It's Better This Way Page 3

  “I’m meeting your mom for lunch tomorrow,” Carrie said. “I’m hoping she might have an idea of what I should do. I feel like such a disappointment to my parents.”

  Her frustration was overwhelming. Carrie didn’t know what she’d been thinking to major in a subject that didn’t lead to a career. Her love of all things French had led her down a dead-end path when it came to finding employment. The only viable option was to teach, which would mean returning to school for an additional degree. She refused to put that financial burden on her parents, after they’d already paid for one degree. Besides, knowing herself as well as she did, Carrie accepted she didn’t have the temperament to be in a classroom all day.

  “Mom will think of something,” Marie said confidently. “She’s good like that.”

  Carrie sincerely hoped so, as she was at her wit’s end.

  * * *

  —

  At 11:50 the following day, Carrie arrived at her favorite Thai restaurant ten minutes before their scheduled meeting time. She’d been eager to get out of the house and spend as much time as was comfortable away, hoping to give her parents breathing space.

  The restaurant was only a block from The Heritage, where her aunt lived. She loved that building. Her aunt claimed it felt like home the instant she walked inside. Carrie understood; she’d experienced that same warmth and welcome. Very few buildings built of brick remained in the Seattle area. Not with the constant threat of earthquakes. The Heritage was set in the middle of a thriving neighborhood, filled with restaurants and small businesses. The location was ideal for her aunt, as she could walk almost anywhere in the downtown area.

  The server handed her a menu and Carrie ordered a pot of jasmine tea. Even though she never ventured beyond her favorite avocado-and-shrimp green-curry dish, she scanned the front and back of the single page while she waited for Julia to arrive.

  “Carrie,” her aunt called as she approached the table.

  Carrie set aside her empty teacup and slid out of the booth. “Aunt Julia,” she said, cheered by the warmth of the greeting. Carrie enthusiastically hugged her aunt.

  Julia sat opposite her, and Carrie poured them both a fresh cup of tea. Her aunt quickly scanned the menu and made her choice before setting the menu aside. She had her own favorite dish and they often shared.

  “It’s good to see you,” Julia said.

  “You, too.” Despite her joy at seeing her aunt, her shoulders slumped.

  “I think I know what you wanted to see me about.” Julia reached across the table and gently squeezed Carrie’s hand.

  Carrie looked up. “Did Mom call you?”

  Julia nodded.

  “I heard them arguing. They think it’s time I got my own place, and I agree. Only how can I ever afford one on what I make? As it is, I’m hardly able to make my car and insurance payment. Mom has me on their phone plan, and I give her money for that, and I contribute what I can toward groceries.” That was all she could afford. She had a measly hundred dollars in savings, and that wouldn’t last a millisecond in a real emergency.

  “Your mom is in a tough spot.”

  Carrie was aware of her mother’s feelings on the matter. “I feel awful about this, I really do. It’s just been so hard for me to find a job that pays me enough to afford to move out.”

  The server stepped forward, cutting in to their conversation, and they placed their order.

  Carrie waited until he left before continuing. “Hillary and Marie were smart in their career choices.” As a physical therapist, Hillary could work as many hours as she wanted. And Marie, a respiratory therapist, had skills that were in high demand. She could have her choice of work in any one of the area’s hospitals.

  “Don’t say that,” Julia said. “You graduated magna cum laude.”

  “It doesn’t feel like it,” Carrie whispered.

  Their food was delivered, and as eager for Thai as Carrie had been earlier, she no longer had an appetite. Reaching for her fork, she rested her elbows on the table. “What did Mom say?” she asked.

  “She loves you, Carrie, and wants what’s best for you.”

  That was a given, seeing how long Carrie had been living off her folks.

  “I have an idea for you, though.”

  Carrie looked up from her plate as a fleeting sense of hope filled her chest. “You do?”

  “Have you ever considered being a concierge?”

  “A concierge?” She frowned and shook her head. “You mean like in a hotel, booking reservations at restaurants and such?”

  “Sort of. The Heritage is looking to hire one.”

  Her interest was piqued. She loved the idea of working at The Heritage. “What would I be doing?”

  “I don’t have a full job description; the only thing I can tell you is what my experience with the concierge has been.”

  Leaning slightly forward, Carrie was eager to listen.

  “When I first learned a condo was up for sale it was the concierge who showed me around. My real estate agent was with me, but the concierge is the one who answered my questions. She collects packages and handles all the details for scheduling repairs. I’m sure there’s much more.”

  Carrie listened intently. “Do you think I could do all that?”

  “Of course I do. In fact, I think you’d be perfect. You’re a natural with people and have a way of smoothing ruffled feathers.”

  Carrie was willing to admit she enjoyed her role of peacemaker. “It sounds good; I just wonder if I’m qualified.”

  “With your broad experience, I think you’d be fine. The board is gathering résumés this week. I would encourage you to apply.”

  “Can I do it online?”

  Julia hesitated and appeared to give it some thought. “You could, of course, as I’m sure that’s what the vast majority will do. If it were me, I’d stop in personally. You’re only a block from The Heritage now. It wouldn’t take much effort to walk in and fill out an application. If you like, I can print out your résumé at my place.”

  “I’ll give it a go,” Carrie decided.

  Her aunt gave her hope when she badly needed to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

  “One more question. Do you know what the position pays?”

  Julia shook her head. “I don’t, sorry.”

  She’d find that out soon enough, although she desperately hoped the salary would allow her to find a place of her own. “Can I use you as a reference?”

  “Of course. I’d want you to, and I’ll be happy to put in a good word for you, although I don’t know if it will be of much help.”

  “It can’t hurt.”

  Carrie sampled a bite of her lunch, feeling a tad better. Working at The Heritage was bound to offer more than her position at the drugstore, and would certainly be more enjoyable. It was a beautiful building and the residents seemed friendly.

  “Like I said, Carrie, I can’t be sure what the pay is; however, there’s one major benefit that comes with this position that I didn’t mention.”

  “You mean other than I’ll be able to see you on a daily basis?”

  “Yes, more than that. Much more. The concierge position includes a studio apartment.”

  Chapter 3

  Julia was happily taking a day for herself. She planned to meet Hillary for lunch, and had scheduled a massage and hair appointment for the afternoon. The new owner of West Coast Interiors was starting to rely on Julia a bit more than she liked, especially when it came to dealing with contractors. It would be far too easy to fall back into the pattern of working full-time, and that was something she wanted to avoid.

  Following Julia’s advice, her niece had applied with The Heritage for the concierge position. Carrie had apparently made a good enough impression for the condo board to check with Julia as a reference. From what
she knew, the decision was going to be made either today or tomorrow, once the board had completed the interviews. Julia felt Carrie had a more than fair chance of getting the job. For everyone’s sake, she hoped so.

  After her workout, Julia returned to her condo to shower and change clothes. As he had for the last two weeks, Heath had arrived at the same time as she did. Other than exchanging their usual morning greeting, they basically ignored each other. She plugged in her earbuds and went about her routine as if she had the room to herself.

  When Julia first switched her exercising to the mornings, she’d been disappointed not to be able to work out in private, and even briefly considered altering her schedule. She wasn’t sure what changed her mind. Since they rarely spoke other than a brief acknowledgment, it seemed a little silly to change her schedule.

  Seeing that she would be eating lunch out, Julia opted for a light breakfast by stopping off at the Busy Bean. The line was short, with only two people in front of her. She was considering ordering the daily drink when she heard someone come to stand behind her.

  “Hey,” Heath said, sounding surprised to see her.

  “Hello,” she said, smiling over her shoulder. As she looked his way, she noticed her sister walking into The Heritage, and she wasn’t alone. Twice now Amanda had mentioned Frank, the man she was hot for Julia to meet. Julia had refused both times. It seemed her sister had decided that if Julia wouldn’t meet Frank on her own, then she would bring the man to her. Noticing the two of them walking side by side, her face fell. “Oh no.”

  She was willing to admit Frank looked decent enough; looks, however, were deceiving, as she had painfully learned in her brief sojourn into the dating world.

  “Something wrong?” Heath asked at her whispered protest.

  Julia’s shoulders slumped as she turned her gaze away from Amanda, whose intentions were good, though misguided. “My sister is heading to my place and she’s bringing this man she insists is my soul mate, despite the fact I have repeatedly told her I’m not interested.”

  Heath looked toward The Heritage. “Hide out here with me,” he suggested. “If she happens to see you sitting alone, she’ll bring him over. But if you’re with me, most likely she’ll leave.”

  She wasn’t about to refuse this small gift. “Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

  “Get us a table, and I’ll order the drinks.”

  “Perfect.” She opened her purse to get out cash when Heath stopped her. “My treat.”

  This was an even better offer. She told him what she wanted and quickly secured one of the few tables available. Within a matter of minutes, Heath handed her the latte and then sat down across from her.

  “Does this sort of thing happen often?” he asked.

  “You mean my sister and/or friends pushing me to meet a man who will be perfect for me?” she asked in an exaggerated voice, and then answered her own question. “All the time. You?”

  “Some. Not so much lately, as my friends have gotten the message I’m not interested. Shortly after the divorce I thought it would be a good idea to move on, give dating a try. That was a mistake.”

  Julia understood all too well. “It was a while before I was ready to meet anyone. I was lonely, and thought Why not? All I wanted was someone to share experiences with, someone to laugh with and enjoy life. I’d been married over thirty years, and I wasn’t accustomed to life alone.”

  “I hear you. That was my thought, but after a few pretty hairy experiences I was done.”

  “I met my share of duds as well,” Julia said, and she had. It didn’t take her long to discover the men who were single were that way for a reason.

  Heath relaxed against the back of his chair and tossed out a challenge. “Bet my dating experiences will be worse than yours.”

  “Oh yeah?” Julia said with a smile. “First time out was with a guy who was the friend of a friend. Sheryl thought we would be perfect together. Have you noticed how that is what they all say? ‘I know someone perfect for you’?”

  “Heard it enough to realize my friends don’t know me near well enough.”

  “At any rate, Sheryl said this about Harry, that was his name, claiming we had a lot in common. Like me, he had been recently divorced. We met for dinner and everything was going along fine until after half a bottle of wine, when Harry started talking about his ex-wife and his children. Then, out of the blue, he started to cry. And when I say ‘cry,’ I mean howling sobs and tears. There I sat in the middle of a crowded restaurant, with a man weeping into his napkin so loudly that the waiter asked if there was something he could do to help. I assured him there was and asked if he could call for a cab. I thanked Harry for dinner and left.”

  Heath grinned. “My first time out was equally bad. An old college roommate set me up with a woman he knew, convinced we would hit it off. Callie worked in social media and was seriously into her job. Like you, we met for dinner, and she—I am not exaggerating—snapped at least forty selfies, which she posted on Facebook. I don’t think she swallowed more than two bites of her lobster, and yes, she ordered the most expensive item on the menu. Then she asked me to take her photo for Instagram. Not one photo, mind you, several, none of which pleased her. Later she let me know I didn’t make her look as good as I could have. With that, she informed me it would be better if we didn’t see each other again.”

  Julia shook her head in sympathy. “Apparently taking a good photo for Instagram is a prerequisite for a relationship these days.”

  “It seems so,” Heath agreed.

  Julia was enjoying this and wasn’t about to let him win this challenge. “Okay, okay. See if you can top this. Another friend-of-a-friend situation. I trusted Susan. She’s smart and assured me I was simply meeting the wrong kind of men, and I should put all my past failures behind me. Typically, she claimed she had the perfect man for me. In fairness, she did mention he was a bit older. She described him as mature, established, and financially secure. He sounded too good to be true.”

  “Don’t they always?” he asked.

  “Right. Anyway, once again we met at a restaurant and Lloyd had to have been in his late seventies, if he was a day. This guy was on his last legs. If that wasn’t enough, when we went to order dinner, it took him ten minutes as he listed off all his physical ailments that prevented him from eating almost every item on the menu. He asked the server so many questions, needing to know every detail of the preparation, that I nearly dozed off. That server had the patience of a saint. The worst was when he went into detail, as to the reason he couldn’t eat red meat, which he claimed gave him diarrhea.”

  “Good one,” Heath said with a chuckle. “I had a stalker.”

  “A stalker?” she repeated, not sure she could beat that.

  “We had a total of two dates. I should have followed my instincts after the first one. Nothing terrible happened. She was pleasant enough, and by this time, I was getting discouraged. Of all the women I’d met, she showed the most potential. I liked that she was enthusiastic and could carry a conversation, so I decided to ask her out again to see how it went.

  “We attended a concert, and afterward she was all over me. It felt like an octopus who had all eight of its arms wrapped around me. I had to pull over on the side of the road and explain I couldn’t drive with her trying to undress me.

  “That was enough to tell me it wasn’t going to work. When I dropped her off, she asked when I wanted to see her again. I said I’d call her, to which she responded July worked best for us to schedule the wedding date. Foolishly, I thought this was a joke. If so, it was on me.”

  “She was talking marriage after two dates?”

  “Oh yes, and that was only the start of my troubles with Candace. It took me nearly three months, a lawyer, and a restraining order to get her out of my life.”

  “Okay, you win,” Julia said, lifting her hand in de
feat. “I have nothing to compare to that disaster.”

  “I’m sure you heard what happened with the concierge,” he said, slowly shaking his head, as if the memory continued to traumatize him.

  “Not really. There was some talk around the building, only I didn’t pay much attention.”

  “I had to report Melanie to the condo board. She had this business opportunity she wanted me to finance. I explained I wasn’t interested, and left it at that, hoping that would be the end of it. But she refused to give up. It came to the point that I couldn’t even walk into the lobby to collect my mail without her pestering me. If that wasn’t bad enough, she suggested she would be willing to do ‘anything’ if I would back her in a venture even an amateur entrepreneur knew would fail.”

  “Oh dear, she was that desperate?”

  “It’s unfortunate the building had to let her go. I felt bad about it, only I wasn’t about to invest in an idea that was doomed to fail. After what happened with Candace, I was leery, and felt I had no option but to report her to the association. As far as I’m concerned, I’m finished with dating. I sincerely doubt I’ll ever remarry.”

  “Exactly. It isn’t worth the hassle. The men I’ve met came with a lot of baggage. I’m carrying enough of my own.”

  They continued talking long past the time they’d finished their drinks. Julia learned Heath worked as a hedge-fund manager and, like her, was semiretired. She told him about her daughters—he had two sons—and that she had recently sold her interior design business and worked as a consultant, hoping to ease into retirement.

  When she happened to catch the time, she was surprised to see that if she didn’t rush, she’d be late for her lunch date with her daughter. They had talked, nearly nonstop, for the better part of two hours.