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Maye wasn’t sure about taking on a role with too much of a commitment, especially with the show she had committed to. “What would the role entail?”

“Well,” Todd fiddled with the notebook in front of him. “It’s a bit of a fluid role…”

Maye could see his brain hard at work. “So you don’t know, right?”

“Not yet,” he admitted. “But it would be super helpful to have someone collect phone numbers and emails all in one place.”

“So,” the role began to take shape in Maye’s mind. “Someone to reach out to people to confirm their volunteer assignments, make sure they know where to be and when, make sure they have their volunteer vest and work gloves, be the point person for questions so they can all funnel through one person, and someone to manage the master volunteer schedule?”

Todd looked up sharply. “Did you just perfectly define the Volunteer Coordinator job description?” He raised his hand for a high five and Maye slapped his hand.

“This seems like something I should be able to manage,” Maye said. “Can I still go to the festival or…?”

Todd rested his elbows on the counter and leaned in toward Maye. “Having fun at Fall Fest is a requirement of the job. Maybe the most important part. Can you handle that?”

“I think so,” Maye smiled. “I’ve got an unused fall themed notebook I‘ve always wanted to use.”

“Great!” Todd extended his hand for a formal handshake. “You’re hired!”

On her way back to her car, she called Tracy. The fun news was piling up and she couldn’t wait to share.

“Hey cuz,” Tracy answered.

“Tracy, you’re not going to believe this. I talked to Chris and Jayce and they want me to go up to Halifax to record a pilot episode of the show!”

“What! That is so cool!” Tracy exclaimed.

“And it gets better,” Maye let the suspense build for a moment. “They said you could come with me!” Maye pulled the phone away from her ear in anticipation of Tracy’s reaction.

Tracy shrieked so loudly that Maye still winced. “Are you serious?? That’s amazing! This is like a dream come true!”

“I know. I am so excited.” Maye said.

“Okay,” Tracy said in a much quieter voice. “I have to go. I’ll call you back. That’s amazing news.”

“Is everything okay?” Maye was concerned at the unexpected shift.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m just getting pulled over,” Tracy said.

“Tracy!” Maye shouted before ending the call.

- 12 -

A Drink at the Bar

For the rest of the week, Maye hung out at home as much as possible. The heat and humidity outside made it easy to stay inside. She even skipped kickboxing to be depressed, which was a harder call than Maye expected. She had come to enjoy dipping her toes into the martial art. By Friday, though, Maye was more than eager to accept Tracy’s invite to meet up for a drink.

After work, Maye went right over to Mangia, where she and Tracy had agreed to meet at the bar. She found a spot at the bar with a few open seats around it and started looking at the drink specials.

“Evening, Maye,” the bartender said as he dropped a couple of cocktail napkins in front of her. “Let me know when you’re ready to order.”

Maye was surprised to be recognized. “Oh, you know my name? I feel like a small-town celebrity.”

Looking at the menu, she considered ordering a fancy seasonal cocktail to match her celebrity status, like a Blueberry Vodka and Basil Smash, or a Pineapple Rum Punch, or maybe even a Summertime Sangria. She usually stuck to a simple glass of red wine.

Maye’s concentration was interrupted by a new text message.

Tracy: