Page 76 of The Best Christmas Choir Ever

“So you’re telling me there’s a music thing you’re horrible at?”

“Horrible is probably a strong word.”

“Pretty sure you told me your brother had to ditch the instrument in the basement in order to save Christmas.”

Charlie turned back to the counter, licking mayo off her finger. “I’d like to think that I picked up a thing or two at Juilliard. I think if I ever found that recorder, I’d be able to get a tune out without making anyone’s ears bleed.”

“Not sure I trust that,” he teased.

“Speaking of instruments,” she said.

Julian wrinkled his nose. “Uh-oh.”

“What?”

“You have the same tone I use when I ask Diane for money.”

Charlie grinned. “It might be a good idea to get some jingle bells for the competition. It’ll make the performance a little more dynamic. Also adds a little sparkle and fun.”

“Well, I’m all about fun,” Julian said. “How much do jingle bells cost?”

“Probably not much. Now that I’m thinking about it,” Charlie said, “the residents might be able to just make something themselves.”

“I like that idea. DIY is always cheaper.”

“And they do like their crafts.” Charlie added fried eggs to the towering sandwiches she was making. Julian glanced to his left, to where Charlie’s laptop was already open. He could probably Google the nearest craft store. Maybe that could be part of what they did this weekend—make a run for jingle bell supplies.

He shifted, pulling the laptop closer. When he touched the mouse pad, the laptop woke to Charlie’s email. He went to open a new tab, but his eyes were drawn to the first message in the inbox. It had been starred as important.

He really didn’t mean to pry. But his gaze locked on the word OFFER, and then he just…kept reading.

The New York Philharmonic? New York City? Rehearsals?

“Charlie,” he said, feeling like someone had knocked him in the head with a rock-filled snowball.

“Yeah?”

“What is this?” His eyes locked on the dates. The proposed rehearsal times overlapped with the choir competition. That meant Charlie would be gone to New York City over Christmas.

She turned away from the stove. She had a piece of bacon on the end of a spatula. He frowned so hard the space between his brows started to ache. She hadn’t mentioned anything about this job offer to him.

“What is what?” she asked. He flipped the laptop around, and her smile fell away. “Oh, that’s something my agent sent over. I promise I haven’t technically committed yet. I’m just reviewing the offer.”

“Looks like you’re pretty committed to me,” Julian said, his pulse quickening. “There’s a contract here.”

Charlie grew quiet.

“Maybe I’m reading this all wrong, but from what I can see, this means you’d miss the competition. Right?”

A muscle in Charlie‘s jaw twitched. “Yes, that’s what it would mean.”

Julian scoffed, rubbing at his eyes. Nothing made sense. “Am I missing something here? You’ve just finished telling me about the damn jingle bells we need for the performance, but you don’t actually intend to be here?”

“First,” Charlie said. “I told you I hadn’t decided yet. And second, it’s not like I’m leaving you in the lurch. The choir has you and Gram for support, and as long as they keep rehearsing, they’ll be ready. And if really necessary, I can video call to see how things are going.”

“Video call?” Julian didn’t know what to say. He’d been with her since last night, and she hadn’t considered telling him any of this.

“Well, yeah,” she said. “I think you and Gram can handle one little performance.”