7. Penny
SEVEN
Penny
I was balancing my coffee, computer, and purse on one arm while trying to dig in said purse to locate the keys to Magnolia Daily. When my fingers wrapped around the key ring, I sighed as I yanked them out from under my wallet which had pinned them to the bottom.
I slipped the key into the lock and turned it. Once inside, I pushed the door shut with my foot only to hear a muffled, “Umph.”
I paused, moving so I could peek around the five-inch opening to be greeted by a high bun and annoyed stare.
“Victoria?” I asked and then felt stupid. Why was I surprised to see her? I had agreed to hire her. I cleared my throat before she could cast her irritated expression my way. That woman could melt ice with her stare. “Welcome,” I said, trying to course correct.
She pushed open the door and entered. She was wearing a blue pant suit with a cream-colored satin shirt. Once she was fully inside, she shut the door behind her and turned to face me. “Thank you,” she said as her gaze drifted around the room.
Embarrassment rose up in my cheeks. I hadn’t wanted her to see it quite yet. After Georgette sold it to me, she took what was valuable to her and left. She hadn’t been the neatest person. I was finding article notes from twenty years ago as I waded through the paperwork on her desk.
“It’s a work in progress,” I mumbled as I picked up a stack of papers—only to discover I had nowhere to move it to and returned it back to its original spot.
“I’d say.” Victoria was silent for a moment, and I couldn’t help but feel as if she were sizing me up as she studied the room.
I wanted to show her my awards, my accolades, just to prove that I wasn’t a mess. But who was I joking? I was living in a strange man’s house, and my new place of work looked like a paper factory had blown up in it.
I was a mess.
“It’ll only take a few days. I promise,” I said giving her a wide smile.
My mother always used to say, “Fake it until you make it,” and that was my plan. I just hadn’t realized how hard faking it was going to be. Especially when my inadequacies were on full display.
Victoria snorted. “Okay,” she said as she moved across to the other side of the room. She peeked into Georgette’s old office, aka my office. Then she glanced back at me. “And where’s my office?” she asked.
I hadn’t thought of that. I glanced around. “Find a spot?”
Victoria’s eyebrow went up. Just when I thought she was going to throw her hands up and storm out, she sighed and whispered something that sounded a lot like “it’s not toilets at the inn” as she walked over to a small, overcrowded desk in the corner. The nameplate Dustin was perched precariously on the edge with a film of dust coating it.
We spent most of the morning cleaning up our respective offices. I learned a lot about Victoria through her silence. She was a hard worker and particular. I could tell by the crease between her brows she might not be the nicest person, but I was going to be grateful to have her with me when we were on a deadline. She didn’t seem like the kind of person to throw in the towel until everything was finished.
By noon, my stomach was growling. I straightened and pressed my hand to my lower back, letting out a groan as I did. My muscles were tense from hunching over the stacks of papers. I had half a mind to throw everything away, but there was a worry in the back of my mind that I would end up tossing something important—so I was combing through every piece.
Cleaning this building was going to take forever.
My hands felt achy and had a blackish tint to them from the ink. I grabbed a wet wipe from my purse as I headed out of my office to find Victoria. My eyebrows went up when I saw how much work she’d gotten done.
Dustin’s desk was now empty and sparkling. I had no idea he’d had a mahogany desk under the stacks of paper. As I approached, Victoria turned and ran her gaze over me.
“You’re a fast worker,” I said as I finished wiping my hands off as best I could and tossed the wipe into a nearby garbage.
She nodded as she used her wrist to wipe her forehead. “Well, I earn my keep.”
“Yeah, you do.” I pressed my finger down on the clean desktop and smiled. “I think you and I will get along.” I grinned at her. “But I am starving. Magnolia Diner?”
Victoria paused and then nodded. “I’m game.”
I offered to drive, and she took me up on it. We piled into my car, and I took off down the road. It was strange that no matter how long I stayed away, Magnolia felt familiar. I knew the streets like I knew the back of my hand. Sure, some things changed, but I was learning most things stayed the same.
Magnolia was no exception.
I pulled into Magnolia Diner’s parking lot and turned off the engine. We walked across the parking lot in step, neither of us speaking, but it didn’t feel awkward. I was used to people nervously talking to me because they either wanted me to publish their book or to hire them. It got tiring.
Victoria didn’t seem like the kind of person that wanted to get on my good side. She knew she would get there with hard work and dedication.
I appreciated that.
Hannah, the owner of Magnolia Diner, greeted us when we walked through the door. The diner was a quaint place but iconic here on the island. They served all sorts of food—mostly whatever Benson, the chef, wanted to cook that day. Which was nice. You never got bored.
Hannah handed us our menus after we slid into the booth, and we thanked her.
“Lobster chowder is the special today.” She gave us a wide smile. “And it’s heavenly.”
My stomach responded approvingly. “I’ll have that and a baguette on the side,” I said as I handed the menu back.
She nodded and glanced over to Victoria, who proceeded to order a wedge salad. Hannah smiled, took her menu, and then left us alone.
I drummed the tabletop with my fingers as I glanced around. I could hear casual conversations all around us. Their topics ranged from an old house renovation to the birth of a new niece.
It made me excited, listening to what was being said. There was so much news happening on our small island, and I couldn’t wait to bring it to the residents of Magnolia. That was the beauty of the written word. You could make someone happy or sad with just a click of your keyboard.
It was a big responsibility.
“So, what type of stories should we focus on for the grand opening?” Victoria asked as she sipped the water that Hannah had brought for us.
“I was thinking a sort of get-to-know-the-residents piece.” I blew on my coffee before taking a sip. “There are so many new move-ins, and the longtime residents don’t know them. I think they would enjoy getting to know who their new neighbors are.”
Victoria didn’t look thrilled, but she didn’t fight me. Instead, she pulled out a notepad and pen from her purse and began to write. “Do you have anyone in particular you want to focus on?”
I glanced around the diner. I saw fishermen, who I was certain would be leaving soon, and residents that I knew growing up. It wasn’t until my gaze settled on a familiar yet unknown face that I parted my lips and said, “Spencer.”
Victoria furrowed her brow. “Spencer?”
I nodded.
She turned to follow my gaze. “The guy who works at the hardware store? He’s not new.”
I glanced back at her. “But do you know him?” I would never admit this to her, but there was a part of me that selfishly wanted to know more about him. After all, I was living with the man. He was mysterious and closed off. That intrigued me.
Victoria glanced back at him for a moment and then turned back to me. “No. I don’t. But I’ve never really tried to get to know him.”
I fiddled with my mug on its saucer. I didn’t want to tell Victoria that I was suggesting him for my own reasons, so I remained silent. A few seconds later, she shrugged and wrote his name down.
“What about you?” she asked as she glanced up.
I shrugged. “I’m fine with that.”
We spent the rest of the time making a list of people we would want to interview. Maggie’s name was put down, and so was Fiona’s. Then we added Jackson’s sister, Naomi. Our food arrived, so Victoria put her notepad away, and we dived in.
As I ate, my gaze drifted back to Spencer on numerous occasions. He was sitting alone at a table on the other side of the restaurant. His gaze was down, and he was reading a book that was propped open on the table.
I tore off a chunk of bread and dipped it into my chowder. Who was this man? He didn’t seem interested in trying to get to know me. He seemed determined to keep me out of every room but the one I was renting.
His exterior was rough, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that he had made me a sandwich yesterday. That wasn’t something a man who was determined to be a recluse would do.
That made me want to get to know him even more.
“You know, you can just go over there and talk to him.”
I startled at Victoria’s voice, whipping my gaze over to meet hers. Her lips were tipped up into a smile as if she’d just discovered a secret.
“What?” I asked, my cheeks inexplicably flushing.
“Spencer. You can go get your interview started.” She nodded her head in Spencer’s direction .
“I don’t…”
Her eyebrows went up.
“I mean, that’s not why…”
Victoria’s smile only deepened. I wasn’t convincing her of anything.
I sighed and flopped against the back of the booth. I glowered at my chowder, hating that I’d somehow been found out. Yes, I was interested in Spencer, a fact that I had been pretty determined to keep to myself. Apparently, I had a terrible poker face, and now Victoria knew.
Suddenly I was back in grade school, trying to pass notes to the boy I liked.
Needing to save face, I sat up and channeled my inner Penny Brown. I wasn’t going to let this derail me or the newspaper. “I will interview him later. Right now, I need to eat.” I proved that by scooping up some of the chowder and slipping it into my mouth.
Thankfully, Victoria didn’t fight me. She turned her attention to her salad, and we ate in silence until our food was gone and Hannah collected our dishes. We paid and left.
Spencer never seemed to notice that we were there, and thankfully, he was not made aware of the fact that we had been talking about him.
When we got back to Magnolia Daily, I slipped into my office and focused on clearing it out. Dust and old papers were miracle workers when it came to keeping my thoughts from Spencer. There wasn’t room in my brain to both comprehend what I was reading and relive my time in the kitchen last night.
Unfortunately, all that hard work was thrown out the window when five o’clock rolled around and Victoria walked into my office. She looked as worn and tired as I felt. I straightened, wincing as my muscles screamed from the movement.
I was going to need to take a long bath when I got home. “Heading out?” I asked.
She nodded. “I need a long soak and some of Brett’s honey and hibiscus tea.”
That sounded heavenly. I was trying not to be jealous. “Sounds good.”
She raised the notepad she’d been writing on during lunch. “I was thinking that I can tackle Jackson, Fiona, and Naomi if you want to do Spencer, Maggie, and the new owner of the Magnolia Buds…” She paused. “Loretta? Was that her name?”
I nodded. Maggie and I had visited her flower shop a few months ago for the wedding. “Yep. That’s her.” I swallowed. Two of the people on the list I could handle no problem, but Spencer? I wondered if I was an idiot to have chosen him for this piece.
If Victoria sensed my hesitancy, she didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, she nodded and slipped her notepad into her purse. “I’ll get started then.”
We said goodbye, and I was left alone in my office. I sat down in my chair and rested my elbows on the armrests. I steepled my fingers as I allowed my mind to wander. I wanted to go home. I was hungry and tired and sore. But I had this sinking suspicion that once I got there, my intrigue about the man I was renting from was only going to grow.
I wanted to know more about this man, but Spencer didn’t seem to want to know anything about me.
That was the part that scared me. I would open up only to have him turn away.
I wasn’t used to being vulnerable. Fixing my relationship with my daughter was the first time I’d taken that leap. I guess it was easier when I knew she cared about me as much as I cared about her. It provided a safety net.
Allowing myself to be vulnerable with a man I’d just met?
How could I do that?
I shook my head as I moved to stand and grab my purse. I was being ridiculous. I was interviewing him for the newspaper, nothing more. It was a mundane, information-gathering talk. That was it.
I was going to tell myself that all the way home with the hopes that I would believe it by the time I pulled into the driveway.
If I wanted to survive, I needed to focus.