Page 16 of Rumors in Bayberry (The Bayberry, Vermont #3)

She turned her head and arched a brow. “Why is it any of your concern?”

“It isn’t,” he conceded. “I was just curious. I never got to tell you that I enjoyed your articles in the Gazette . I actually didn’t know they were yours until just a little bit ago.

That’s really unique about your family having the same initials.

My family never had anything like that. Traditions weren’t important to my parents. ”

She turned her head to him, but this time she wasn’t glaring at him. “Surely your family had to have some traditions.” When he shook his head, she asked, “What about Christmas?”

“I don’t know. We put up a tree each year.

Other than that, my parents fought about going Christmas shopping.

They argued over what to have for dinner.

” He noticed that as he spoke, her steps slowed to a normal pace.

He didn’t know why he was telling her this.

He never talked about his family. “They argued about everything. It wasn’t until I went to my friends’ houses that I saw parents who didn’t argue about everything.

For the longest time, I thought my parents’ dysfunctional relationship was normal. ”

“I’m so sorry. How old were you when they got divorced?”

“They didn’t.”

She stopped walking and sent him a confused look. “They didn’t what?”

“They didn’t get divorced. They are married to this day.”

Her mouth gaped. “Wow. I… I don’t know what to say.”

“There isn’t much to say.”

“Surely they don’t argue like that any longer, do they?”

“The last time I saw them, they were still going at it. But I don’t go home that often. Thanks to starting my own business, I constantly have an excuse not to go home.”

Sadie sent him a look that he wasn’t able to decipher. Did she think he was the worst son ever? If so, she never heard his parents argue over anything and everything.

“I shouldn’t have told you that.” He regretted being so open. He didn’t know what it was about Sadie that had him so freely talking to her.

“No. I mean I’m glad you shared. I’m just sorry you had to deal with that when you were growing up.”

He shrugged. “It was what it was. I just know that if I ever get married, I don’t want a relationship like theirs.”

“Will you get married?” She rushed on to say, “I mean after dealing with your parents, did it turn you off of relationships? Is that why you travel so much for work?”

He noticed they were quickly approaching the newspaper office, but they weren’t close enough to get him out of answering that question.

He swallowed hard. “I’ve never come close to answering that question.

So, I couldn’t tell you. Maybe if I found the right person, I would consider marriage, but as of right now, it’s not something I’m considering. ”

“So, you’re happy spending all of your time working?”

He shrugged. “Some people—okay, most people, call me a workaholic. I just do it because I enjoy it. If the day comes that I no longer enjoy what I’m doing, I’ll walk away from it.

I’ll find something else that I do enjoy.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life is too short to waste on something that doesn’t bring me some sort of joy. ”

“And you get that joy from creating… What did you call it?”

“The Rumor Quill .”

She nodded. “Yes, that. You really enjoy it?”

“I do. When I was growing up, my father worked at the newspaper, so I spent time at the newspaper office. It wasn’t so different from your office.

Anyway, I had just finished college when I got the news that the paper was shutting down unless someone bought it.

I couldn’t save my hometown paper, but I was determined to save the other national treasures.

In each paper, pieces of small town life are recorded. I couldn’t let that go.”

“And so you came up with the Rumor Quill ?”

“It didn’t happen overnight. Far from it. But I knew I wanted to combine the past and the future, making it so one couldn’t exist without the other.”

They came to a stop in front of the door to her apartment. She turned to him. “I just have one more question: how did you come up with the name for it?”

“That, too, took some time to sort out. But who doesn’t want to hear a rumor? There’s just this curiosity to find out what’s going on. And the quill part is to pay homage to the past. I don’t know. Now that I’m trying to explain it to you, it sounds corny.”

“No, it doesn’t.” There was no longer any anger in her eyes.

“I shouldn’t take up any more of your time. By the way, what interview are you doing this time?”

She paused as though weighing whether to tell him or not. “I decided before I left the paper…for the last time…” There was a distinct pause. “I wanted to do a special piece.”

“Well, I’m even more curious now.” He really was interested. He had a feeling it didn’t matter what subject she chose—her words would make it special.

“I’m going to do a follow-up piece to the pig that adopted the duckling.”

“Really? I loved that piece. Actually, it’s the article that drew me to the Bayberry Gazette . It was trending on social media. Are they still together?”

“I actually don’t know. That’s what I’m going to find out.” She checked the time on her smart watch. “And if I don’t leave now, I’m going to be late.”

“Can I go with you?” The words were out of his mouth before he realized he was pushing his luck.

She arched a brow. “You liked the article that much?”

He nodded his head. “I did.”

“Well then, don’t just stand there. We have to go. My car is out back.” She led the way.

As he followed her, he couldn’t tell if she was still angry with him or not. He hoped that he would be able to work his way back into her good graces. He was certainly going to do his best to win her over.