Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 103061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
“Uh huh.” Millie smiled knowingly. “And does it feel like that this morning? Is he out of your system?”
Of course he wasn’t.
I hadn’t been able to think about anything else since I left his place last night—I’d barely even slept.
My face grew hot.
“That’s what I thought.” My sister’s grin was smug. “Good luck keeping this thing casual.”
“I don’t need luck,” I said, hugging my notebook to my chest. “Because I am the boss of my feelings.”
“Of course you are.” She started singing the song I’d been humming before, except that she could actually sing. “L is for the way you look at me . . .”
“Come on, Ell,” I said. “Let’s go take a look at the patio.”
“Okay. Bye, Millie.” Ellie got up and followed me to the door.
We heard my sister crooning all the way down the hall.
Later that afternoon, there was a lull at the front desk, and I took a minute to check my email. Most of it was junk, but I also had a message from a woman named Sandra Elson, who’d interviewed me last spring for a position in a Manhattan hotel. I hadn’t gotten the job, which turned out to be just as well, but afterward, she’d sent me a nice note saying that while I’d been a very strong candidate, the position had been filled internally.
Her return email address indicated she was now working for a new hotel, and the subject line said, Following Up — New Opportunity.
Curious, I opened it.
Dear Winifred,
Hello! I hope you are well. I wanted to reach out to you about a job opportunity at The Alexander, a boutique hotel in a former summer home in Newport, Rhode Island. I recently took a job here as manager, and I’m looking for an event planner to coordinate large gatherings, such as corporate retreats and wedding receptions, but also smaller events for our guests.
The Alexander is an elegant inn, just twenty-two rooms, in a nineteenth century mansion built by a silver heiress and her literary novelist husband. They threw famous parties here in the twenties and thirties—Harry Houdini performed at one!—and the home has been featured in a few Hollywood films. The grounds boast a gorgeous rose garden and spectacular ocean views.
There are several spaces ideal for weddings and receptions, including a luxurious Gilded Age ballroom, terraces overlooking the gardens, and interior rooms for more intimate occasions. When I first saw the possibilities, I immediately thought of you. As you know, your portfolio and personal interview made quite an impression on me.
If you’re interested in talking about the job, please do give me a call. I think you’d enjoy the atmosphere and creative freedom, and I will make it worth your while.
Sincerely,
Sandra Elson
Below her email signature was a telephone number as well as a website for The Alexander. I immediately clicked on the link, eager to see what she’d described.
When the site came up, I gasped. Sandra’s words had hardly done it justice—I wasn’t surprised it had been featured in Hollywood films because it looked like a movie set. I could imagine Rhett Butler carrying Scarlett O’Hara up the wide stone staircase, or Grace Kelly gliding across the elegant living room floor with a martini in her gloved hand, or Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers twirling madly in the cavernous ballroom, an orchestra at one end.
The rose gardens were breathtaking, the decorating sumptuous and deliciously over the top. There were marble fireplaces and velvet loveseats and ceilings carved with murals and friezes. The entire place reverberated with the glamour and romance of a bygone era. Perusing the website, I was inundated with ideas for wedding ceremonies and grand receptions and cozy, intimate wine dinners. Designing events for a place like this would be a dream job for me.
Immediately I typed a reply, thanking her for thinking of me and letting her know that I’d love to chat more about the opportunity—but I couldn’t bring myself to hit send.
I stood there staring at the screen as the minutes ticked by, and my fingers wouldn’t tap that blue button.
It was an unbelievable offer, one I should jump at.
What was holding me back?
When my shift at the front desk was over, I poked my head into my dad’s office. “Hey.”
He looked up and smiled, his deep blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “Hey, sweetheart. Working late?”
“I’m done now.” I wandered in and dropped into a chair in front of his desk. “Got a minute?”
“Sure.” He closed his laptop. “What’s up?”
I told him about the email I’d just gotten from Sandra Elson.
“That’s awesome, Win. You must have really knocked her out in that interview. Did you reply?”
“Yes. I told her I was interested.” I shook my head. “But I didn’t send it.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Why not?”
“I don’t know for sure. Maybe because it’s so far away?”