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“Oh, excellent. I was hoping you’d have some leads. Why don’t you talk to your parents about these ideas and see if they’d be interested in being a test case for this new process? I’ll have to get a few things going here before I leave for my trip, so keep their expectations as tempered as possible, but I have a good feeling.”
The smile that crossed my face threatened to split my cheeks in two, but I couldn’t help it.
“Thank you, Paula, I mean, for everything. For taking a chance on me, trusting me with the gala and something so new to me, for listening to me and my ideas now. I’m just so thrilled to be staying here and working with you.”
Paula’s typical warm smile returned to her face.
“It’s going to be great new year. Now, why don’t you plan on ending your internship at the end of the week as scheduled, so you can go home and help with the holiday season at your parents’ store like you had planned? We’ll get your paperwork to HR and put your first official day as the new Associate for Fundraising Initiatives as the first Monday after the start of the new year.”
I nodded. “That sounds great. It’s funny, I came here not being able to wait for a break from the store and now, I can’t wait to get back and work some shifts.”
“You know, that doesn’t sound funny to me at all. It sounds like someone who’s rediscovered their love for the place that made them who they are today. Now, get out of my office. Someone’s just given me a lot more work to do.”
Paula softened this with a smile, and I got up, trying to keep myself from bouncing all the way down the hall to my cubicle.
I took my phone out of my desk drawer, pulling up my text thread with Hayden.
Hayden (8:24 AM): I hope your coffee was extra delicious this morning. Can’t wait to see you tonight.
(Charlotte loved this message at 9:17 AM)
Charlotte (3:46 PM): I have some great news. I can’t wait to tell you. See you at home.
I sat back down at my desk, clicking into our project management software, refreshing myself with the fundraisers the fund had coming up soon. It was time to shake down some donors. The IBA had big goals and a new official employee to make them happen.
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Hayden
I reached the condo door, finding it already unlocked, and followed the sound of music to Charlotte’s room. I hadn’t answered her text from this afternoon, leaving the office as soon as I could to find out what “great news” meant in this case.
I pushed open the door to find Charlotte dancing around the room, a cardboard box in the middle of her bed, as she put the many books she had collected over the past several months in it. I felt my stomach drop. Why was she packing?
“Knock, knock,” I said, my knuckles knocking on the door at the same time. Smooth, Brandt, real smooth.
“Hey babe, you’re home!” Charlotte exclaimed, rushing over toward me to give me a kiss on the cheek before returning to her box.
“So, how did it go today?” I asked cautiously.
“It went so great. Paula absolutely loved the co-op community-owned idea. She’s hoping we can use Ridge Reads as a test case.”
“That’s great news,” I said, hoping the cheer in my voice didn’t sound forced. “So, you’re headed back to Holly Ridge to head that up?”
“Oh, no”—she stopped moving around the room and looked up at me—“didn’t you get my text? I said I had great news.”
“Right… and when you said she loved the idea that would save your parents’ store…”
“Oh, duh. Sorry, I have so much adrenaline rushing through me, which is why I started packing, because I hate packing. She did ask me if I wanted to work on that project, but I realized I wanted the fundraising job more. So I’m staying here, in DC, and going to keep working with Paula. The fundraising arm will help raise funds for the co-op community store initiative, so I’ll still be helping Ridge Reads, but this way, I’ll be helping stores everywhere, which is what I came to DC and the IBA to do. So, you see, great news.”
“Okay, yes. Great,” I said, still confused. If she was staying, why was she packing? What did that mean?
Charlotte examined my face closely. “How did your meeting go? You seemed so positive this morning when you texted?”
“Oh, it went really well. Duncan was supportive of my idea, and actually wants me to do it through his company. There are some details to work out, but I’ll be staying in DC too, it looks like.”
“Hayden, that’s amazing!” Charlotte bounded back over to me, smacking a kiss on my lips this time, pulling away before my brain could catch up.
