Julie studied her intently, then seemed to reach a decision. “Look, I can sit down with you and go over regulations, your business plan and all the other things it takes to be successful in this business. I can even advise you on some courses if you want to fill in the educational blanks.”
“That would be incredibly generous of you,” Carrie said enthusiastically. “I’d be happy to pay you for your time.”
Julie smiled. “Not a chance, because I’m not going to start advising you, at least not right away. You think you want to do this, then you sign up for those courses online, then come here a couple of days a week as a volunteer. You’ll know soon enough if you’re any good at it. When I see if you’re serious, then I’ll teach you everything you need to know. I’ve been running this center since Lucy was a baby and I’ve got an excellent reputation. If I’m going to be your mentor, then I’m going to be thorough.”
Carrie was momentarily taken aback, but then she chuckled. “Done,” she said, holding out her hand. “We’ll do it your way. I have the baby a couple of days a week, but I can work here around that.”
“Or you can bring the baby with you,” Julie said. “I won’t even charge you for it, since you’re going to be pitching in as volunteer staff. I’ve worked that deal with a couple of moms who need child care while they hunt for work.”
“Something tells me spotting this place was the luckiest thing to happen to me in a long time,” Carrie said sincerely.
She liked that Julie wasn’t going to hand over a bunch of facts and figures or dole out advice without being sure that Carrie was up to the job. She was obviously a woman who took her responsibility to the children in her care seriously and intended to do whatever she could for those who might be in Carrie’s care down the road. For the first time Carrie was starting to view the whole day-care idea as a serious, viable option for her future.
“Monday morning,” Julie told her. “I get here by five-thirty. A couple of parents work very early shifts and drop off their kids on the way to work. Six-thirty will be early enough for you.”
“I’ll be here,” Carrie promised, managing to hide her startled reaction to the early hour. She’d grown used to late nights and laid-back mornings, a carryover from her lifestyle when she’d worked with Marc.
Julie nodded approvingly. “I expected you to react differently to the early hour.”
“I’ll admit that I’ve never been much of a morning person,” Carrie conceded. “But I am a reliable one. I’ll be here.”
“Keep surprising me and we’ll get along just fine. Now I’d better get over there and see how Lucy’s holding up. The kids adore her, but they tend to try to take advantage of her. She’s still working on being a disciplinarian when she needs to be.”
She gave Carrie a distracted wave as she hurried off.
Carrie stood where she was for a moment longer, soaking up the high-pitched laughter, the sight of kids bouncing in their seats with excitement as their young tutor made whatever lesson they were having fun. The atmosphere in the room wrapped itself around her and warmed her heart in a way nothing had in a very long time.
Apparently Luke had been onto something when he’d pointed her in this direction. She supposed she’d find out for sure over the next few weeks or months or however long it took for Julie to decide if Carrie had passed her personal test.
Carrie already had a pretty good idea that this time she’d found a perfect fit.
When she finally got back to Chesapeake Shores, Carrie found her grandfather pacing up and down the front walk, a cell phone up to his ear. When he saw her, he disconnected and shoved the phone in his pocket.
“It’s about time you got home. Why weren’t you answering your phone?”
“The battery died,” Carrie replied, thinking how convenient that was, given the expression on her grandfather’s face. She kissed his cheek. “What’s up?”
“That’s what I want to know,” he grumbled. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Doing what?”
She held up her packages. “Shopping, for one thing.”
“You couldn’t possibly need more clothes. I helped haul all your things over here, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“They were a little too fancy for every day in Chesapeake Shores,” she said. “I bought a few more practical things.”
His gaze narrowed. “So, you’re not thinking of taking off again right away?”
“Nope,” she said, setting all the bags down in a chair, then heading for the kitchen. “I could use some iced tea. How about you?”