Barbara walked across to a table and picked up a roll of wide, silky material.“Katie found this online.We’re going to tie one end of a three-foot-long piece of fabric around the back of the chair.Once we’ve done that, we take one of the posies Jackie made and attach it to the fabric, like this.”
Theo stood beside her while she twisted some florists’ wire around the posie and onto the sash.With a little tweaking, the flowers sat against the edge of the chair as if they’d always been there.
“Why did you use dried flowers and not fresh ones?”
“Pastor John is marrying another couple here on Saturday.They can’t afford many decorations, so he asked if we could leave the flowers in the church.After we looked at different options, using dried flowers seemed like the perfect compromise.The aisle looks lovely and they’ll last for both weddings.”
“That was a nice thing to do.”
Barbara handed Theo a piece of fabric.“That’s Sapphire Bay for you.I’ll start at the front of the church.”
With a basket of flowers under his arm, Theo followed her to the first row of seats.Without too much bother, he wrapped the sash around the chair, tied a bow in the back, and added the posie.“What do you think?”
Barbara looked across the aisle and nodded.“Not bad for a beginner.Did you see your parents while you were in New York?”
“I did.They were pleased to see me.”
“They must be looking forward to you living close to them.”
“Probably.”
“Didn’t you tell them about the job offer?”
Theo fiddled with the fabric bow of the next sash.“I haven’t told anyone apart from you and Ethan.”
Barbara was surprised.The position the newspaper had offered him was the kind of job that didn’t come along often.If it were her, she’d be telling anyone who would listen about it.
“When are you going to tell your family?”
“When I’ve worked out what I’m doing.”
Barbara took a deep breath and tried to act like a sensible, mature woman.Asking Theo about New York was the obvious thing to do, but it didn’t help her feel any better about not seeing him again.“Will you sell the radio station or find someone to keep it going?”
“I’m not selling.I’ve got too many plans for the station and the programs I could run.”
She knew how difficult it was to juggle two jobs.“It will be hard doing everything from New York, especially with your new job.”She attached another posy to a sash and stood back to admire the flowers.Penny was right.The posies were perfect.
“I’m not sure I want to work in New York City.”
Barbara blinked, then turned to Theo.Had she heard him correctly?“But it’s everything you’ve ever wanted.”
Theo left the sash over the edge of a chair and walked across to her.“It’s not everything.My parents both had demanding careers.Even though no one’s life will be in my hands, being an investigative journalist means working long hours.When everyone else is relaxing, I’ll be chasing the next story.Before I came here, my work was my life.But I want more than that now.I want some balance, a chance to enjoy what I’m doing.”
She refused to believe that he was talking about staying in Sapphire Bay.“You told me about all the amazing things you can do in New York.Can’t you cut back your hours and enjoy some of the bonuses of living in a big city?”
Theo picked up one of the posies in her basket.“I talked to the executive editor atThe New York Times.He told me what their expectations are, what they want the team I’d be managing to achieve.I came away from the meeting exhausted.Every decision they make is based on financial return.If they don’t sell more newspapers, they won’t stay in business.”
“It’s the same for every organization.”
“Maybe, but operating out of New York City adds a huge layer of costs to the paper.I want to write stories that mean something to people.My interview with Saskia about the pianola and growing up in Poland touched people’s lives.When I interviewed Tess about The Bridesmaids Club, people told me about similar things they’re doing in their communities.One lady makes bouquets for brides who can’t afford flowers.Another lady bakes wedding cakes.The stories I’m sharing at the radio station are changing the way we think about each other.It’s giving people ideas about how we can be kinder to each other.That’s the type of career I want, even if it means not having as much money.”
Barbara didn’t know what to say, how to respond to something so pure that it made her heart ache.Theo wanted to change the world, one life at a time, and he wanted to do it from their small Montana town.She’d never been prouder or more certain of how special he was.
“Does that mean you’re not moving to New York?”
A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.“It does.I know you aren’t sure about what you’ll do next year.I’m not asking for any promises about the future or for you to change what you need to do.All I’m asking is that you think about being friends again.”Theo held her hand.“We make a great team, especially when it comes to finding the owners of lost furniture.”
She smiled through a sheen of tears.“That’s what Mom said.Each time you talk about another piece of furniture, she sits by the radio, ready to send Facebook posts out to the world.She’s your number one fan.”
