"Oh, that's great, Anne," Carla said excitedly from her end of the phone when Anne told her later about making it to the third round of interviews. "I'll be crossing my fingers for you."
"I'll be crossing my fingers, too. I imagine there are a number of applicants they will still need to interview at this stage of the process. I've been doing my homework on the company, Carla, and I intend to get this job. I've liked what I learned so far about the company. It was started thirty-five years ago by Benjamin Stanford, Jr. to research and manufacture environmentally friendly cleaning agents to be used in the manufacturing process. Then, when he died, his widow ran it for a number of years before their son, Benjamin Stanford III, took over twelve years ago. Since then, the son added the research of biochemical solutions for sea and fresh water cleanups. With my background in oceanography and biochemistry, and with my experience in researching solutions to reduce the effects of chlorine on seawater, I think that I will be a good fit. I really want this, Carla. I want it so much I can taste it."
"Yah, you deserve it. You've worked hard enough over the past seven years at distinguishing yourself. You work on saving the planet, girl, and I'll work on feeding it," Carla laughed at her regular joke. How the two of them became friends and stayed that way since elementary school was a mystery, at times, to Anne. They had such different personalities. Anne was always the analytical scientist who approached things logically, and Carla was the free spirit who loved to cook. Carla's love for cooking had led her to her current career as one of the up and coming in-demand caterers in the Seattle area. Anne thought for the hundredth time that Carla was a lot like Anne's mother and that was why they got along as well as they did.
"Are you going to see your mom and Jim while you’re here?"
"I planned on calling her to let her know about the interview, but I'll only be in town for a few hours that day. Orcas Island is too far from Seattle for me to go up and see them, and with this being the beginning of their summer season, they won’t be able to get away from the inn to meet me in Seattle."
Anne and Carla grew up together on Orcas Island, part of the San Juan Island chain, in Eastsound Village in northwest Washington. Anne's mother and stepfather, Jim, owned and ran the Eagle's Nest Inn on the north shore of the island. They bought the fishing lodge and resort when Anne was a toddler and, over the years, developed it into one of the premier luxury inns and vacation resorts in the San Juan Islands. Carla's parents owned the local bakery that still supplied the inn and the local community with the best in baked goods and desserts.
"Maybe you should just plan on staying with them for the week until you find out if you’ll be called in for the next round of interviews. Your parents would love to have you up there for the week. Then, when you get called back again to Seattle, and I know you will, you can drive down instead of fly. You don't have a consulting job lined up that you need to get back to Massachusetts, do you?"
"I hadn't thought of that. Mom and dad would like to see me. She's been bugging me to fly in and spend a week for the last year, especially since I didn’t come out last summer." Anne considered the option and saw the sound reasoning in it. Even if she did not get called back for a fourth interview, there was nothing to fly back to Boston for on the tenth, and a week on Orcas would be a nice way to spend her time instead of worrying about her next paycheck. "I'll call her tonight and call Ms. Iverson first thing tomorrow morning and see if it’s too late to change my flight plans."
"Good. Then you can also spend the evening of the tenth in our guest room. I'll take the afternoon off, and we can go shopping for maternity clothes."
"Maternity clothes! Why didn't you tell?" Anne cried out in delighted surprise. "You are supposed tell your best friend when you have news like that. You let me go on about the interview when you had such big news yourself. When did you find out? When is the baby due?"
"Hold it before you take my head off with all your questions. I only found out about being pregnant for sure earlier today. But I took a home pregnancy test yesterday. So, I just found out. I called Gary right away, so you calling tonight did not infringe on my surprising him with the news. That was your next question, I'm sure." Carla chuckled softly, and then Anne heard Gary say something in the background that sent Carla roaring with laughter. Anne smiled at the comment Carla made back to her husband about waiting until later before Carla got back on the line.
"You do know me well, Carla. I'll let you know about the change in plans once I talk to mom and Ms. Iverson. I better let you go since it sounds like you and Gary will have some celebrating to do. Congratulations. Give Gary a big kiss for me."
"Will do, Anne. Let me know tomorrow if you can stay. Love ya. Bye."
Carla disconnected at her end, and Anne did the same then put the receiver down so that she could make herself a cup of herbal tea. A feeling of warmth and hope came over her. She thought that she was doing the right thing. It was time to go home to Washington State. Seven years was long enough to be away. Now that she had her PhD from M.I.T. and enough work experience in oceanography and biochemistry, she could go back to Seattle with her head held high. Her father would eventually find out that she was back, but she was no longer the same young woman he used to manipulate and control. Now she would be able to live her own life back where she belonged.
Picking up the phone again, she entered the number for the inn on the keypad. It rang twice on the other end before it was answered by one of the employees. Anne told the woman who she was and whom she wanted to speak to then waited for her mother to pick up the phone at her end.
"Anne! What a surprise." Her mother began calling Anne by her middle name when she was a toddler, much to the relief of Anne’s stepfather. Anne's mother was also named Jane, so to avoid confusion, people called her mother Jane and her by her middle name. "I wasn't expecting to hear from you until this weekend. How are you, sweetheart?" The sound of her mother's voice never failed to comfort Anne.
"I'm fine. How are you and dad?"
"We're both good. We're busy. With the holiday coming up, we will have a packed house again this weekend. In fact, we are booked solid all summer. There are weddings planned every weekend over the next three months, starting this Saturday. With the regular vacationers, too, the place is hopping. Your brother is leaving next week for his two-month study abroad program in Italy, so he won't be around to help. That's ok, though. We've got plenty of help lined up for the season. What about you? How is the job hunting going?"
"That's the reason that I called you tonight instead of waiting until Saturday morning. I have a job interview in Seattle on June tenth and hope to stay in the area for the next week until I know if I make it to the final round of interviews."
"That's excellent, Anne. I hoped that you would look for a job back in Seattle. We don't see you enough, and I miss you. Will you be coming up to Orcas for a few days if you stay?"
"If I can get my flight schedule changed, I will. I'll spend the tenth in Seattle at Carla and Gary's then come up. Will it be a problem if I'm there from the eleventh through the eighteenth or nineteenth?"
"What a question. Of course there won't be a problem. I'll have your room ready for you. With Michael in Italy, the house will be pretty quiet. Do not even think about helping out around the inn this year. Like I said, we have plenty of staff on hand. You just come up and enjoy yourself. Relax and consider it your vacation." Anne could hear some noise in the background and her mother saying something that was muffled by her hand over the receiver. "Listen, Anne. I'd love to talk more, but I have to go now. Business calls."
"Ok, Mom. I'll let you know tomorrow if I'll be coming up and staying. Take care and say 'hi' to dad and Michael for me."
"I'll do that. Bye, sweetheart."
The sound of joy in her mother's voice made Anne happy. It was all going to work out for the best. The apathy that she felt began to lift, and for the first time in a very
long time, she could feel excitement again. She considered that as she readied for bed that night and slipped on her usual oversized tee shirt. Later as she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror after washing her face and brushing her teeth, she saw a light in her blue eyes that had been missing for many years. She smiled at her reflection and watched it reach her eyes. Then she ran a brush through her long brown hair before walking into her bedroom to sit down on the bed so she could apply moisturizing cream to her arms, legs, and feet.
Tomorrow would be her last day working with her latest customer. After tomorrow, she was free to refocus her attention on getting the position back in Washington. The clock in the living room chimed eleven pm, and she turned off the ceiling bedroom light then climbed into bed. At this time next month, she thought as she lie there, she could be packing up her apartment for the long drive home. Smiling at the thought, she reached over to turn off the bedside table lamp and snuggled in.
Chapter 2