Page 13 of One Perfect Day in Lovely Bay
‘Is it?’
‘Err, you don’t seem over the moon about it.’
'It's not that I'm not pleased.’
‘What exactly did she offer you?'
As they reached the end of the harbour, Cally nodded at the coffee shop. ‘I’ll fill you in over coffee. It's a bit of a long story.'
Cally pushed open the door to the coffee shop. It was unusually quiet; a few Lovelies were scattered about at various tables here and there and a fabulous aroma of freshly ground coffee beans enveloped them as they walked in. They made their way to a small table tucked away in the corner by the window, where they had a view of the harbour and the sea beyond. As they settled into a couple of worn, comfortable wingback chairs, a local girl approached with a smile.
'Afternoon. Oh, hey, our Cally. How are you?’
‘Good, thanks. You?’
‘Keeping well.’
‘What would you like? Coffees?’
'Yes, please. And maybe a couple of scones. Thanks.’
'Coming right up.’
Eloise sat down and leant forward, her elbows on the table, chin resting on clasped hands. 'Right then. Tell me everything about this promotion. Bit of a turn-up for the books, eh?'
'Well, you know how Birdie's opened a load of new shops?'
Eloise nodded. ‘Yup.’
'She wants me to oversee it all,' Cally continued, still hardly believing it herself. 'Managing the different locations, mostly the deliveries but also dealing with the odd staff issue, developing the online business – the whole lot.'
Eloise's eyebrows shot up. 'Wow, Cal. That's a big deal. She must really trust you.'
'That's just it.' Cally fidgeted with a sugar packet on the table. 'I mean, I'm just an out-the-back assistant. What do I know about running a whole chain of shops? Talk about in at the deep end.'
Before Eloise could respond, the girl returned with their order. She put down two steaming mugs of coffee along with a plate with warm scones. 'There you go. Enjoy.’
Cally smiled gratefully. ‘Thanks.’
Eloise pulled one of the mugs of coffee towards herself. ‘You’re totally ready for it. Don’t even let yourself think that.’
‘Am I?’
‘Yup. How hard can it be?’
‘It’s actually quite involved…’
‘Right. So, what are you thinking about the offer?'
Cally wrapped her hands around her mug. 'I don't know. She’s emailing me the formal offer. When it’s in black andwhite, I’ll make a decision. The thought of messing it up is a bit daunting.'
Eloise nodded. ‘Yeah, think about it though – would Birdie have offered you this position if she didn't believe you could handle it?'
'I suppose not,' Cally admitted.
'Exactly. Birdie's no fool. She knows what she's doing. If she thinks you're ready for this, then you probably are.'
Cally took a sip of coffee. She stared out the window for a second, where a fisherman in bright yellow oilskin dungarees was loading a huge basket onto the harbour wall. ‘Yeah. I don’t know. If I take this job, I'll be spending more time in an office, dealing with paperwork and spreadsheets. It’s not like my dream job, you know? What if Ihateit?'
