The Job Offer - By Eleanor Webb Page 0,3

speak to then waited for her mother to pick up the phone at her end.

"Anne! What a surprise." Her mother began calling Anne by her middle name when she was a toddler much to the relief of Anne’s stepfather. Anne's mother was also named Jane, so to avoid confusion, people called her mother Jane and her by her middle name. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you until this weekend. How are you, sweetheart?" The sound of her mother's voice never failed to comfort Anne.

"I'm fine. How are you and dad?"

"We're both good. We're busy. With the holiday coming up, we will have a packed house again this weekend. In fact, we are booked solid all summer. There are weddings planned every weekend over the next three months, starting this Saturday. With the regular vacationers, too, the place is hopping. Your brother is leaving next week for his two month study abroad program in Italy, so he won't be around to help. That's ok, though. We've got plenty of help lined up for the season. What about you? How is the job hunting going?"

"That's the reason that I called you tonight instead of waiting until Saturday morning. I have a job interview in Seattle on June tenth and hope to stay in the area for the next week until I know if I make it to the final round of interviews."

"That's excellent, Anne. I have hoped that you would look for a job back in Seattle. We don't see you enough, and I miss you. Will you be coming up to Orcas for a few days if you stay?"

"If I can get my flight schedule changed, I will. I'll spend the tenth in Seattle at Carla and Gary's then come up. Will it be a problem if I'm there from the eleventh through the eighteenth or nineteenth?"

"What a question. Of course there won't be a problem. I'll have your room ready for you. With Michael in Italy, the house will be pretty quiet. Do not even think about helping out around the inn this year. Like I said; we have plenty of staff on hand. You just come up and enjoy yourself. Relax and consider it your vacation." Anne could hear some noise in the background and her mother saying something that was muddled by her hand over the receiver. "Listen, Anne. I'd love to talk more but I have to go now. Business calls."

"Ok, Mom. I'll let you know tomorrow if I'll be coming up and staying. Take care and say "hi" to dad and Michael for me."

"I'll do that. Bye, Sweetheart."

The sound of joy in her mother's voice made Anne happy. It was all going to work out for the best. For the first time in a very long time, the apathy that she felt began to lift. She felt excited again. She considered that as she readied for bed that night and slipped on her usual oversized tee shirt. Later as she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror after washing her face and brushing her teeth, Anne saw a light in her blue eyes that had been missing for many years. She smiled at her reflection and watched it reach her eyes. Then she ran a brush through her long brown hair before walking into her bedroom to sit down on the bed so she could apply moisturizing cream to her arms, legs, and feet.

Tomorrow would be her last day working with her latest customer. After tomorrow, she was free to refocus her attention on getting the position back in Washington. The clock in the living room chimed eleven pm. She turned off the ceiling bedroom light then climbed into bed. At this time next month, she thought as she lay there, she could be packing up her apartment for the long drive home. Smiling at the thought, she reached over to turn off the bedside table lamp and snuggled in.

Chapter 2

Anne walked out of Concourse B into the Central Terminal of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and looked out the giant curved wall of windows at the late morning sky. The sun was shining brightly that Sunday morning which was a rarity for Seattle in other times of the year but much more common in the summer months. The sky was a brilliant azure blue clear of clouds except for a few wispy strips of white that streaked up high in the atmosphere. Anne, who was not prone to superstitions, took the nice weather as a