They’ve asked her every question under the sun and yet she still smiles with every answer.
Miles has been a bit quiet tonight but I know he’s been super anxious about the grand opening of Dew Drop Inn in a few weeks. We have all the big changes and demos done and just have a few tweaks to do here and there, nothing too strenuous.
A couple weeks ago Miles posted a few positions online and went through the applications, picking out a few options. I spent all of last week doing interviews and finalizing our staffing.
I’m sure over time we’ll hire more people but for now I know Miles plans on doing a lot of the work himself.
Since I came on as co-owner, we’ve decided I’ll tackle all the “peopling” as he calls it, which I think is for the better, and he’ll do all the handyman work—also for the better.
“Oh, Henry!” Elaine takes a sip of her water and clears her throat. Reading my mind, she asks, “How did interviews go the other day?”
“They went well,” I wipe the corner of my mouth with my napkin, “we hired two housekeepers, a front desk manager, and a couple others to help at the front desk.”
“That’s wonderful to hear!” My mom chimes in with a proud smile plastered across her face.
Miles clears his throat. “Who did you end up picking for the management position? Weren’t there a couple applicants?”
“I hired a woman named Josephine. The woman from Oregon who’s moving here about a week before we fully open,” I assure him. “Just in time to get used to the flow of the Inn.”
Miles’ eyebrows pinch together ever so slightly, like he’s trying to put two pieces of a puzzle together. The color in his face slowly turns pale. Maybe he had his heart set on a different choice but it’s a bit too late now since she already accepted the position.
Miles clears his throat, scooting his chair back. “I’m going to step outside real quick.”
He looks like he just saw a ghost. He hurries as he steps out the front door. I feel a brotherly—well, cousinly—intuition to follow him out and see what’s wrong.
“Go,” Maisie whispers; she must’ve felt me tense up as I watched him leave. She always knows what to do before I even say anything.
“I’m going to go check on him,” I say to the table and push my chair back with a round of assuring murmurs from my parents and Elaine.
Stepping out the door and closing it behind me, I see Miles sitting on the front porch steps with his head in his hands.
He’s visibly going through something, I just don’t know what exactly has happened or what was said to cause this distress.
I take up the space next to him. “Hey,” I say with a nudge into his side.
“I’m okay,” he answers the question I haven’t asked.
“Something happened,” I say as a statement and stare at the steps in front of us.
“She was from Oregon. Jo… Josephine.” He sighs. “I don’t know, it’s probably not the same person but I just… I got in my head.”
“Ah…” I nod, still looking in front of me. “Josephine didn’t hint at knowing you so I really don’t think it’syourJo.”
“My Jo…”
“Have you reached out to her at all this summer?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
“No.”
“Hand me your phone.”
“Absolutely not.” He shakes his head.
“Dude, hand it to me,” I demand. “I’m not going to do anything I just want to check something.”
Reluctantly, he pulls his phone from his pocket and hands it to me, knowing he was going to lose the battle.
What I’m about to do probably isn’t polite but it’s the only way I know to figure out if the woman I hired and Jo are the same person.
