Page 49 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

She wasthisclose to getting her dream job. The thought of losing the opportunity made her hands tremble. If Greg secured it, he’d almost certainly be there till he retired, and he was only a few years older than Laurel. It was now or never.

But she couldn’t abandon her best friend’s daughter. “I appreciate the call, Rich. I’ll do everything I can to wrap things up here as soon as possible.” She winced. She’d made Emma sound like a chore to tick off her list. “How’s Anna doing?” His wife’s diagnosis with ovarian cancer had pushed up his retirement by a year or so.

“She’s doing her treatments. We won’t know for a few months how much effect it’s having.”

“That must be very difficult. I’m praying for you both.”

“Thanks, Laurel. We’ll take all the prayers we can get.”

When she got off the phone Laurel looked for Ruby’s contact and tapped the number. The dining supervisor answered on the second ring. “Hey, sweetheart. I’ve been thinking about you. How’s it going with the kiddo?”

“She’s doing about as well as can be expected.” Laurel beganpicking up toys and returning them to the box in the corner. Amazing the mess a two-year-old could make in one day.

“Any word from her aunt?”

“No, but we expect to reach her soon. How are things in The Dining Room?”

“Oh, much the same. Connor keeps asking about you.” The last was said with a teasing note.

Connor was head chef. He and Laurel had gone on a date a few days before she’d gotten the call about Mallory. “He’s been checking in with me occasionally.”

“I’ll bet he has. Boy has it bad for you, honey.”

“He barely knows me. We’ve only had one date.”

“Must’ve been some date. He’s counting the days until your return. Kayla said he asked about you—wanted to know if you might like to go to the theater. Of course Kayla told him you weren’t too fond of musicals.”

“Well, he gets an A for effort, I guess.” She really didn’t want to talk about Connor. Sure, he was nice and attractive, but he seemed a million miles away right now. “Listen, I was wondering if you’d heard any gossip regarding the promotion. I just got a call from Rich, and he seems concerned my absence might be causing some problems.”

“Oh no. I haven’t heard a word, but I’ll keep my ears open. Diane would be a fool to give that job to anyone else.”

“Even Greg?” She turned to pick up the magnetic blocks and found Gavin leaning on the wall between the kitchen and living room. How long had he been standing there? How much had he heard?

“Especially Greg! He spends more time watering the grapevine than those garden plants he’s supposed to be tending.”

“Thanks, Ruby. Well, listen, I have to run. You have a great week. I’ll let you know when I’m coming back.” Laurel disconnected and began picking up the blocks. “Where’s Emma?”

“Playing outside.”

She glanced past the screen door to the patio, where Emma was jabbering away. She turned her sand bucket upside down and set it on Sunny’s head while the dog sat patiently, panting.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” he said, “but are you up for some kind of promotion at work?”

Laurel stacked the blocks into the Rubbermaid container. She couldn’t see any reason not to tell Gavin about the job. “Rich is getting ready to retire. He’s recommending me for his job.”

Gavin straightened, beaming. “Hey, that’s amazing, Laurel. Why didn’t you tell me?” He seemed so... proud of her.

A rush of pleasure flushed through her body. Nobody knew better than Gavin how much she’d had her heart set on that job. “It’s not a sure thing yet. He’s not the one who gets to make the call.”

“Diane’s always liked you, though. She’s still calling the shots, right?”

“Yeah, she is...” But Rich was right to worry about Greg. Everyone liked him—probably even Ruby, though she appreciated the woman coming to her defense. It was impossible not to like Greg, and he was an excellent gardener. She could easily see him stepping into the position.

Gavin knelt on the floor and helped with the blocks. “Your being here is causing a problem.”

“I’m sure everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”

He took her hand. “You can’t risk that promotion, Laurel. It’s your dream job. Why don’t you just commute? I can figure out Emma’s care.”

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