Page 49 of The House on Firefly Beach
Mary Alice came walking briskly toward them behind the couple that was leaving. “Oh my goodness!” she said when she saw Sydney. “I haven’t had a minute to spare. I’m so sorry.”
“No worries at all,” Sydney told her. “We can catch up later.”
“Thank you,” she said with relief. “You’re welcome to work here in the office today, if you need a quiet place.”
“I actually have a call,” Sydney said. “It might be good to take it here.”
“Absolutely!” Mary Alice said. Then she turned to Juliana. “Hello. I’m so sorry you’ve had to wait.” She peered down at her watch. “Oh good, I’m not too late.” Mary Alice pushed a smile across her face. “Come on back.”
It was time for her call fromNY Pulse. She was oddly calm about the whole thing. It was so incredibly out of her league that she couldn’t even feel nervous about it. The idea that she could beat out her competition with no real experience, on a single submission, was ridiculous, so she kept her excitement in check. She was more curious to hear what it was about her writing that had interested them.
“Hello, this is Sydney Flynn,” she said, answering the call.
“Ah, hello, Sydney. My name is Amanda Rains. I am the editor-in-chief ofNY Pulse. How are you?”
“I’m doing well, thank you,” she said, her heartbeat rising at the thrill of speaking to Mrs. Rains herself. She’d read about her after submitting, and her experience in the field was unmatched.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Amanda said with authority. “I have to say, I read your submission personally, and I was blown away. The intimacy you created in drawing connections between your family and the elements of renovation actually brought me to tears at one point. I loved the idea of the new layers of paint not covering over, butprotectingthe old, sealing it in, the way we internalize our family values. It was incredible. It’sexactlywhat I’m looking for.”
“Wow,” Sydney said, unable to manage anything else.
“If you’re still interested in the position, I’d want to give you a couple more writing tasks to see what you’ve got, with a pretty quick turn-around to get a feel for what you can produce under a time-limit. And if you can do it, the next step would be to fly you up to New York for a formal interview. What do you think?”
Sydney’s hands were getting sweaty now. This was huge. Probably the biggest opportunity that she’d ever gotten in her life. And she hadn’t even really been trying. It was just a whim, a sort of writing lottery she’d entered with Hallie. She’d never thought for a second she’d actually get a call…
“Would you like some time to think it over?” Amanda asked into the silence.
“Oh,” Sydney said, realizing she hadn’t answered. “I’d love to try to write the pieces for you,” she said, thankful, now, that she was well ahead on her column articles for theGazette.
“Perfect. Shall I send them to the same email from your original submission?”
“Yes, that would be great.” Sydney’s mind buzzed with the reality that this was actually happening.
“Lovely. I’ll get them out to you today. It was so nice speaking to you.”
“Great talking to you too,” she said. “Thank you for this opportunity.”
“You’re welcome. I can’t wait to see what you send me.”
Sydney finished the call and sat in the middle of the empty room at the wellness center, stunned. Had that really just happened? She couldn’t believe it. But once the excitement had worn off, a new fear set in. Was she ready for something like this? Chances were that she might not get this kind of opportunity again. Did she have what it takes?
Mary Alice knocked on the doorframe of Sydney’s open office door and held up the coffee she’d left in the kitchen this morning. “Did you know you left a full coffee on the counter?” she asked, looking completely ragged. Her normally neatly tied-back hair was wispy, her cheeks red, her eyes tired.
“It was for you,” Sydney said with a half smile.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Mary Alice said, coming in and setting it on Sydney’s desk before dropping into the chair across from Sydney. “I was so busy. I’ve got more patients than I have time to see.” She ran her hands down her face and squeezed her eyes shut before looking back at Sydney. “It’s a good problem to have, but I’m not sure what to do.” She leaned forward and popped the lid off the coffee, obviously deciding if it was worth drinking the ice-cold, five-hours-old beverage. She must have decided against it, because she sat back in the chair with a huff. “My mom’s coming to pick me up for dinner,” she said with a smile. “I need a nice night out.”
“I love your mom,” Sydney said. The memories came to mind of Mrs. Chambers bringing them cupcakes with their names on them after field hockey games and dressing up for Halloween in the most extravagant costumes just to make them all laugh.
“She’s going to be very excited to see you,” Mary Alice replied. “She’s asked about you a couple of times since you’ve been back.”
“We should all get together soon.” Sydney closed down her computer for the day. “I’ll walk you out and tell her hello.”
“You’re welcome to grab Robby and meet us for dinner tonight,” Mary Alice offered.
“Thank you, but I should probably get home and make sure Mama doesn’t need any help with dinner.
Just then, Mary Alice’s mother, Susan Chambers walked through the door. She had the same friendly eyes and bobbed hairstyle she’d always had but her amber brown locks were graying now.
