Page 102 of Christmas in Paradise

“Next time.” With a last kiss he climbs into his truck, and I go to my car.

I’m halfway to Paradise High School when my phone rings and Carson’s name appears on the screen. I send it to Bluetooth and answer.

“Are you sitting down?” he asks without a hello.

“I’m driving, so yes.”

“Pull over. You’re not going to want to sit when I tell you my news. You’ll want to dance.” Carson’s excitement pulses across the miles between us.

I check my rearview mirror, then swerve to the side of the road, my heart pounding with possibility. “Okay. Tell me.”

“I’ve been on the phone all morning with people who want to schedule Pizzazz for weddings and other events. Mostly weddings.” He pauses, I assume to give me time to process what he’s saying.

“Does that mean what I think it means?” I grip the steering wheel, waiting for Carson to say what I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s going to say, but still afraid of that one percent chance I could be wrong.

“I need you full time.” The smile in his voice is audible.

I clasp my hands together and close my eyes, letting relief wash over me in a soothing warm wave.

“Are you dancing yet?” Carson asks.

“I think I’m in the tearing-up phase.” I wipe at my eyes. “I wanted this so much, Carson.”

“Me too, Hope. For you as much as for me.” His voice cracks, and how could this not be my dream job with a man like Carson as my boss?

“Thank you, Carson.”

“Don’t thank me before I give you the details. You may decide this isn’t the right job for you, and that’s okay if you do.” His voice turns serious, and I sit up straighter.

“I doubt that but tell me.”

“There’s a lot of people wanting to come here, but I didn’t expect people to want us to help them from other locations—I've had a dozen inquiries about whether we schedule other destinations.” Carson lets out a loud breath. “It’s got my wheels spinning,” he says with a nervous, but excited, laugh.

Then he gets serious again. “If we can position ourselves to take that on, I could hire you full-time, but you would need to do the traveling if Steve and I are going to keep up with the local things here. Having you in Kansas all these months has shown all of us that you can work remotely, which is part of why I can even consider these out-of-town requests, but I know it’s not what you were hoping for.”

If Carson thinkshishead is spinning, mine is revolving faster than one of those throw-up rides at the county fair. I don’t know if I’m feeling woozy with excitement or anxiety. Traveling was not ever part of the job plan.

“Most of the pre-work can be done from wherever you decide to work, but the job will require travel,” Carson finishes.

I let hiswhere you decide to worksink in. “So, you wouldn’t need me in the office?”

“Right,” he says carefully. “If you need to stay in Kansas so you have your mom’s help with Charly when you have to travel, we can make that happen.”

I suck in my breath. Carson has anticipated the exact problem I’m already worried about.

“That’s not to say I wouldn’t love to have you in the office,” he rushes to add. “And I know you have help here, but I want you to know I’ll do what it takes to work with Charly’s needs.”

“I appreciate that, Carson.”

We both go quiet. The million thoughts swirling in my head make the only noise I can hear.

“Hope?”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t have to decide right this minute.” His voice is bright and hopeful, which quiets my own worries. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you. You’ve got the skills to work at any event planning company. Or start one of your own.”

“Thanks, Carson. That means everything to me.”

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