She flopped on her living room sofa, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. She found a Hallmark movie that was just starting and half-watched it as she thought about how her life was about to change. Did she want it to go in this direction? Did she really have a choice? She knew if she turned the opportunity down that her grandfather would be disappointed in her. And she also knew now that it was in front of her, even though she’d never aspired to being the general manager, if she didn’t give it a try, she would always wonder.

Chester hopped up next to her, walked around in a circle a few times then plopped down on her lap. As she petted him, she made her decision. She’d take the job. She didn’t want any regrets on what might have been.

“Did any of you know that Grandfather was thinking of doing this?” Paula asked her family. They were all gathered at her parents’ house for Sunday dinner. It was the one day of the week they usually had off and, whenever possible, everyone gathered to enjoy a meal together and catch up on their week. Her mother was a great cook and loved to have all of her children over.

Today’s meal was ‘company pot roast’ with mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. It was an Ina Garten recipe that her mother had made so many times that Paula recognized the rich scent as soon as she’d walked in the door. She put her fork down and looked around the table, waiting for answers. They were oddly quiet, for her family.

Finally, Nick spoke. “Do you mean letting Andrea go? Or offering you the GM role?”

“Either one, but mostly I was curious about if you knew he was thinking about me for the role.”

“Well, he didn’t say a thing about letting Andrea go, but he did recently ask my opinion on if I thought you’d be interested.”

“He did? What did you say?”

Nick grinned. “I told him you’d be terrified, but that you’d probably do a fantastic job. I think you should do it.”

Her parents both nodded. “He mentioned it to me too,” her father said. “And I agree with your brother and told him the same thing.”

Her mother smiled. “And your father of course told me, and I couldn’t be happier for you, honey. It’s a big job, but I think you’re ready for it. You’ve done almost every job in the hotel and you have the advantage of knowing the business side better than just about anyone other than your grandfather.”

“Thank you. I just truly never even thought about that job, though. I didn’t think Andrea would ever leave.”