Page 4 of The Summer Arrangement
“I told you… you’re it for me…” Finn pauses for a moment and glances around the room briefly before mumbling, “Fuck it. I had something extravagant planned, but this can’t wait another minute. I love you, Raven Marie Lancaster. I need to spend the rest of my life with you. You’re the fucking sun, the moon, and stars for me. Where you go, I go. Let’s call Seaside our home base. Let’s make a lifeheretogether… Let’s start forever right now. What do ya say…”
He pushes out his chair and suddenly is on bended knee before her, pulling something from his pocket.
Holding out a black velvet box between them, he asks, “Will you marry me?”
Tears streak down Raven’s cheeks as she repeatedly whispers, “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
As the room erupts in hoots and hollers, I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket.
Glancing at the caller ID, I ignore the celebration of my family and quickly dart away from the crowd, to answer it in a quieter place.
Pushing open the sliding glass door, I step out onto our deck. “Hello?”
“May I speak with Elizabeth Lancaster?”
“This is she,” I quickly respond.
“This is Dianne Kruse. My son and I would love to have you join us for a second interview. Would you be available tomorrow?”
Relief floods through me, and I quickly agree to the time and place.
Before I know it, I’m back inside, celebrating more than my sister’s unexpected engagement. The night flies by, leaving me little time to worry about what tomorrow may bring.
It’s been a shit day, and I’m late.
Every single meeting throughout the day went longer than expected, and now I’m rushing across thissupposedlysmall town. I swear, Seaside feels more like rush-hour traffic in Portland, than driving through a lazy beach town along the coast when you’re in a hurry. Out of nowhere, it’s as if every pedestrian comes out of the woodwork. They suddenlyneed tocross the street in random places, stop traffic to practice parallel parking because clearly no one can successfully do it the first time, and every light in this town must turn red, as if it senses my car approaching.
As I stop for yet another pedestrian, I look to the overcast sky and pray for the love of all that is holy, the woman I’m interviewing is as competent as my mother makes her out to be. I’ve already met with two others today and since this is Mom’sfavorite, I’ve chosen to meet with her last to ensure I give my top three picks a fair chance.
Although the first candidate came with good references, there was something off about her when we met in person. She made it through my preliminary interview without Milli, but when Mom brought Milli in to interact with us, Suzie seemed far more interested in continuing our conversations than getting to know my daughter. That was a big turnoff. Milli’s only three, so of course she’s shy at first around new people. But once she gets to know you, she’s quite outgoing. The fact that this woman made no effort toward my daughter is a hard pass.
The second candidate didn’t even make it to meeting Milli. Again, her references were good, and she checked the boxes Mom and I had talked about. But when we started talking about my need for flexible hours due to the music festival I’m organizing, she suddenly got starstruck. No matter how hard I tried to steer the conversation back to my daughter—the reason she was there in the first place—all conversations led back to the possibility of meeting famous musicians in Seaside.
Sure, Smashing Waves Records hosts the Summer Music Festival. And yes, Jax Cartwright, the lead singer of Ruby Frax, made his start at this very festival. With their recent success while touring with Riser, they’ve become a household name. I can’t even say I blame her.
However, that isn’t why she was here.
Clearly, all thoughts of my daughter jumped right out the window. Upon realizing this, I quickly shut the interview down and sent her on her way.
Now, I’m down to one candidate.
Mom leaves in less than a week, and I’m screwed if I can’t find a nanny.
Instead of meeting at my office, Mom set up the meeting at the house, so Milli can get her nap in this afternoon. I’ll admitI’m a little leery after the last interview, but Mom insists she’s found the one. It’s who she wanted in the first place. Hopefully, I’ll feel the same.
I’m extremely protective of my daughter. She’s the greatest thing I never knew I needed in my life. She’s had the keys to my heart since the moment our eyes met. Although I’ve hated uprooting her from the only home she’s known, Milli’s young and resilient. If I can find someone to help watch her, this summer will be a great experience for both of us.
The only way I’ll ever get to see my daughter this summer is by renting a place in Seaside. Commuting two hours each way just isn’t an option, after putting in a full day’s work. I’m bound and determined to find someone who can help lift the load of being a single parent and manage the ins and outs of the festival.
I’m a good father—or at least I try to be. I’ve somehow managed to balance being a solo parent and working my way up at the label, into this new position. If this summer goes well, it’ll allow me to travel less in the coming year, which inevitably allows me to spend even more time with Milli.
Rushing into my driveway, I don’t even bother parking in the garage. Throwing my vehicle into park, I quickly grab the resumé sitting in my passenger seat and look it over once more as I make my way to the front door.
As soon as I realized I would be late, I called Mom. She assured me she’d let this third candidate know about the setback in my schedule. She knows how important it is for Milli to feel comfortable in her surroundings and promised me she would use this time to see how the candidate interacts with my daughter. Unfortunately, Milli has swim lessons in about an hour, so my time to see for myself how Milli responds is limited. Mom and I decided if the interview should proceed, she’d take Milli to swimming lessons, and I’ll finish the interview—if it gets that far.
With my track record, I’m not holding my breath.
From the moment I open the door, I can hear laughter coming from the family room. Milli’s high shrills are mixed in with Mom’s and someone I don’t recognize. Typically, Milli’s the first to greet me when she hears me enter the house. She’s clearly distracted, so I use this time to pause in the hall and listen intently.
