Later, Josie entered the kitchen with two large bags full of books. "Behold, in theaters now, the thing reads a lot," said Rose with a smile.
Josie dropped the bags. "Chocolate?"
"In the measuring cup on the counter," said Sookie.
"How was school?" Rose asked.
"Long day," said Josie. She sighed. "I have tons of work to do tonight. Where did you take Dad today?"
"We went around town, I showed him everything, and we came back here. He saw a classic Michel-Sookie fight."
"Oh, so you met Michel?" Josie asked, and she arched an eyebrow.
"Yes, I did. He seems… I don't know." Jack said.
"Yeah, that's pretty much how everyone feels about him," said Sookie.
Suddenly, Michel barged in. "You might want to pretend you're working. The boss lady is here."
Josie gasped and smiled. "Mia's here?"
An older woman in a pantsuit entered. "Mia!" Rose squealed and hugged her.
"There are my girls," said Mia, and she went to hug Josie.
"Mia, this is Jack, my fiancé," said Rose.
"It's lovely to meet you, Jack," said Mia. She shook his hand, then looked at Rose and Josie. "Now let me get a good look at you two. Too skinny, as usual."
"But we eat," Josie said.
"And too beautiful," said Mia.
"Well, we try," said Rose.
"But I haven't been here enough, so you both get a pass," said Mia. "Rose, you've taken such good care of the inn. I knew you'd be good in this business."
"Oh, I didn't," said Rose with a laugh.
"When you walked in here with this little thing in your arms," Mia cupped Josie's face in her hands. "I knew you'd be good."
"I didn't. I just knew I needed a job."
"I still remember what you said, too. You walked in, skinny as can be, with a little baby in your arms and you said, 'I need a job, any job'. I asked you a few questions. Experience? None. Skills?"
"Other than putting on makeup in a moving vehicle? None," said Rose with a smile.
"But I knew. I knew you'd be good. Hell, you're better than I ever was," said Mia. "Don't be humble. You are."
"Well, thank you, Mia. After all, you're more like a mother to me than Ruth ever was," said Rose. "So, not that I don't love that you're here, but why are you here?"
"I just wanted to check on things," said Mia. "Besides, this is usually the week when you go away, so I came to look after things while you were gone."
"Well, I'm glad you're here."
Mia smiled. "Can I take the three of you for lunch?"
"If the boss allows," said Rose.
Mia put an arm around her. "It's a demand at this point."
Jack, Rose, Josie, and Mia went for lunch and talked, then Mia returned to the inn while Jack, Rose, and Josie returned home.
•••
Rose and Josie were packing for the trip, and Jack was just listening to them stress out about what they were bringing.
"Jack, what do I pack?" Rose asked. "I mean, where are we going? What's out there? What kind of clothing am I bringing?"
Jack chuckled. "Just bring your every day clothes. It's not a huge deal."
"Do you remember my outfits on Titanic?" Rose asked, crossing her arms.
Jack sighed. "Yes, I do. You always looked beautiful."
"Thank you. But that was because I spent weeks preparing different outfits to wear," Rose explained.
"Rose, this trip isn't a big deal. I promise," Jack tried to comfort her.
"I'm meeting your mother," said Rose.
"You're really worried about this, aren't you?" Jack asked.
"Yes, I am. But I just realized who can help me. Josie!" Rose yelled.
Josie ran upstairs. "I was reading downstairs. What's up?"
Rose looked at her daughter perplexed. "You're done packing?"
"Yeah, I finished hours ago. It's not that hard."
Jack chuckled and looked at Rose who was clearly losing her mind. She fake cried. "I need help."
"Talk to me," said Josie.
"I don't know what to pack. I'm bringing one fancy outfit, but what if it's cold? What if it's hot? And what do I bring for pajamas? And what do I wear when we get there? And on the train? I don't know what to pack!"
Josie sighed. "You're going to bring your cream dress with the brown flowers and the matching sweater. You can put the sweater on, or take it off. You bring one set of warm pajamas and one set of cold ones. Bring a bunch of different jeans and sweaters that you can mix and match, and for the train, you can wear your black pants with the long light blue silk shirt."
Rose stood there in awe. "You're a genius, you know that?"
Josie smiled comedically. "I've been told."
