Page 46 of The Calendar of New Beginnings
Margie was standing behind him from his position on the floor, nodding and giving her an encouraging smile. “You’ll like Chase, Moira. He runs Evan’s company.”
“So I can focus on my inventions,” he added.
“I’ve read about Chase inFortune,”she said. The man had radiated power in the photo on the cover of the magazine. “He’s well regarded for taking your company into the billionaire club. Not that your inventions wouldn’t have done that on their own.”
Evan laughed. “Oh, I like you already. Jill said you were balls-to-the-walls honest. Chase will like that too. Oops. Can I say that in front of the kids?”
Jill shrugged. “They know the word ball. Just not in the way you meant.”
Evan cleared his throat. “That’s…good. Sorry about that, Jill. So, Moira, are you interested?”
It would be crazy not to consider it. She’d been hoping for more management responsibility, and this position would launch her into a whole new realm. “Of course, I’d need to hear more about the position, salary, and benefits. Do you have a job description?”
“Nope,” Evan answered unabashedly. “That’s why we need you. Just kidding! I’ll talk to Chase and have our people hammer out something to send you. What’s your contact info?”
He dug out his smart phone, and she dictated her information.
“Do you have anything in your past that would preclude you from receiving a security clearance? Jill didn’t think so, but I wanted to be sure.”
Her cousin plucked Mia up and made a silly face at her. “Does toilet-papering Grandpa Hale’s house with Meredith and Matt count? I still remember how much he hollered about that.”
Aunt Harriet had thought it amusing, but not her uncle. She couldn’t remember why in the world they’d ever thought it a good idea. “Other than that incident, I’m a safe bet.”
That only made Jill laugh harder.
“I’ve never toilet-papered anything,” Evan said, rubbing his chin. “I feel a little left out.”
“Yeah, you geniuses had it rough,” Margie said, patting him on the back. “All right, let’s get going so Moira can chew Jill out for setting her up.”
They said their goodbyes, and Margie pulled Jill into a hug. “Thanks for looking out for my man.”
“My pleasure,” Jill said, giving Moira a conspiratorialwink. “I’ll do anything to get all my Hale cousins back in town.”
“Moira, it was great to meet you,” Evan said, shaking her hand warmly. “I’ll be in touch. I want to move fast on this. We’re setting up a makeshift facility at the university right now until we break ground on the actual center. Maybe I can give you a tour.”
“Sounds good,” she said, trying to visualize what an invention center would even look like. Probably sleek and modern with lots of high-tech toys.
After they left the house, Jill headed to the refrigerator. “I never did get you a drink. What would you like? I have wine, beer, and cocktail fixings for anything from cosmos to Manhattans.”
“Red wine would be great,” she said, smiling down at Violet when the little girl whacked her with a cloth-bound book with a red dog on the front. “You’re not out of the woods yet, you know. Please don’t tell me you plotted this with my mother.”
“Nope! The machinations were all on my own.” Jill pointed the wine bottle at her own head. “I’m a genius too. Now I just need to make billions like Evan. He’s great, right? And this new center? It sounds all sci-fi meetsAmerican Idol.”
Moira wasn’t going to waste brain cells pondering that comparison. “To be honest, I never thought I’d find a job opportunity here with the kind of responsibility and compensation I’m looking for.”
“Evan’s company is huge, and it’s got the bucks you’re looking for,” Jill said. “It could be the stepping stone to bigger things. The headquarters are outside Washington D.C., and theyhave offices all over the world.”
Her cousin should have been in sales. “You’re terrible, but I love you.”
Jill brought over her glass of wine and plucked her pumpkin beer off the counter. “Here’s to considering new possibilities.”
Moira lifted her glass. “Here’s to.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Lucy’s mother had orchestrated her introduction to The Calendar of New Beginnings’ volunteers with as much mystery as would surround a spy ring. She’d even purposely invited Lucy late so everyone could enjoy appetizers and cocktails beforehand to loosen up.
The plan was for the volunteers to introduce themselves in order, starting with January. Apparently, a few volunteers had expressed preferences for certain months, like April Hale, while the order of the rest had been chosen by drawing the remainder of the names out of her dad’s ball cap. The kicker for Lucy was her mother’s insistence that each person come into the room one at a time to maintain the element of surprise.
