My eyes were swollen when I woke up the next morning. Thankfully, Spencer was gone, so he wasn’t around to witness my mess. I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, pressing into the bags that seemed packed and ready for a vacation.
I groaned as I flipped on the faucet and ran my fingers underneath the cold water. The sharp temperature helped wake me up more. After filling my hands a few times, letting the water run through my fingers, I leaned forward and splashed my face.
I sucked in a sharp breath as tiny needles stabbed my skin. After a few splashes, I grabbed the nearby towel and blotted my face. Thankfully, the cool water helped alleviate my swollen eyes. Once my hair was brushed and my makeup was on, I no longer looked like death.
I dressed and milled around the room for about an hour before I grabbed my purse and phone and slipped on my shoes. There was no way I was going to be able to wait for Spencer to come back. I was going to go insane if I did.
I needed something to distract me. Even though I didn’t want to spend more time with her, I’d take Missy and her demands over loneliness any day.
I locked our room and headed downstairs. I could hear voices conversing, and for a moment, I hoped that I would see Spencer when I finally descended, but that hope was unrealized.
Missy was sitting at the table with her son and his friend. They were eating and talking with the occasional laugh. I hoped that I could slip out, unseen, but Missy seemed to be as alert as a bomb-sniffing dog. Her gaze was instantly on me.
“You’re finally awake,” she said as she stood up from the table. I wanted to tell her that I would get food in town, but she was already dishing me up a plate before the words formed in my mouth.
Realizing that there was no way I was going to leave without disappointing my host, I settled down on the chair across from Jack and William. Jack was giving me a sympathetic smile, and William was busy eating sausage gravy and biscuits. Honestly, seeing the food was making me glad Missy forced me to stay.
“It’s best to just go along,” Jack said, leaning toward me in an effort to keep his mother from hearing.
“I’m learning that,” I said as I poured myself a glass of water from the pitcher on the table.
Jack didn’t have time to respond before Missy was back with my plate. She’d piled so much food onto it, and I had no idea how she thought I would be able to eat it all. From my interactions with Missy, this was becoming the norm. She didn’t do things small.
We ate in silence. I wasn’t sure I had the self-control to stop myself from inhaling the food. The stress of this trip had taken its toll on me, and I was medicating myself with food. I knew I’d regret it when I got back to Magnolia. I feared the havoc it would wreck on my waistline, but that would be future Penny’s problem. Right now, I was determined to focus on keeping my personal life in order.
Once my plate was cleared, I glanced up to catch Missy watching me. Her expression was a peculiar one, as if she were trying to solve a riddle. Worried that she would ask me about Spencer, I gave her a quick smile and pushed my plate to the center of the table.
“That was delicious,” I said as I moved to stand. “I should get going though. Spencer wanted me to meet him in town this morning.” I gave the table’s occupants a smile.
Jack and William returned it, but Missy stayed vigilant. She was onto something, and I could tell there really wasn’t anything that would take her off the scent.
“Spencer left this morning before I even had the coffee on,” she said as she slowly lowered her hand from her chin to the table. She drummed her fingers a few times. “For a couple on vacation, you two aren’t spending that much time together.”
“Ma,” Jack said under his breath as he gave me a sympathetic smile.
Missy waved him away. “I’m not being nosy. I’m just making an observation.”
I nodded, hoping they wouldn’t see the panic in my gaze or hear it on my lips. The last thing I needed was someone making a big deal out of how Spencer was acting.
“That’s Spencer. He needs his alone time. And I’m okay with that. I need my alone time as well.” My smile was so forced that it hurt my cheek muscles. But I kept it up. I feared what she would say if I let it slip. “We’re not young kids anymore. We don’t have to be together to make our relationship work.”
“See, Ma? They’re fine. They have their things, and that’s good.” Jack nudged Missy’s arm with his elbow. “They don’t need you meddling in their business.”
Missy studied me and then sighed. “I guess so.”
Taking this as my moment to leave, I clutched my purse to my side and hurried out of the room. I didn’t stop until I was down the street and had rounded the corner. When the B&B was out of view, I let go of the breath I’d been holding. I tucked my hair behind my ear as tears formed in my eyes.
If our crumbling relationship was evident to Missy, it had reached critical mass. Spencer wanted to spend more time away from me than near me. Was this our future? Him disappearing and me waiting at home for him to return? My heart was breaking, and it was taking all of my control not to lose my mind here in the middle of downtown Harmony Island.
I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going until a car horn blared next to me. I startled and looked over to see a particularly angry older woman waving her hand at me. I glanced around to see that I was in the middle of the crosswalk and the light had turned green.
I nodded an apology and then hurried to the other side. Just as I hopped up onto the curb, I nearly ran into Abigail. She was holding a large brown bag and looked as forlorn as I felt.
“Are you okay?” she asked as her gaze followed the yellow Volkswagen Bug that honked at me. “Mrs. Vallen has quite a bite. She’s honking her horn like she has somewhere to be, when in reality, all she does is drive around for a half an hour before she heads home to feed her cats.” She paused and looked me in the eye. “Did you catch my emphasis on cats?”
I nodded as I clung to my purse. I was only half listening. My mind was swirling with thoughts of Spencer and Abigail. Had he gone to see her? Did she know who I was? How long was I going to be able to keep up this charade?
I wanted to come clean. I did, but I liked Abigail. She was sweet and reminded me of Maggie. With the way I was feeling, a little glimpse of home was exactly what I needed. It was selfish, but I wanted to keep this going.
“Where are you headed?” I asked as I glanced both directions.
“To the bookstore. I picked up some cookies for the cafe, but I fear that I will have eaten them all before I get there.” She handed the bag to me. “Do you mind carrying it, if you don’t have a place to be?”
Grateful for a job, I took the bag. “Sure. I don’t have anywhere to be.”
Abigail smiled, and we started walking down the street side by side. We were quiet for about a minute before curiosity got the better of me and I spoke.
“Did you have a rough morning?” I asked, keeping my gaze forward, hoping that it didn’t look like I was too eager to hear the answer.
“Not particularly, although I do fear I will have a rough week.”
Because of Spencer? “Really? Why do you say that?” Was that too nosy? Was I pushing my luck here?
She sighed. “My past has suddenly reappeared.”
So, it was because of Spencer. “Is that a bad thing?”
She was quiet, and I feared I’d gone too far. I peeked over at her to see that she’d kept her gaze forward. “I don’t know.” She sighed. “How do you know?”
I frowned. “About what?”
“If someone will hurt you again.”
My throat tightened at her question. I knew the fear that came from not being able to trust someone after they hurt you. But I’d also been the one doing the hurting as well. “I don’t think you can ever truly know,” I whispered.
Abigail glanced over at me. I could see the pain in her gaze, and I wanted to take it away. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was starting to see Abigail as my own daughter. There was so much that I wanted to do for her, which only made my heart ache more. If Spencer left me, I was certain I would break.
“That’s my fear.”
I nodded. I understood. “And that’s a natural fear.” I sighed as I let my thoughts percolate before I spoke again. “The truth is, there is so much in this world that we have to take on faith.” I nodded toward the sun shining above us. “We have to believe that the sun will rise every morning, or we would never go to bed at night. We have to believe that the earth will keep turning, or we would cease to desire to live.”
I gave her a sympathetic smile. Her expression had softened, and I could tell that she was taking in what I was saying.
“If the person is making an effort to reach out to you, although it’s scary, sometimes we need to take a step forward.” I paused as the realization of what Maggie had gone through washed over me. “I’m glad my daughter did that for me.”
Abigail nodded, but a moment later she stopped. “How did you know that it was my dad?”
I paused and turned to look at her, fearing that my cover had been blown. “I—um—.” I knew that this was the moment to tell her the real truth. To come clean with her about who I was. But there was a part of me that was forbidding me from speaking.
I couldn’t lose two people in a matter of a week. Even though I’d just met Abigail, she really felt like a daughter to me. “You told me.”
A small part of me died in that moment, but I pushed it aside. I was doing this for Abigail and Spencer. They were going to struggle with moving toward each other if I didn’t intervene. So, what if I fibbed a little? A white lie never hurt anyone. Eventually, they would thank me. It was only a matter of time.
Abigail studied me for a moment before she nodded and released a soft chuckle. “Right,” she said as she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “It’s been a week.”
My body physically relaxed. The adrenaline that had been pumping through my veins dissipated, leaving me feeling weak and vulnerable. I didn’t like that feeling.
“Shouldn’t we hurry these to your cafe?” I asked as I held up the bag.
Whatever confusion Abigail was experiencing was quickly wiped away at my mention of the baked goodies I was carrying. She nodded and hurried down the sidewalk. I had to racewalk to keep up with her.
She mumbled something about an interview. Just as we rounded the corner to the front of the store, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Naomi was standing outside the door, staring up at the sign as if she were making sure she was at the right place. She must have heard us coming because, as soon as we were in view, her gaze dropped to Abigail and her smile widened.
“I’m so sorry,” Abigail said as she fished her keys from her purse. “I got distracted at the bakery and then with Penny.” She nodded in my direction.
Naomi glanced over at me, and her eyebrows rose when our gazes met. I gave her a pleading smile as I brought my finger to my lips. She frowned but then turned her attention back to Abigail.
“It’s really not a big deal. I’ve only been waiting a few minutes.”
Abigail looked guilty. “That’s a few minutes too long,” she said as she turned the door handle and pushed into the shop.
The lights were on, and there was soft instrumental music playing in the background. It was as if Abigail had stepped out for just a moment. She dropped her keys on the counter and moved to take the bag of goodies from me.
“Where are my manners?” she said as she turned to face us. “Penny, this is Naomi. Naomi, Penny.”
I nodded toward Naomi, who looked completely confused. “It’s nice to meet you, Naomi,” I said as I extended my hand.
She took it, looking sideways at me. “You, too.”
“Penny is visiting for the week, and I just hired Naomi,” Abigail said as she hurried over to the cafe counter and began to unload the baked goods onto the trays before sliding them back into the glass case under the counter.
“Oh, nice,” I said, giving Naomi a smile.
Naomi looked confused, but thankfully, she let it go. Abigail waved toward the small table in the corner, and we both moved to sit.
“Now, cookie or Danish?” she asked, standing behind us.
“Cookie,” I said at the same time Naomi said, “Danish.”
Abigail nodded and hurried to fill our orders. When she was out of earshot, Naomi leaned forward.
“What is going on?” she asked.
I shook my head, hoping she would understand that this was not the time or place to talk about this, but she didn’t let up. Her gaze remained focused on me.
“This is Spencer’s daughter,” I whispered under my breath, tipping my face away from Abigail so she wouldn’t think we were talking about her.
Naomi glanced over her shoulder at Abigail. “Really? Where is he?”
I raised the hand that I’d been clutching in my lap to tell her to let it go, but she didn’t pick up on my subtle hint. I sighed. “I’ll tell you later.”
That seemed to appease her. A few seconds later, Abigail was back and smiling at both of us.
“Here you go,” she said as she set the treats down on the table.
“Thanks,” I said as I picked up the cookie. If I was eating, then no one would ask me questions. If no one asked me questions, then I could keep my secret for a bit longer. I feared that if I opened my mouth, I would spill my guts to both of them.
“I have the papers for you to sign when you’re done eating,” Abigail said as she sat back in her chair.
Naomi was biting into her Danish, so she just nodded as her teeth sunk into the soft pastry.
We were quiet for a minute as we finished our food. Abigail seemed content to just sit there with her arms folded and the music serenading us. Just as I dusted off the cookie crumbs from my fingers, the bell on the door chimed.
We all looked over, and as soon as I saw Spencer standing there, my heart sank. From the tension that I saw building in Abigail’s shoulders, she felt just as anxious.
“What is he…” she whispered as she moved to stand.
Not sure what I should do, I stood as well. I feared what was about to happen, and there was a part of me that wanted to stop this before it blew up.
That seemed to be the wrong move. Spencer’s gaze landed on me, and a look of betrayal and anger flashed in his eyes. He frowned, the crease between his eyebrows deepening.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled before he turned and sprinted away from the store before Abigail or I could say anything to stop him.
We both remained standing as if we didn’t know what to do or say. Naomi was just glancing between us, and I could tell she felt awkward. Abigail finally turned her focus back on us, an apologetic smile on her lips.
“I’m sorry, ladies, I’m going to have to call it an afternoon,” she said.
I couldn’t agree more.
“I’ll come back later,” Naomi said as she wiped her fingers on a napkin she’d pulled from the dispenser in the middle of the table.
“That would be best,” Abigail said.
“I should get going as well.” The urge to sprint from the store was overtaking me.
Abigail gave me a nod, and I hurried out the door. Once outside, I glanced down both sidewalks, wondering where Spencer had gone. When I came up empty-handed, I made a quick decision and hurried to the left. He couldn’t have gotten far, and there was a chance that I would be able to catch up with him.
Apparently, I’d picked the right direction. Just as I rounded the corner of the hardware store, I found Spencer. He was leaning against the wall with his hands shoved into his pockets and his head tipped up toward the sky. I lingered at the edge of the building, wondering if I should approach him.
Then, feeling ridiculous, I squared my shoulders and marched over to him. “Hey,” I said, hating that my voice sounded so weak. Why wasn’t I stronger?
Spencer’s body stiffened before he tipped his face slowly down to meet my gaze. His frown deepened as he stared at me.
This wasn’t good.
“What were you doing there?” he asked.
I wanted to take offense at his tone of voice, but I honestly couldn’t. I knew I’d overstepped both with Abigail and with Spencer. It was a risk, and I’d taken it knowing that I would have to deal with the consequences.
“I can explain,” I said as my thoughts swirled in my mind. I wanted them to cease moving and form something coherent, but that seemed impossible right now.
“I don’t need you to explain. From what I can see, you went against what I asked. I wanted to make amends with Abigail and Sabrina on my own terms. You…” His voice deepened to a growl. “You didn’t honor my feelings.”
He was right. I’d been wrong. “I haven’t met Sabrina yet.” The words slipped out of my lips as if that somehow made up for me breaking his trust.
He furrowed his brow. “That doesn’t matter.”
I pinched my lips shut, silently scolding myself. What was wrong with me? “I know,” I whispered.
“Go back to Magnolia.”
I blinked, turning my gaze to meet his. “What?”
“You heard me. Go back to Magnolia.” He squared his shoulders. “Leave.”
My throat tightened from the emotions that had built up inside of it. I swallowed, hoping to move them, but nothing happened. Every muscle in my body felt tight. “Spencer, I—”
“Goodbye, Penny.”
Before I could stop him, he turned and hurried away. I stood there, like an idiot, staring at his retreating frame. I wanted to call out his name. I wanted to beg him to come back. I wanted him to change his mind and to forgive me.
But nothing came out when I parted my lips. Tears stung my eyes as they threatened to fall. My entire body went limp as my greatest fear became realized.
Everything that I’d hoped would happen with Spencer—the future I had planned—disappeared before my eyes.
I was right back to where I’d been when I first moved to Magnolia. I still had Maggie, but she and Archer were trying for a baby. Soon, she was going to be wrapped up in her life as a wife and a mother. Being a daughter was going to play second fiddle.
I wasn’t disappointed about that. It was all I wanted for her.
For the last few months, Spencer had been all that I’d wanted for me. And now, that future was gone. It had slipped through my fingers so fast, giving me whiplash and breaking my heart in one fell swoop.
I’d started this trip so optimistic, and now, everything I’d hoped for was gone.
I was all alone.
Again.