“Move to Chicago!” she declared. “Or how about New York City? That’s the place to go for publishing.”
I walked over to her and took her hands to force her to stop moving. “I’m going to meet with Mr. Cooke tomorrow and if he offers me the job I’m going to take it. It’s only a substitute job, so I’m not declaring a lifelong change of career, just a temporary one.”
She looked relieved and worried at the same time. “But teaching?”
“Why not?” I asked.
“How will you meet any eligible men at a high school? They’re all children there.”
Noah’s face immediately popped into my head, and I forced it out again. My mother is a one-woman band regarding my social life.
Faith returns from the kitchen and forces my attention back to the present. “You look like you’re a thousand miles away,” she says. “Anything you want to talk about?”
I surprise myself by blurting out, “I need to give my notice.” And even though I don’t have the teaching job, I realize my time at Rosemary’s is over.
“What? No!” My boss seems truly sad. “Are you leaving Elk Lake?”
“I’m applying for a job at the high school. They need an English teacher.”
Faith’s energy suddenly shifts. “Good for you!”
Picking up a cloth to wipe the already-clean counter, I tell her, “I don’t have the job yet, but I think it’s the perfect next step for me.”
“Then you’re sure to get it,” she tells me. “And we’ll always be here if you want to pick up any shifts.”
I stop my busy work and look at my new friend closely. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Faith. You and Rosemary’s have been lifelines.”
I can tell she’s touched by the sentiment because she looks like she’s going to start crying. “Are you going to stay at your parents’?” she wants to know.
“Funny you should ask,” I tell her. “I’ve actually decided that I need a break from my mother. As soon as I know I’ve got steady work, I’m going to look for an apartment.”
Her eyes pop open wide as her expression brightens. “The tenant in the apartment upstairs gave notice last week. He got a job in Chicago, and he leaves tomorrow. You should take it!”
Even though my confidence has wavered in the last year, I’vealways believed that the universe provides. That certainly seems to be what’s happening now. “I’d love to see it,” I say.
“I’ll show it to you tomorrow. You just let me know when.”
Shifting from foot to foot, I tell Faith, “I’m going in to meet with Mr. Cooke this afternoon. How much notice do you need me to give?”
With a wave of her hand she replies, “Today can be your last day, if you want. Things slow down in the fall when all the tourists leave, so we can make do.”
My eyes suddenly well up with unshed tears. There are people in this world that my grandmother always referred to as “the helpers.” Faith is that person for me. She gave me a job when I needed one; she’s letting me out of that same job with no notice; and now she’s providing a place for me to call my own, even if it is temporary.
“Thank you, Faith,” I tell her sincerely. “I will always think of you as a friend.”
“That sounds so final. Wearefriends, and with you living right upstairs, I plan on seeing you all the time. Promise me!”
“I promise.” I feel a definite shift happening in my life and I love it. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to think of my future, and even though I don’t know what it holds, I do know that I’m ready to start moving forward again.
CHAPTER EIGHT
NOAH
Last night’s basketball practice has given me a fresh sense of rightness regarding taking this job in Elk Lake. I had started to despair that my decision to leave Chicago was the worst thing I could have done. But now, there might really be something here for me. Seeing the boys’ spark of competitiveness last night has really given me something to hold on to.
“Mr. Riley,” the principal’s voice booms as loudly as ever across the entrance to the school. “How’s our basketball team?”
I take three long strides until I’m standing right in front of him. “Better than they’ve ever been.”
