Page 35 of Halstead House

Eliza waved away my concern. “We can talk when Steven is back tomorrow. We’re down to details, and I can manage without you for one day.”

I smiled. “Well, if you’re sure...”

She chuckled. “I have to give you credit for trying to pretend you didn’t want to run straight out of this room the moment you heard.” My smile grew. “Go have your fun day.”

I stood quickly and put the paperwork that I’d been sorting through on her desk. “Thank you.”

“Just don’t cross the line by trying to steal Steven’s job after this,” she called as I left the room.

“No promises,” I teased and was rewarded by the sound of Eliza’s full laughter.

I hustled to my room to put on something I thought was more “tour-guidey.” What that would be, hey, who knew. It wasn’t like I hadn’t already dressed for the day in business clothing. Steven was usually dressed in a polo shirt and khaki pants. I threw open the wardrobe and honestly considered the dove gray suit for my first foray into being the official face of Halstead House. I ran my hand over the suit and imagined people listening to me in rapture, their eyes glistening with unshed tears as their hearts were tugged by stories of generations of familial happiness. I started to lift the suit off the hanging rod when I caught myself. This was “old Grace” business, and I’d slipped dangerous down the slope into la la land.

I had to get a grip and remember that no one actually judged me as harshly as I judged myself. In all actuality, most of the tourists came through in shorts and flip flops, and they’d give no consideration to what I had on. I hung the suit back in the closet and left my room without changing.

I had a new mission in mind—to share my good fortune with someone, and I knew just who that would be. Ana was in her office when I finally tracked her down. She was sitting behind her desk, bent over what looked like account books and a pile of receipts. I didn’t want to scare her, so I waited until her head was out of the pile and she turned. She squealed and pressed a hand to her chest. Guess I scared her anyhow. Oops.

“What are you doing standing there being creepy and silent?” she asked.

“I didn’t want to call out and scare you while you were wrestling with the paper mountain,” I replied.

“They say it’s the thought that counts.” She pulled a face. “What’s up?”

“Steven called in sick today.”

“Oh, man. Does this mean I need to get Michelle started sterilizing all the public rooms so he doesn’t spread some disease to our guests? I was going to have her handle the fresh floral arrangements this morning.”

“I honestly have no idea.” I drew my eyebrows down. “You could ask Eliza, but it sounds like a good idea to me.”

“No need to bother her when it’s up to me.” She sighed and made a thoughtful face. “I’ll make adjustments.”

I smiled big and pointed at myself when she focused in on me again. “Ana, I get to take his place today. I’m the substitute tour guide!”

She sat up straighter in her chair, eyes dancing. “Well, congrats, Grace. That’s very exciting news.”

“Thank you.” I stood smiling like an idiot but said nothing more. This was the type of things friends shared with each other, right? The smiling thing, maybe not so much. I worked to clamp my mouth shut and paste on some serenity.

“Anything else?”

“No, I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “Well, what if...” I took a deep breath and shoved myself into the abyss of uncertainty. “Uh, maybe we could have a celebratory dinner somewhere afterwards?” In for a penny, in for a pound. It had been longer than I could remember since I’d extended anyone a social invitation.

Relief flooded through me when she chuckled and replied, “Sure. I mean, who doesn’t celebrate when a co-worker gets sick and they have to do their job for them?”

“Seems normal,” I cracked.

“I’m in. If you don’t already have somewhere in mind, I have just the place,” she replied. I clapped my hands. “On one condition.” My hands dropped like lead.

“Oh, no, Ana. This is not going to be therapy session number four or something. This is my night out.”

Ana laughed. “My only request is that we go casual. As in you wear some of those new clothes we bought.”

“Okay.”

She wasn’t done. “Plus, you wear your hair down.”

I pulled a face at her.

“I’m serious. I’m not taking you to this place while you’re still uptight.”

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