The dinner tasted good and everything seemed to be all right until Jeremy blurted, “Dad says he’s on vacation. Does that mean you’ve got a new job, Claire?”
Chapter Five
Oh, help.
The time had come for honesty, but Jeremy had to be in a precarious frame of mind. Still, Claire couldn’t lie to him. “I met some people today and I have another interview tomorrow, but I haven’t made a decision yet.”
“Will you still work in Austin?”
“No. Both positions are in Houston.”
He crumpled his paper napkin. “I can’t eat anymore.” In the next instant he slid off the chair and ran through the house.
Sick at heart, she got up to go after him, but Vic beat her to it. “I’ll talk to him. Thank you for the dinner. If you want to visit your folks, feel free. Jeremy and I need time together. He can help me do the dishes.”
In the politest way possible Vic had asked her to leave. She understood. “I’ll do that.”
Claire had left her purse on the kitchen counter when she’d brought in the groceries. She reached for it and left the house through the back door. After walking around to the front, she got in her car and took off for her parents’ modest home five miles away.
Her father worked in the accounting department at a local college, and her mom was a part-time dental receptionist. They’d been frugal all their lives in order to make ends meet. Claire’s two older sisters were married and struggling financially. That was the reason why she’d wanted to get her master’s degree and make a promising career for herself.
Today happened to be one of her mother’s days off. Claire’s dad wasn’t home yet.
“I’m glad you’re here.” She gave her mom a hug and they sat down in the living room.
“How did that second interview go today?”
“Really well. The job sounds great and so does the salary. Even better, if I’m hired, they’ll pay part of my tuition to get my PhD. Then I’d have to promise to work for them for five years. With a PhD I’d have the credentials necessary to go almost anywhere.”
“You’ll be living in Houston?”
“Yes. It’s only an hour and a half drive, Mom.”
But Claire would never forget the pain on Jeremy’s face when she told him where she’d be working if she took the position. He’d dashed from the
dinner table. It had been an awful moment for her and his father.
“Did they offer you the position?”
“Yes.”
“That’s wonderful!”
“I agree. I told them I’d have to let them know sometime next week. I have a second interview with the other company tomorrow. If they offer me a position, too, then I’ll have to weigh everything carefully before making my choice.”
“It’s a big one. Does Ranger Malone know you’re this close to making a decision?”
“Yes. He told me he’d pay me the starting salary these jobs offered if I’d stay and be a nanny to Jeremy for another year.”
Her mother looked incredulous. “You mean he would pay you $70,000?”
“Yes. Of course he couldn’t have meant it. I told him I would never take that kind of money for caring for his son. This horrible kidnapping experience has caused him to overreact because he was so terrified he’d never see Jeremy again.”
“Does Jeremy know how close you are to taking a new job?”
Claire jumped up from the couch. “Yes. His father has been given vacation time and Jeremy figured out he’s home to find a new nanny. Tonight when the subject came up, he ran from the table while we were eating dinner. His father got up to follow him. Before leaving the kitchen he told me that if I wanted to visit you I should go. He and Jeremy would do the dishes. That’s why I left and came over here.”
“I see. It’s time we had a talk, Claire. Sit down, honey.”