“My manager knows I can’t work from San Diego until next April.Hopefully, the new owners are okay with that.If they aren’t, I might not have a job.”
“And Theo?”
Barbara didn’t want to consider what might happen to her relationship with him if she accepted the job.
“I’m guessing you don’t want to talk about it?”
“It’s not that.I honestly don’t know what I’ll do if the job is as good as it seems.It’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”
Katie left Barbara’s phone on the counter.“So is Theo.”
“I know.Why does life have to be so difficult?”
“It doesn’t.”With those cryptic remarks sitting heavily in the room, Katie poured herself a glass of water.“Are you coming back to look at more wedding photos?”
Barbara shook her head.“Tell Penny and Wyatt I’ll look at them later.I want to call my manager to see what he thinks of the new owners.”
“Good luck.”
With a trembling hand, she dialed her manager’s phone number.It was time to discuss her options, even if they created a whole new set of problems.
CHAPTER 20
Theo stepped over an old apple crate and headed toward the back of the storage room.If he didn’t find the next three items for his radio station’s mystery furniture segment, hundreds of fans would bombard his social media accounts, wanting to know when they would be appearing.
Pastor John had mentioned two old vases he’d seen in this room last week.Painted in oranges and golds, they would be perfect for the fall edition of the program.Theo sighed.They would be even more perfect if he could find them.
Spying a canvas drop cloth about five feet away, he maneuvered around two tables and an old writing desk.An old-fashioned closet stood tall and proud behind the drop cloth.That could be an interesting addition to his show, but it wasn’t what he needed at the moment.
“Theo?”
He turned his flashlight toward the front of the room.“Welcome to the pit of despair,” he said in a creaky, Alfred Hitchcocky kind of way.
Barbara smiled.“You sound like you’ve got a throat infection.”
“That’s probably why I never joined a drama club.What brings you to the old steamboat museum?”
“You.”
The uncertainty in her face made him study her more closely.“The radio station hasn’t burned down, has it?”
“It’s nothing like that.”
Carefully, he made his way toward her.“Sounds serious.”
“It could be.”She waited patiently while he navigated around the last few pieces of furniture.“I’ve just spoken with my manager in San Diego.The company I work for has been bought by someone else.They’ve offered me a different job.”
“Different as in good or not so good?”
“Good.”
A knot twisted in Theo’s stomach.“Do you have to go back to San Diego?”
Barbara looked down at her hands.“The new management team want to speak to me.The job they want to fill is incredible.I’d be managing ten staff and earning twice as much money as I do now.”
“What about the inn?”
“That’s something I need to talk to them about.I’m sorry, Theo.This is the last thing I expected.”
