Page 9 of Rumors in Bayberry
There was no time to waste.
Before she even realized it, her feet were in motion.She rushed out the door.She regretted walking across town that day.It would take her precious moments to reach her parents’ house.
She knew how important those minutes could be.They’d nearly lost her father to a heart attack not quite a year ago.Please, don’t let that happen again.
Her steps were somewhere between speed-walking and running.Her breaths came in quick puffs.She knew people were giving her concerned looks, but she didn’t have time to explain.She just kept going.
When she finally reached her parents’ place, she burst through the back door.Her mother and father were seated at the kitchen table.In between pants, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
Her mother’s brows rose as her eyes widened.“Did you run here?”
There wasn’t time for that.“What’s wrong?Is it Dad?”Her gaze moved to him.He was giving her a puzzled look, but he didn’t look like he was in distress or anything.When her gaze met his, she asked, “Are you all right?”
“Yes.Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know.”She stopped, gasping for breath.“Ask Mom.She messaged me to hurry.”As her chest rapidly rose and fell, her gaze moved to her mother.“You scared me.”
“I’m so sorry.It wasn’t my intention.”Her mother looked guilty as she stood.She turned and pulled out a chair.“Here.Sit down.”
Sadie didn’t want to sit down.She wanted to demand some answers, but she was still trying to catch her breath.Her mother had already turned her back to her and moved to the kitchen counter.Sadie moved to the chair and dropped into it.She really needed to take up running.She was too young to be this out of shape.
She turned her head to look at her mother.She was up to something, but Sadie didn’t know what it was.And her mother wasn’t one to reveal her plans until she deemed it was the right time.
Her mother returned to the table with a cup of coffee and a glass of ice water.She placed both of them in front of Sadie.“I’m afraid we only have decaf these days.Your father isn’t supposed to drink caffeine.”
Sadie grabbed the glass and let the cold water slide down over her parched throat.She couldn’t believe how panicked she’d been.Of course, she knew another heart attack was a possibility, but she supposed she’d pushed it to the back of her mind because it was just too much to contemplate.Thankfully, her worst nightmare hadn’t come to fruition.
Her mother sat down and looked at her.“Lately, I’ve been having problems getting the two of you in the same room.”
Sadie resisted the urge to say that it wasn’t her fault.Her father had changed after his heart attack.Instead of being grateful that she’d kept the newspaper running in his absence, he resented all of her efforts.She didn’t know what to do about that, other than to leave Bayberry and get on with her life.
Her mother’s gaze moved from her to her father.“You two need to talk.”
Her father shook his head.“Not now.We have a meeting planned for Monday.”
Sadie didn’t want to talk now either.“I have stuff to do.”
When Sadie went to stand up, her mother said, “Sadie, sit back down.”Her mother crossed her arms and frowned at both of them.“I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but you need to fix it.No one is leaving this table until you talk it out.”
Sadie heard the steely tone in her mother’s voice.Her mother didn’t use it often, but when she did, she meant business.
Sadie’s gaze moved to her father, who was staring into his empty coffee cup.If she wanted to leave any time soon, she would have to be the one to start this talk.
She leaned back in the chair and tilted her chin upward ever so slightly.“Dad doesn’t like the changes I made to the newspaper to bring it into the current century.”
“That’s not true.”Her father frowned.
Really?This is the way he wants to handle it?Fine.“Then why did you say you were discontinuing the paper’s online presence?”
Her father crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.He stared straight ahead, avoiding her questioning look.A tense silence ensued.
“Tell her,” her mother said.When her father didn’t say anything, her mother’s voice took on a firmer tone.“Tell her or I will.”
Her father turned his head to look at her mother.There was a silent battle being waged.Sadie wanted to know what was going on, but something told her to just wait quietly.Her mother was intent on telling her whatever it was.
“I mean it,” her mother said.
Her father sighed.“Fine.”He looked at her.“We’re selling the paper.”
