Despite the situation, the journalist in me wanted to ask questions. I wanted to know who she was. What was in his past?
But from the way he glared down at me, I knew that it would be stupid of me to ask anything. So, I just nodded. “I’m sorry,” I whispered as I began to back away.
For a moment, Spencer looked guilty. Like he sensed he might have overreacted. But a moment later, his expression hardened.
“I won’t come looking for you ever again,” I said as Iraised my hands and then slipped from his room before he could respond.
Once I got to the kitchen, I grabbed my purse and hurried from the house.
I started my car and peeled out of the driveway. I pulled into Magnolia Daily’s parking lot and killed the engine. I kept both of my hands on the steering wheel as I allowed my body to relax.
I’d done nothing wrong. I had gone looking for Spencer. My intentions were pure—even if he thought differently.
If he wanted to overreact because I went into his bathroom and looked at a picture, that was on him. I wasn’t going to allow myself to feel guilty about something that I’d done out of concern for the man.
Feeling a little more confident, I slipped my keys into my purse and climbed out of my car.
Victoria was already inside, and a hot coffee from The Hideout was waiting for me. I thanked her—blessing the heavens that I’d given her a key yesterday—and collapsed on my chair. After taking a few sips of my caffeine boost, I turned to study the piles of paper in front of me.
I was ready for a mind-numbing task to take my mind off my morning debacle.
By noon, I was hot and sweaty. I’d only thought of Spencer a few times…okay, more than a few. But I was feeling less guilty every time he entered my mind, so I was calling that a win.
My phone chimed, and I leaned over to grab it. Myhands felt grimy, but when I saw it was Maggie, I hurriedly lifted the phone to my face and pinned it between my cheek and shoulder. “Hey, Maggie.”
“Are you hungry?”
My stomach growled. “Starving.”
“Perfect. Wanna meet for lunch?”
I nodded. “Yes,” I said with a little too much gusto.
Maggie laughed. “How does 15 minutes sound? We can eat at Giuseppe’s.”
Giuseppe’s was a new Italian restaurant on the island that had everyone talking. I hadn’t tried it out yet.
“Sounds divine.”
Once we said our goodbyes, I slipped my phone into my purse and headed to the bathroom to wash my hands. Victoria was sitting at her desk with a sandwich between her hands, taking a large bite out of it.
“I’m going to meet Maggie for lunch,” I said as I paused at her desk.
She nodded, and I waited for her to finish chewing. “Sounds good. I’ll hold the fort here.”
I smiled at her. I really liked Victoria. I had a feeling we were going to do great things with the newspaper. “Perfect.”
The drive to Giuseppe’s was short. As soon as I got there, I found Maggie’s car and parked next to it. I opened the door to the restaurant and stepped inside. A dark-haired man wearing a white shirt and tie greeted me.
“Welcome to Giuseppe’s,” he said in a smooth Italian accent.
The tone made me smile. It made me a little nostalgic for the trips to Europe that I used to take with my authors. As much as I loved my life here on the island, there were moments when the desire to be an editor living the high life came back to hit me with full force.
“I’m here to meet my daughter,” I said as I turned to the dining room in search of Maggie. It only took a few seconds for me to spot her blonde hair. It was pulled up in a ponytail and swished as she looked around the room. “Right there.” I pointed toward her table.
He nodded. “Very well.”
I gave him a nod and then hurried to meet up with Maggie.
