Chương 13: Getting Acquainted

As soon as they arrived at her office, Pearl's assistant Beth was there to meet them. She was the same thin redhead Jesse had spoken to when he had showed up at lunch time. Pearl did the introductions.

"Beth, this is Dr Murray, the new Gutin camp medic. Please can you arrange all the details? If he's still here when I get back, I can try and brief him before my meeting, but you or Getty can also do that."

"Okay."

"Alright then, guys," Pearl said, ready to turn on her heel. "I'm off to the track meet," she informed them.

She looked so chic, Beth thought, seeing the way Jesse's eyes followed her every motion. Because she was watching him watch Pearl, Beth noticed how his eyes widened when he heard her announcement.

"Don't tell me you're going to run in that?" he teased a moment later.

Chuckling, Pearl wrinkled her nose. "I told you I don't compete anymore."

"It's a guest appearance," Beth supplied candidly, revealing her minor case of hero worship.

"It's a high school level event and because we sponsor some stuff in the district, our boss was invited to officiate. He couldn't make it, so I'm filling in for the director," Pearl said.

"Ah. That makes so much more sense."

"Jesse, thanks again," she smiled. Then she was gone with a wave and the promise to see them later.

"Alright, Dr Murray, if you'll just follow me, I will take you to meet our coach and you can fill out the paperwork Pearl mentioned earlier."

Leading him down a well-lit hall way with glass meeting rooms and powerful images of athletes in their element on the walls, Beth would greet someone through an open doorway or way if she made contact with them. Every now and then Jesse would recognise one of the athletes and he wondered if they actually worked with those sportsmen and women or if they simply found the pictures fitting for the message they were communicating. He made a mental note to ask Pearl as he stepped into an office on the other end of the floor from Pearl's.

It seemed smaller than Pearl's office and it was decorated with black and white photos of athletes holding trophies and accolades. There was an older woman in sweat pants and a matching sweatshirt sitting behind the dark wood desk. Her straight black hair was tied back in a ponytail but Jesse could see a few streaks of grey. The lady's face was devoid of makeup but she had thick dark eyelashes that framed her friendly brown eyes, making them a standout feature. She smiled as they moved toward her and then stood up and shook Jesse's hand.

Beth formally introduced Jesse to Getty, the sports coach running the basketball sessions for camp and the ladies took Jesse through a short interview.

Was he married? No.

Did he smoke? No.

Did he drink? Occasionally, yes.

Medical experience? They quickly established he was greatly overqualified to do first aid at a kids' camp.

Place of residence..?

The questions came randomly and then as Beth handed him a form to fill out, Getty asked him, "Are you a Christian?"

He got slightly uncomfortable but managed to say, "Well, I believe in God-"

"It's okay. Even if you didn't, one camp with Reverend Guthrie and that would probably change."

His brow knit together momentarily. "That's the second time I've heard people call her that. Is she really a reverend?"

Getty chuckled. "It's just a nickname." Pause. "But she truly has a direct line to God."

Jesse filled out the form he was given and then Beth took him to despatch to get fitted out with the camp uniform. After that she left him with Getty, the mother of three boys who couldn't wait to get away for a break. They went through the travel itinerary and the program for camp and she said what Pearl had at lunch time. The camp was pretty straight forward and he was a standard precaution.

Beth appeared a while later to say Miss Guthrie was still in her conference call and she would phone him as soon as she could.

"That's okay. So," he began slowly, "can I go home?"

"Yes, you're free to go."

"Great, thanks so much for your time."

"No problem. We're always glad to have our team grow."

He smiled and got ready to leave. He called his mother and let her know that he would be out of town for a few days and she was thrilled to hear that he was going away to volunteer at a camp with her god daughter. A few minutes later Jesse was on his way out of Long Beach.

Halfway through the meeting, the final party appeared on screen. He nodded his thanks to his PA who had been filling in for him and then he sat down. The young man nodded in return, stood up and left his notes on the desk for his employer. His first comment was directed toward Pearl.

"You look even more entrancing than usual, Pearl. The Lord surely took his time," he murmured.

"Good of you to join us, Mr Grett," one of the other meeting parties intoned.

"I'm sure you'll forgive me my tardy appearance," he said tongue-in-cheek. "If I'd known Pearl looked like Dream Away Barbie I'd have cancelled my counselling session." Pause. "And she blushes so prettily in HD."

"You're not alone," boomed a lady from Australia. "Start your courting campaign on your own time."

It was frustrating for Pearl the way Grett always managed to imply interest in her in front of members of the Christian Council of Counsellors.

"Shall we get back to business," she bit out. She knew denial would paint her like a virginal candidate who couldn't just brush it off regardless of what was really happening. Everyone thought something was going on between them even though it wasn't!

Today they knew she was on a tight schedule and moved things along but not before she saw the smug look on Grett's face. Making a mental note to address it at a later stage, Pearl focused on the presentation that was being made and shook off her annoyance at Grett's antics.

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