Chapter 26
Samantha was perusingjob listings when her phone rang. Absurdly, her first thought was that it was Brent calling to call the whole thing off.
But it wasn’t Brent. It was Cindy.
“Hadn’t heard from you in a while,” Cindy said. “Wanted to check in, see how things were going.”
“Things are good. Hey, do you know anyone looking for a secretary or a receptionist?”
“Why, did you get fired?”
Samantha laughed. “No, but thanks for thinking that.”
“Sorry.” Cindy was quiet for a moment. “The only thing I can think of is that Pearl is just about to retire. But that’s not a full-time gig.”
It took Samantha a second to place who Pearl was, but then she had it. The church secretary. She laughed. “What, does she work like three hours a week? For free?”
“No, no. She gets paid. She pretty much runs the place. But she only works three days a week, I think, and I know you can’t live on part-time pay, even if it’s a good wage.”
No, but she might be willing to try if it would get her away from Denise and Miranda.
“Let me ask around. See what I can come up with.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“You bet. So how is everything going?”
“Good. Still clinging to the wagon. This is day sixteen.” Saying it aloud sent a thrill through her. This was the longest she’d gone without a drink in years. “I’m super nervous about tomorrow night, though, so I’m glad I’m going to spend all night looking for a job, or those nerves might drive me to drink.”
“What’s happening tomorrow night?”
“Oh! I’m sorry! I can’t believe I didn’t tell you. Well, Brent has certainly picked up some speed with his Shakespeare deliveries. It’s been a busy week. He’s sent me chocolates, like crazy expensive ones from Portland, and he tied balloons to my car and bought me coffee, and he asked me to dinner tomorrow night.”
“Whoa.”
Samantha giggled. “Yeah. That’s what I said too.”
“Well, I’ll be praying that nerves won’t stop you from having a fantastic time.”
“Not to doubt the power of prayer, but I expect to be a nervous wreck. Especially because I know it’s Brent. If I didn’t know who it was, I’d be nervous about whether or not I’d like him. Instead, I know that it’s Brent and I know that I’m madly in love with him. I also know all the things that could go wrong.”
“What do you mean? What could go wrong?”
“He could leave me again.”