On the way back, Julia got a call. Heath was driving and the traffic was heavy, and although he could hear one end of the conversation, it didn’t make much sense. All that came through was Julia’s excitement.
“Good news?” he asked when she ended the conversation.
“Terrific news. My niece, Carrie, got the job. She’s going to be the new concierge at The Heritage.”
“That’s great. I look forward to meeting her.” Julia’s niece was sure to be an improvement over Melanie, the previous concierge.
Chapter 5
Carrie was thrilled to have gotten the job, although no more so than her parents. From their reaction, one would think she’d been awarded a gold medal in the Summer Olympics.
Before the day was up, her mother, along with Carrie, had her bedroom packed and her father had loaded the boxes into her car. Eager much? The relief she felt was overwhelming, and clearly for her parents as well. Once at The Heritage, her mother helped her unpack and set up what she needed for the night. As soon as she finished, she fled, as if she feared Carrie would change her mind.
The studio apartment that was part of her employment package was small. The furnishings were mostly new and modern; it wouldn’t take much to make the place her own. She was sure her aunt Julia would advise her what to do to brighten up the space.
She was surprised at how busy she was. This was a job she could lean in to, as every day offered a learning experience and a challenge. She intended to make the most of this opportunity. Her aunt Julia, whom she deeply loved and admired, had given her a recommendation, and Carrie refused to do anything that would let her aunt down. Carrie made a point of introducing herself to each of the residents and found them all to be friendly. The only one she had yet to meet was Eric Hudson, as he had yet to appear to collect his mail. From what she’d learned, he had a home office and worked odd hours. At some point, she would introduce herself.
The Friday night of her first week on the job, she was making notes for the following morning, when her cousin Hillary strolled up to the counter where Carrie sat.
“Hey,” Carrie said, looking up.
“Hey.” Hillary beamed back at her, looking unusually happy and cheerful.
Before Carrie could ask the reason, Hillary’s sister, Marie, entered the lobby.
“What’s up?” Carrie asked. Her two cousins looked as if they were ready to burst with good news.
“We’ve come to see Mom. Can you join us, or are you on duty?”
“I’m finished for the day, so sure.” Obviously the two had some fabulous news to share.
Carrie put aside her notes and followed her two cousins to the elevator. Julia must have been expecting them, because she had several appetizers set out. There were the usual cheese and crackers, and Julia’s special vegetable dumplings that were a family favorite. At any family function her aunt Julia was required to bring these, as no one else seemed to make them taste like hers.
“Oh good, Carrie’s here,” her aunt said, ushering them past the appetizers, which she had set on the counter, and into the living area. Her aunt Julia’s condo was one of the nicer ones, and of course it was decorated beautifully in soft shades of gray with teal accents.
The four sat, and Julia looked expectantly toward her daughters. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense, what’s the good news?”
Marie looked to Hillary and then Hillary raised her left hand, splaying her fingers. A beautiful diamond engagement ring sparkled from her ring finger. “Blake asked me to marry him,” she announced, “and this time I said yes.”
Carrie knew that Blake had been after Hillary for some time to take the next big step in their relationship. He wanted to start a family and buy a house, and he wanted to do it with Hillary. Carrie never fully understood why her cousin kept putting him off. She kept insisting she wasn’t ready, and according to Marie, Hillary’s delays had become an issue with Blake. Carrie suspected Blake had given Hillary an ultimatum; either make a commitment or he was moving on.
Carrie had gotten to know Blake a bit over the last few years. He was a catch, and if Hillary didn’t want to commit to him, she knew plenty of other women would. He worked at the University of Washington in the IT department.
At her daughter’s news, Julia leaped to her feet, and with tears glistening in her eyes cried out, “Hillary, oh Hillary, that’s wonderful!”
“I knew it would make you happy.”
“I’m more than happy. I’m over-the-moon thrilled.” Mother and daughter embraced and swayed back and forth a few times, overcome with joy. Like Carrie’s own mother, her aunt Julia looked forward to spoiling grandchildren one day. It would happen, only not anytime soon.
Although she’d never tell her mother, Carrie knew how deeply Hillary’s parents’ divorce had wounded her cousin. Carrie had been afraid Hillary would never marry, for fear of what would happen in her own marriage. If her parents could divorce after being together for more than thirty years, what was to say any marriage would last? For reasons Carrie never fully understood, her cousins seemed to believe that in divorcing Julia, her uncle Eddie had divorced his daughters at the same time.
“Do you have a date for the wedding yet?” Julia asked, sitting down and pressing her hands between her knees, as if to hold herself back from hugging them all half to death.
“Not yet. Blake and I are looking at different venues, and it all depends on what dates are available. We were hoping for mid-November, sometime before the holidays.”
Julia nodded approvingly.
“Pastor Rick has agreed to perform the ceremony and will be counseling us. As soon as we know where we can have the wedding dinner and reception, we’ll coordinate the date with the church.”
The whole family attended the same church. Pastor Rick had been their pastor for as long as Carrie could remember. They’d all grown up with him. If she remembered correctly, Rick had been a youth pastor to her mom and aunt years earlier, when they’d been teenagers. Their history went a long way back.
“I’ve asked Marie to be my maid of honor and I’d like Carrie to be a bridesmaid,” she said, looking to Carrie.
“I’d love to. Hill, this is such great news.”
Her cousin glowed. “Now that I’ve accepted Blake’s proposal, I’m sorry I waited this long.”
Julia reached for Hillary’s hands and stared at her daughter. “Have you told your father?” she asked, her voice low and serious.
Hillary immediately stiffened. “No.”
“Honey, you need to let him know. This is wonderful news, and you should be the one to tell him. He’ll be happy for you.”