Page 27 of A Magnolia Move-In
“I know. She figured it out.” Worry filled my gut. If it was obvious to Fiona, how long was it going to take until the entire town knew? With the articles that Victoria was writing about the new move-ins, secrets weren’t easily kept here.
The last thing I needed was for people to want to talk to me about this. Or give their opinions.
Jackson looked thoughtful as he loaded another cup. “Well, she has had a baby in the past. I guess maybe women just know?”
I picked at my cuticle again. He wasn’t making me feel better. I had secrets that I wanted to keep close to the chest. Going out with a group of women worried me. If one woman could figure it out, would they all?
Jackson seemed to pick up on my anxiety. He closed the dishwasher and made his way over to where I sat. He stood there for a moment before he reached out and rested his hand on my shoulder.
“I think you will be fine. You need to stop stressing.”
His words brought me a bit of comfort, even though my emotions were a knot in my stomach. All I could dowas nod, and he responded by giving my shoulder a good squeeze.
“Fiona will keep your secret close, and since she knows you don’t want people talking, she’ll shut it down.” He dropped down, so he could meet my gaze. “You have to trust us.”
Not wanting to cry in front of my brother, I nodded and grabbed onto my wheels. I pushed back on them so I could retreat to my room. “I get it,” I said over my shoulder.
Jackson didn’t follow me as I slipped into my room and shut the door. I locked my wheels and disappeared under the covers of my bed. Once I was tucked safely in the dark, I let the tears flow.
I knew people cared about me; I did. But I felt so lost. My body was broken and so was my soul. I wanted to disappear into my bed and never come out, but I knew that wasn’t a possibility. I wanted Walker to come back. I wanted to forgive him and pretend that none of this happened.
I wanted to feel confident in the people in my corner.
But it wasn’t going to happen right away. So, for tonight, I was going to cry. Tomorrow, I’d come up with a plan.
Because one thing was for sure, I couldn’t live my life like this. I was going to need to survive.
By any means possible.
NINE
Penny
Iwoke up the next morning refreshed and revitalized. I stretched out on my bed, staring up at the ceiling above me. Now that Magnolia Daily was halfway cleaned out and Victoria and I were working on the first release, I felt like I had a plan.
That was good place to be.
I showered and dressed in a baby-blue peplum top and dark dress pants. I blow-dried my hair and pinned the top half back. After a bit of makeup, I slipped on my white pumps and headed out of my room with my purse slung over my shoulder.
The kitchen was empty when I got there, which I found surprisingly disappointing. I didn’t see Spencer when I got home last night, and to miss him this morning…well, it was a shame.
After brewing a pot of coffee, I poured myself a mug and then turned, leaning against the counter while I waitedfor my toast to pop up. I sipped on the steaming liquid as I glanced around.
Besides being neat, there wasn’t a lot to this house. Nothing that really indicated what kind of past Spencer had. I ran my gaze over the picture frames that dotted the walls, but they mostly held images of statues or floral scenes.
Which only intrigued me more.
What was with this man? Did he have family here? Where did he come from?
My toast popped up, startling me. I turned to grab a plate from the cupboard and began to spread butter on my bread.
Maybe I should go talk to Clementine during my lunch break. Her family employed the man. She had to have information.
I nodded as I continued to think and butter my toast.
Once I was finished, I grabbed my plate and coffee and settled down at the table. My mind swirled with questions I would ask her and how to frame them so as not to appear nosy. By the time my toast was gone, I had a game plan.
I took my dishes to the sink and rinsed them. After loading them into the dishwasher, I wiped my hands on the towel draped on the handle of the oven and then glanced around the house.
