer for the notice to be effective immediately.

After all, the company would pay out her remaining vacation time.

That slapped Moira back. Taylor wouldn’t even give her the professional courtesy of two weeks to transition everything. Well, so be it.

When Moira ended the call, she noted it had only taken two minutes and thirty-eight seconds to change her life. But she felt free. And lighter.

Turning off her cell phone, she went back inside. Matt and Natalie were waiting for her, anxious looks on their faces.

“I quit,” she told them, “and Taylor is such a bitch she won’t even let me stay around for two weeks to help transition a new person.”

“She probably already has someone in mind,” Matt said, frowning. “Well, at least you’re done with her. You don’t want to work with someone like that. How much vacation do you have?”

“Six weeks,” she told them. “Plenty of time to find a new job.” And the payout would float her financially so she wouldn’t have to dip into her savings. Something to be grateful for.

“I’m proud of you for not staying in a miserable position any longer.” Natalie gave her a hug. “You’re going to find an even better job in no time.”

“Damn skippy I will.”

Caroline, Jane, and her mom came over, followed by her cousins, Meredith and Jill.

“Looks like there’s a celebration, and we’re missing out,” her mom said, ruffling Danny’s hair when he ran over to join them.

“I’ve had it with my boss,” she said, reaching for her whiskey again, “so I just gave my notice, which she accepted. I’m going to find a new job with a nice boss.”

“Good for you,” her mother said, putting her arm around her. “I didn’t like how that Taylor woman has been treating you. If I were her mother, I would have sent her to time out. Matt, pour me a little of that whiskey so I can toast Moira’s decision.”

There was a chorus of agreement from her family.

Moira already felt better. She always did when she was with them.

When Andy returned with Lucy, she’d have to share her news with him.

He was always reminding her life was too short to stay in a bad situation, something Kim’s death had taught them all.

“And do you know what?” she said, lifting her glass. “I’m going to take a spa day in Aspen and then spend some time in Dare Valley. Natalie, do you think I could use one of your cars? Caroline, you’ll have to drive back without me. Mom, can I stay with you?”

“Of course you can, honey,” her mother said in delight. “You deserve some time off in between jobs. Once you’ve rested, you can look for a new job. Maybe you’ll find something in Dare Valley.”

Her siblings all looked at her—they were well aware of their mom’s hope that all her chickens would come home to roost.

“Who knows?” she said to be agreeable to her mother. The last thing she wanted was to take a pay cut or a title dip, something she’d expect from the smaller job pool in Dare Valley. “There might be something.”

Either way, Moira was going to find the best damn job out there.