“That would be my guess. She’s already cleaned off her desk of applicants they’re definitely not considering.”
“That’s… that’s really good news.”
Wasn’t it? Julie didn’t feel as excited as she thought she would. That was probably because she was so mired in trying to make this party a success that she didn’t have time to be anxious about what she would say on a phone call to HR. Those were, essentially, preliminary interviews. Julie was not prepared for this.
“You should be saying, ‘Thank you, Cheryl.’”
Julie smiled and repeated the words. “Thank you, Cheryl. I mean it. But now I’m nervous. And I have to go—more phone calls to make about this party.”
“Ugh. I can’twaitfor it to be over and for you to come back home. Text me.”
“I will,” Julie promised.
The silence in the kitchen after she hung up the phone was oppressive. Shouldn’t she be more excited about the possibility of an interview? This was the job she wanted. But right now, it just felt like one more responsibility.
She opened her to-do list and added one more item:prepare for possible interview.
Then she set about checking off the item just above it. She used the number Ivy had given her to reach Ted. He answered on the third ring.
“Hello?”
“Ted Thorndike?”
“That’s me.”
Nervous insects took wing in her stomach. This shouldn’t be hard. All she needed was a last-minute inspection. She cleared her throat as softly as she could. In the background, she could hear the cat lapping up the cat food and purring.
“I’m Julie Green, Ida’s granddaughter.”
“Oh, Ida! How is the old bird?”
Ted’s friendly tone and the familiarity relaxed her. Even if she did have to fudge the truth a bit by omitting the fact that Gram was sick.
It’s just a little cough.But it could be more than that. Pneumonia, or worse…
Don’t think about it.If it was serious, Gram would go to the hospital.
Julie only half believed herself.
“She’s good,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as thin on the other end as it did to her ears. “She misses the inn, though. Actually, I’m here in town to help her put on one last Christmas Eve party.”
“I heard, and I imagine you’ll be needing a permit, then.”
Relief sagged her shoulders. “Yes. A temporary catering permit.”
“I can run out there tomorrow.”
That would have been a reliefifshe’d had the plumbing fixed. “Actually, tomorrow isn’t good. You see, there’s a problem with the plumbing I need to get fixed, and there’s a chance Ned won’t make it out until the twenty-third. I don’t suppose there’s any chance you could do the inspection the morning of the party?”
She held her breath.
Fortunately, Ted’s response was instant and confident. “No problem. I have nothing booked on Christmas Eve. As long as you get that plumbing issue seen to beforehand, it’ll be smooth sailing.”
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”
Ted chuckled. “It’s no problem, honestly. I’ll get the paperwork started so all I have to do is sign off on the permit the day of. I’m pretty sure the town would string me up if I was the reason you couldn’t put on one of Ida’s parties.”
Julie wasn’t great at small talk, but she managed a few friendly words with Ted, mostly about how her Gram was finding retirement, before she disconnected the call. Her relief was palpable. This was all going to work out.
