Chapter 33
In between finishing the next installment of her investigation, Julie opened the door to the Lakeside Grill. It had been an exciting time for Cole.
The review process for the permit suspension had been done in unprecedented time. The permits had been reinstated, and the people involved in making the decision given a formal warning.
Unfortunately, that had made Cole even more determined to return to Finley Point. But with a little arm twisting, everyone had managed to keep him in town.
This morning, Beth had called Julie in a panic, needing to talk to someone who could give her some advice. Her friend was sitting at a corner table with two hot drinks in front of her, and her coat folded over the back of a chair.
Julie had noticed something different about Beth at the last two cooking classes. She still sat in the same spot, brought her usual food, and laughed at the right moments. But there was something in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.
Julie wanted to make sure she was okay, but she’d decided not to ask about it in front of their friends.
“I ordered you a flat white,” Beth said. “The same as last time.”
Julie sat down and pulled off her scarf. “I appreciate that.” She wrapped both hands around the cup. Outside, the weather was sharp and still, the lake flat and silver under a pale sky.
“Thank you for meeting me here,” Beth told her. “I know how busy you are.”
Julie touched her friend’s arm. “You’re more important than anything I’m doing. What’s worrying you?”
Beth bit her bottom lip. “Someone offered me a job.”
Julie started to smile until she looked carefully at Beth. Her friend should have been more excited. It wasn’t easy finding a job in Sapphire Bay and Beth had been looking for a while. So instead of saying congratulations, Julie waited for what came next.
“Not a job exactly,” Beth corrected herself.
“More of a role. Natalie, Gabe, and Owen want to build a community arts center at the northern end of town. It’s not confirmed yet.
The funding is still being finalized. But Natalie saw me last week and asked if I’d be willing to manage it. ” Beth glanced up. “If it goes ahead.”
“What kind of managing?” Julie asked.
“Mostly organizing exhibitions, classes, and partnerships with local schools.” Beth turned her coffee cup in a slow half-circle.
“Possibly some administration, but Natalie said she wants to find someone else for the day-to-day office work.” A pause.
“She said she wanted someone who understood what Sapphire Bay needs.”
“It sounds like the perfect role for you,” Julie said carefully. “You’re already involved in the local arts and crafts society, and you go to every exhibition and arts event you can.”
“I know,” Beth said softly. “I’ve been thinking about it all week. I haven’t told my brother Ryan or Kayla.” She set her cup down. “I haven’t told anyone except you.”
The noise from the restaurant moved around them. A chair shifted somewhere behind Julie. Someone near the door called out a goodbye, and it went unanswered.
“What’s stopping you from saying yes?” Julie asked.
Beth considered that with more care than the question might have required. “Even with all my involvement in the local arts scene, I don’t know if I’m the right person for the job.”
Julie’s eyes widened. “What would the right person look like?”
Beth frowned. “Someone with more experience, maybe. A degree wouldn’t be a bad thing, either. Someone who’s actually managed an arts space before.”
“Have you managed things before?” Julie asked.
“I ran the church fundraiser committee for four years,” Beth said. “I was on the Welcome Center board for three. I’ve organized a lot of potlucks, bake sales, and the mid-winter craft fair.” Beth stopped. “But it’s not the same.”
“No,” Julie said. “But it’s not nothing. What would your daughter tell you to do?”
Beth bit her bottom lip. “Kayla would tell me to accept the position. She graduates from culinary school next spring. All this time, I’ve been telling her to go wherever the opportunities are.
Don’t stay in Sapphire Bay just for me. Don’t limit yourself.
” She lifted her eyes. “And here I am, doing exactly what I told her not to.”
“Which is?” Julie asked.
“Talking myself out of something before it’s started.”
Julie leaned forward. “Do you want the position?”
The question sat between them.
“I’ve wanted something like it for years,” Beth said eventually.
“But when Jessie died, I had Kayla to raise and Ryan checking in every week to make sure we were coping. There wasn’t much room to think about what I wanted.
You just do what needs doing. And then you keep doing it, because that’s who you’ve become.
And now there’s a job that’s everything I’ve ever wanted, and I can’t make myself say yes. ”
Julie studied her friend’s face. “From where I’m sitting, you’d be perfect. What are you afraid of?”
Beth looked at her. “That I’m not good enough,” she whispered.
Julie placed her hand on Beth’s. She knew how that felt.
“I thought the same thing about being an investigative journalist. Sometimes, we place too much pressure on ourselves. We expect more from ourselves than we’d expect from others.
” Julie looked into her friend’s eyes. “Do you think Natalie came to you randomly?”
Beth shook her head. “No.”
Julie tilted her head. “So, someone who’s a famous painter and has had exhibitions around the world, looked at what this position needs and decided you were the right fit.
” Julie picked up her coffee. “That doesn’t happen often.
Maybe you should give Natalie more credit for knowing what will make their center successful. ”
“It’s not confirmed,” Beth reminded Julie.
“No,” she said. “But it’s real. The offer is real.”
Beth was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “You’re doing that journalist thing again.”
Julie frowned. “What journalist thing?”
“Making me think about a problem from a different angle instead of giving advice.” The corner of Beth’s mouth lifted. “You would have made a good therapist.”
Julie laughed. “I would have made a terrible therapist. I have no patience for people who already know the answer to every issue in the world.”
It was Beth’s turn to laugh. It was a real laugh, the kind that started somewhere unexpected and took a moment to wind down.
“There’s a meeting next week,” Beth said. “With Natalie and a couple of the people involved with the funding application. They want Natalie to tell them more about the project.”
“Are you going?” Julie asked.
“I think I have to.” Beth looked at the table. “Even if I decide it’s not right for me, I need to stop wondering.”
Julie thought about Daniel and Meg on the Zoom call. The way she’d sat in front of the screen that evening and said things she’d been carrying for years, and how saying them had changed their weight and made them easier to live with.
“Will you come with me?” Beth asked. “To the meeting.”
“I’d love to,” Julie said without hesitation.
Beth exhaled. “That’s wonderful. Thank you.”
They stayed at the table for another twenty minutes, talking about Kayla’s program and whether the arts center would need a commercial kitchen, and whether Laurel had heard about the plans yet.
The conversation grew easier as it moved.
By the time they stood to go, Beth had her coat back on before Julie had even found her scarf.
They stood on the edge of the sidewalk, hugging each other tight.
Julie stepped back and held her friend’s hand. “Promise me you won’t sell yourself short. You can do whatever you set your mind to.”
Beth nodded. “I promise.”
“Good,” Julie said. “And if you ever need positive reinforcement, give me a call. You’ve got this.”
Beth’s smile was wide and filled with confidence. “Thank you. I’ll call you to let you know where they’re holding the meeting.”
“You do that.” Julie waved goodbye to her friend as Beth unlocked her truck.
As she walked across the parking lot, Julie turned her collar up against the cold. The gravel was hard and dry underfoot, and the cold breeze off the lake was like ice.
She’d told Daniel and Meg she was sorry for the time she’d spent away from home when she could have been with them. But it had taken losing her job to see that she was more than an employee number.
Beth was sixty-one. She had a daughter about to start her own life, a brother who surveyed the land around a resort that would hopefully be built, and a community that called her their own.
And she was scared to say yes to something that was already, in almost every visible way, hers to accept.
Beth was good at what she did. She just hadn’t figured that out yet. And Julie knew better than most how much time and energy working it out could cost you.
She got in the truck and sat for a moment before starting the engine. Through the windshield, she could see Beth’s car pulling out onto Main Street.
Next week, Julie would go to the meeting, learn more about the arts center, and convince Beth that she was perfect for the job.