Her tone was overly casual as she replied, "No reason."
I had to laugh. "Oh, there's a reason. I can tell."
Her smile turned sheepish. "Okay…well, I just heard something, that's all."
"About what?"
"You actually."
"Oh?"
"Uh, yeah." She hesitated. "By any chance, do you know a woman named Franny?"
I almost snorted. "Yeah, everyone knows Franny."
Francine "Franny" Mulberry was the island's walking, talking news network – minus the filter and the fact-checking. She was a seventy-something retired schoolteacher with an addiction to fudge and a sixth sense for juicy gossip.
Nobody knew exactly how she heard things so fast, but if you sneezed in the ferry line, Franny probably knew by the time you reached Main Street.
Tessa gave me a funny look. "Noteveryone. I mean…Ididn't know her."
Unlike Tessa, I'd lived on the island for most of my life. As a result, I knew exactly how things worked. "But youdefinitelyknow Frannynow."
She blinked. "How'd you know?"
I couldn't help but smile. "Call it a hunch." I knew Franny better than most. She and my grandma had been friends back in the day – even if my grandma had been a little older.
This probably explained why every once in a while, I got roped in to Franny's weekly card games, usually when someone else canceled. So let's just say that I was no stranger to Franny and her antics.
Sure enough, Tessa confessed, "Yeah, I met her today when she came into the coffee shop."
I laughed. "See? Youdoknow her."
"Yeah, but not before today."
"Well, you can bet your sweet bippy that she knewyou."
Tessa's eyebrows furrowed. "Funny…now that you mention it, shedidseem to know me."
"Told ya." On autopilot, I kicked off my shoes. "Care if we talk in the kitchen? I've got to see what I've got for sandwiches." As I headed in that direction, I asked, "So what did Franny say?"
Tessa followed after me. "She said you hired someone." A note of worry crept into her voice. "Is it true?"
I stopped and turned to look. "Is that a problem?"
"No. Of course not." She bit her lip. "It's just that…what kind of guy is willing to work for free?"
Oh, my God.
Where did Franny hear that?
It wasn't even true, not technically. But Franny rarely let facts get in the way of a good story.I told Tessa, "Don't worry. He's not working fornothing."
She looked relieved. "Oh."
"He's working for food."
She did a double-take. "Wait…food?"
