Hollyhock Ridge (Rose Hill Mystery Series Book 7) by Pamela Grandstaff

Author:Pamela Grandstaff [Grandstaff, Pamela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-10-18T04:00:00+00:00

Two hours later, as Claire left the professor’s apartment, warmed by their flattering attentions and buzzed by their clever banter, she thought, ‘What odd friends I’m collecting.’ They wanted her to learn to play Whist; it sounded too difficult to her, but for them, she said she would try. Alan had given her a reading list and a stack of books; it was daunting, but she wanted to please him.

She hoped the position at the college would work out. She also hoped her experience and skill would be more valuable than who she knew, and yet, even as she cheered herself with these thoughts, deep down she realized she was hoping it would all work out in the face of all the evidence to the contrary. She was old enough to know that the world did not reward merit as often as it did connections.

Her mother, who was known for her positive outlook, still could be heard to say, “When has the world ever been fair to this family?”

‘I’m ass-deep in weltschmerz,’ she thought.

She crossed the street to the Rose and Thorn and stopped in. Patrick was polishing glasses. He raised his head in a greeting. When he’d returned from Laurie’s earlier in the evening, he had pronounced him passed out but in no danger; Patrick was better than an EMT in diagnosing degrees of drunkenness.

Claire set her stack of books on the bar and took a seat at the end, near the front door, the seat her father used to sit in and the one Laurie always chose: back to the wall, the best position from which to observe the entrance and the whole bar.

At her request, Patrick brought her a club soda with lime.

“You want a shot in that?” he asked her.

“I’d rather face my troubles than drown them,” she said.

“What’s up?”

“I don’t think I got that job working at the college,” she said.

“I don’t know why you’d want to work with that bunch of snobs, anyway,” he said.

“I like the people I’ve met,” she said. “I would be great at that job; I’m good at what I do, and I think I would be a good teacher.”

“So what’s the snag?”

“They want me to get Sloan Merryweather for their film festival.”

“So ask her.”

“I can’t afford to,” Claire said.

“Why? What’s it gonna cost ya?”

“My soul, probably. And even if she agreed, she’d probably cancel at the last minute just to spite me.”

“So work for Sean.”

“It’s so boring,” she said. “Plus Melissa wants the job.”

“She told me about the online class,” he said, and shook his head.

“You don’t think it’s a good idea?”

“I think trying to be somebody you’re not is always a mistake.”

“It’s okay to improve yourself to make something more of your life.”

“Except you got her hopes up,” he said. “Now if she doesn’t get the job she’ll feel worse than she did to begin with; plus things will be weird between her and my brother.”

“I’m sorry,” Claire said. “I thought it would help.”

“Maybe it will,” Patrick said. “I just don’t want her to get hurt.

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