Miriam nodded a little, and then again decisively.

“Alright, let’s put on a fucking banger of a carnival,” Hannah said. “We’re going to get the Rosensteins on board. And”—she pointed at Miriam, and then at Noelle with her pen—“if they don’t, we give the bank the plan anyway, because Carrigan’s All Year is happening, and nothing is going to stop us.”

Noelle whooped and pounded a fist in the air. Miriam launched herself into Noelle’s arms, kissing her soundly on the cheek. She smelled like coffee and pastries, and Noelle’s mouth watered.

“Let’s plan a tree lighting, woman,” Noelle grumbled, setting Miriam aside before she did something untoward in Hannah’s office.

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Miriam

Hannah and Noelle were trying, with mixed results, to treat Miriam like an equal partner. Noelle was doing a pretty good job, mostly because planning the tree lighting didn’t interrupt her work so she had no territory to protect. Hannah, however, kept ending up in a tug-of-war with Miriam when Hannah felt she was overstepping, which seemed to Miriam was happening every time she so much as refilled a napkin container.

Which is what she was doing, in the empty dining room after breakfast, when Hannah started walking behind her and fixing her work.

“Really?” Miriam asked. “The napkins? You’re going to micromanage the napkins?”

“They have to be done exactly this way, or the dispenser jams, and then it’s more work to fix it,” Hannah sniped, waving the aging napkin dispenser.

Miriam could not figure out what Hannah’s problem was. All of a sudden, Hannah was on high alert, and Miriam couldn’t figure out what had changed.

“Why don’t you teach me how to do it? Or buy new napkin dispensers that don’t jam?” Miriam asked, her hands on her hips. “Oh right, because then you wouldn’t be the only person who could do it right.”

“The napkins aren’t your job. They’re my job. Like the welcome baskets for the guests who arrived yesterday, and the tour information you gave, and the pamphlet display you decided to rearrange without asking me.” Hannah waved the napkin dispenser toward the front hall, where the display was, before setting it down with too much force.

Miriam was so frustrated she wanted to scream. “I was trying to help! The display looks way better now, and the guests asked me for information about the tours. What was I supposed to say?! You’ll have to wait until Hannah is free and ask her, because she’s the only person designated to Google things at Carrigan’s?”

Hannah had asked her to stay here. She’d left her entire life to move here, and now she felt like she was in the way.