“And you want a raise.”
Joyce frowned. Was that what he thought? “No, that’s not what I was thinking at all. You just gave me a pay rise.”
“Oh? What then?”
“Well, what I’d really like is a little extra help. Just a few days a week. Someone who could function as a nanny, really. Look after Ruthie, do her laundry, things like that. I’m only one person, after all. If Kyle’s going to be writing, which it seems he is, the extra help will benefit him, too.”
Mitch’s eyes narrowed as if in thought. “That’s not a bad idea. Kyle will be occupied, especially if he gets a contract. Which I think he will. But finding someone who’s reliable and trustworthy and not going to gossip about anything she might overhear or—”
“I have someone in mind.” Joyce’s heart was pounding. The only explanation for that was how important this was to her. How much she wanted to keep her sister here. She wiped her hands on her apron.
“You do?” His brows rose. “You seem pretty sure about this.”
“I am. It’s something I’ve been thinking about.”
“Who is it?”
Joyce swallowed. This was it. “Beryl.”
His brows went up again. “She’s a great choice, I’d love to have her. But is she good with this? With staying? That’s a big decision.”
Joyce nodded. “She’s good with the job and with staying. She wants to. I know she’d love a job looking after Ruthie. It would also be a huge help to me. I don’t like admitting it, but I’m not getting any younger.”
“None of us are.” Mitch twirled a pen through his fingers. “Where would she live? With you? The guest house isn’t very large.”
“It’s plenty of room for us. We can be perfectly happy there. She’ll have to go back to Devon to tidy things up, possibly ship a few things over, but that won’t take too long.”
“And you just think you need part-time help? That would be enough?”
Joyce nodded. “Yes. She could easily do three to five days a week as needed. That would be a tremendous help. More days than that and I’d have to talk to her about it. Would that be enough for Kyle to get work done?”
“I’m sure it would be. I’ll pay her for as many days as she works. And I’ll base the pay on your salary, if that’s all right with you. And if it turns out more days are required, we’ll make the necessary adjustments so that it works for everyone. How does that sound?”
Joyce wanted to smile but didn’t. It felt like giving too much away. She hadn’t expected Mitch to offer that much. It was more than fair. Beryl would be thrilled. She’d feel like a queen. More importantly, she’d feel useful again. “It sounds wonderful. She’ll need to apply for an extended work visa, but that shouldn’t be any bother. Thank you.”
“Thank you.” Mitch smiled. “I was just thinking about how we were going to miss Beryl when she went home. She’s alreadybeen such a help. Knowing she’s going to stay just feels like a perfect solution.”
Joyce did smile then. “I think so, too. She’s very good with Ruthie.”
“She’s fantastic with Ruthie.” Mitch’s eyes narrowed. “She’ll still bake for us once in a while, won’t she?”
Joyce laughed. “Oh, yes. You don’t have to worry about that.”
Mitch stood. “Maybe she can even teach Ruthie how to bake someday.”
“Wouldn’t that be something.” Joyce folded her hands together, as pleased as punch at how things had gone.
“It’s not going to be cheap for Beryl to send things to the States. I’d be happy to give her a little signing bonus, as it were, to help out.”
The man was too kind. But Joyce had money saved up. She’d help her sister with whatever bills there were. “She’ll be all right, I think. Very kind of you to offer, though.”
“Just let me know.”
Joyce gave a little nod. “I should let you get back to work. Thanks again.”
She made her way out, closing his office door behind her. She could barely contain her excitement.
Beryl straightened, having just put her cakes in the oven. She squinted at Joyce. “What was that all about?”
