Page 21 of A Magnolia Move-In
Right now, I was broken, and I wasn’t sure I would ever be whole again.
I feigned a yawn and stretched. “I should get back to bed,” I lied. I was neither tired nor ready for bed. But I knew if I stayed here, I would just put my foot further intomy mouth. I wasn’t ready to talk, and I knew that Jackson wanted answers.
The best thing for our relationship was for me to stay away until I figured out my own path. Then I would let him know what my plans were, and I would be able to listen to his suggestions without wanting to scream.
Once I knew what I was going to do with the baby and my life, I would open up. Until then, everything needed to be locked down. I needed to be alone.
I was hurting, but there was no need to make anyone else feel the same.
I wouldn’t allow it.
SEVEN
Penny
Iwas 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 waswearing 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’sold 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 nameplateDustinwas 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 Iheaded 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.”
