The Job Offer Read Online Free PDF

else would remember any of it.  How
embarrassing would that be?
    "Anne, you made it.  How was
traffic, Sweetheart?"  Her mother broke into Anne's reverie by giving her
a hug.  Anne jumped slightly then returned the hug wholeheartedly.  The
discussion with William was apparently finished because he had gone back to
work preparing the evening specials while his assistants worked at fulfilling
the occasional late lunch orders.
    "Traffic wasn't too bad once I got
away from Seattle.  You changed your hair.  I like it," Anne commented
about her mother's changed look.  Her mother, Jane Petrovic, was twenty years
older than Anne and had the same light blue eyes and winged eyebrows.  From
there, their similarities ended.  Their chins and mouths were different.  Anne's
chin was stronger and more square-shaped and her mouth was wider with fuller
lips.  Anne's mother's hair, in contrast to Anne's dark curly locks, was a dark
ash blonde shade styled in an attractive layered cut that framed her face.
    Today, Anne's mother was dressed in
casual chic plum colored business attire that complimented her petite frame.  Anne
felt like a frumpy Amazon standing next to her dressed in a pair of white
shorts, a mint green tee shirt, and canvas sneakers with no socks.  Anne also
had scrubbed off her makeup leaving nothing on except for rose colored lip
gloss.  She decided not to cover her lightly tanned skin with anything but
sunscreen now that her makeup was off.  Her natural curly hair, which had been
pulled up in a twist for the interview, was now pulled out and left loose
around her shoulders with soft tendrils falling about her face.
    "Yes, I did.  I changed it last
winter.  Are you hungry?  Did you eat?" Anne's mother led her out of the
kitchen and into the dining room which was almost empty except for a handful of
guests and locals.  Anne recognized some of the faces that belonged to people
who lived in Eastsound and some to returning guests.  "You can eat here,
or I can have something sent over to the house," she said as she began to
fuss a little over Anne.
    "Will you be joining me?"
    "No, Dear.  Jim is over at the
airport picking up the bride and groom for this weekend’s wedding.  They are
flying in today, along with some of the wedding party and the bride’s parents. 
They intend to stay for the week while they get ready for the wedding.  So, I'm
holding down the fort until your dad gets back.  But, if you are hungry, I'll
have Karen whip you up a sandwich and send it over to the house if you do not
want to eat here."
    "No.  That's fine, Mom.  I ate on
the way up.  Actually, I was planning on taking a bike ride to town.  I can
pick up a bite to eat there if I get hungry."
    "All right, Anne.  How did your
interview go this morning?"
    Anne filled her mother in briefly on how
it went then left the inn's main building when her mother was called away to
help at the front desk.  Going out of the front French style double doors, Anne
stepped onto the wide front veranda that swept along the full length of the
building and around both sides.  Outdoor wicker furniture was placed
strategically along the veranda for guests who wished to sit outside and enjoy
the view.  The main part of the inn was a large two story plantation style
building covered in white clapboard siding with black shingles and shutters.  Large
windows faced out the front onto the veranda and lawn.  Six thick white square
pillars stretched up to the second story roof, and supported a second story
gallery that ran the full length of the building.  A wrought iron railing enclosed
the second floor gallery and additional furniture was placed outside for guests
who wished to look out onto the sweeping front lawn lined with large oaks and
flower beds.
    The main building was constructed over a
hundred years earlier by a wealthy Seattle shipbuilder who wanted a vacation
home on Orcas Island.  He was originally from New Orleans and wanted to create
a