put you in charge,” he countered with a wink. “Consider yourself the office manager.”
Her mouth gaped as he walked away. He was almost out of the building when he heard her call after him.
“What?” he shouted back.
“Does that mean I get a raise?”
He laughed at her audacity. “If you sell enough advertising, you do.”
Before he could get half a block down the street, she was beside him.
“What if, as your new office manager, I authorize a raise?” she asked.
“You can’t.”
She pinned him with a look. “So, let me get thisstraight,” she said slowly. “I have more responsibility, but no more money and zero authority?”
“Something like that,” he agreed.
If he’d expected an argument, she surprised him yet again. She simply nodded.
“Just so we’re clear,” she murmured, and walked away.
Something told him, though, that sooner or later he was going to pay for that ready agreement.
Walter stared at the front-page story in the Serenity newspaper that Raylene had plunked in front of him on the kitchen table. The kids were upstairs napping, but he wasn’t anxious to go back to the motel, so he’d opted for hanging out here. He suspected the scent of the chocolate-chip cookies she was baking had been part of the allure, more so than Raylene’s usually testy company.
“What’s this?” he asked, startled to see a picture of Sarah and a guy he immediately recognized as a former big league baseball player. Some American League team, if he recalled correctly, a team not carried on local cable all that often, but big enough for the networks. Probably the Yankees or the Red Sox. Whoever he was, what the devil was he doing in a place like Serenity?
“You’ve been asking why Sarah’s never around when you’re over here to see the kids,” Raylene told him. “There’s your answer. She has a new job. The station goes on the air day after tomorrow.”
Walter blinked at the news and tried to make sense of it. “Sarah’s working for a radio station? I thought she was working in that diner.”
“She was. That’s where Travis met her. He hired her to work for him.”
“Travis?”
“Travis McDonald.”
Recognition dawned. McDonald had been a hotshot for the Red Sox, at least for a couple of seasons, then he’d been dumped when his batting average had gone down the tubes. How had a man like that hooked up with Sarah?
“Doing what?” he asked. “The woman couldn’t keep our bank statement straight, so it better not be accounting.”
Raylene gave him a look that took him to task for his sarcasm. “Sorry,” he murmured, “but that’s a fact.”
“Look, I just thought you ought to know. Any questions you have, ask Sarah. I’m sure she would have told you herself, but she’s been overwhelmed trying to learn all this new stuff.”
“Like what?”
“Booking guests, interviewing people, working the controls on the air.”
“Hold on a minute! You’re telling me Sarah’s going to be on the radio?”
“With her very own morning show,” Raylene said, tapping a finger on the newspaper. “ Carolina Daybreak. You can read all about it in the article. You should be proud of her.”
Walter had no idea what to think. Back in college he’d been able to envision Sarah in front of a classroom of first or second graders, but then he’d seen how much trouble she had keeping up with Tommy and Libby and wondered how she’d manage with twenty or thirty kids.Even though it had annoyed the daylights out of him seeing her working in the local diner, he’d known she was a capable waitress. But this? Some kind of local radio celebrity? It didn’t make sense for a woman who got flustered too easily.
He gave Raylene a questioning look. “You really think she can pull this off? She’s not much for confrontation.”
Raylene slid another tray of cookies into the oven before answering. “I do, as a matter of fact. More important, so does she. And she’s not planning to be Mike
Her mouth gaped as he walked away. He was almost out of the building when he heard her call after him.
“What?” he shouted back.
“Does that mean I get a raise?”
He laughed at her audacity. “If you sell enough advertising, you do.”
Before he could get half a block down the street, she was beside him.
“What if, as your new office manager, I authorize a raise?” she asked.
“You can’t.”
She pinned him with a look. “So, let me get thisstraight,” she said slowly. “I have more responsibility, but no more money and zero authority?”
“Something like that,” he agreed.
If he’d expected an argument, she surprised him yet again. She simply nodded.
“Just so we’re clear,” she murmured, and walked away.
Something told him, though, that sooner or later he was going to pay for that ready agreement.
Walter stared at the front-page story in the Serenity newspaper that Raylene had plunked in front of him on the kitchen table. The kids were upstairs napping, but he wasn’t anxious to go back to the motel, so he’d opted for hanging out here. He suspected the scent of the chocolate-chip cookies she was baking had been part of the allure, more so than Raylene’s usually testy company.
“What’s this?” he asked, startled to see a picture of Sarah and a guy he immediately recognized as a former big league baseball player. Some American League team, if he recalled correctly, a team not carried on local cable all that often, but big enough for the networks. Probably the Yankees or the Red Sox. Whoever he was, what the devil was he doing in a place like Serenity?
“You’ve been asking why Sarah’s never around when you’re over here to see the kids,” Raylene told him. “There’s your answer. She has a new job. The station goes on the air day after tomorrow.”
Walter blinked at the news and tried to make sense of it. “Sarah’s working for a radio station? I thought she was working in that diner.”
“She was. That’s where Travis met her. He hired her to work for him.”
“Travis?”
“Travis McDonald.”
Recognition dawned. McDonald had been a hotshot for the Red Sox, at least for a couple of seasons, then he’d been dumped when his batting average had gone down the tubes. How had a man like that hooked up with Sarah?
“Doing what?” he asked. “The woman couldn’t keep our bank statement straight, so it better not be accounting.”
Raylene gave him a look that took him to task for his sarcasm. “Sorry,” he murmured, “but that’s a fact.”
“Look, I just thought you ought to know. Any questions you have, ask Sarah. I’m sure she would have told you herself, but she’s been overwhelmed trying to learn all this new stuff.”
“Like what?”
“Booking guests, interviewing people, working the controls on the air.”
“Hold on a minute! You’re telling me Sarah’s going to be on the radio?”
“With her very own morning show,” Raylene said, tapping a finger on the newspaper. “ Carolina Daybreak. You can read all about it in the article. You should be proud of her.”
Walter had no idea what to think. Back in college he’d been able to envision Sarah in front of a classroom of first or second graders, but then he’d seen how much trouble she had keeping up with Tommy and Libby and wondered how she’d manage with twenty or thirty kids.Even though it had annoyed the daylights out of him seeing her working in the local diner, he’d known she was a capable waitress. But this? Some kind of local radio celebrity? It didn’t make sense for a woman who got flustered too easily.
He gave Raylene a questioning look. “You really think she can pull this off? She’s not much for confrontation.”
Raylene slid another tray of cookies into the oven before answering. “I do, as a matter of fact. More important, so does she. And she’s not planning to be Mike
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