Page 19 of Rumors in Bayberry (The Bayberry, Vermont #3)

Chapter Thirteen

F inally, the sun came back out.

Sadie finished her lunch. She couldn’t believe that not long ago she was furious with Reed, and now he was sitting at her kitchen table sharing a meal. And her cat had made nice with him too.

She looked over at Binx, who was sitting on the windowsill, staring out at Bayberry. He seemed totally distracted with something outside, or he was avoiding looking at her since he crossed over to the enemy’s side.

“Thank you for lunch,” Reed said. “I was wondering if you were working at the festival today.”

“I am. Why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t have any pressing work this afternoon, and I was thinking of going to the festival.

I could help out.” Then he smiled at her.

“After all, I do have experience working the maze. So, what do you say?” When she didn’t immediately answer, he said, “Come on. You know you could use the help.”

She hated that he was right. She sighed before saying, “Are you sure? I know you have a lot to do as far as the newspaper is concerned.”

“They are gathering the information I need. They’ll have it to me tomorrow. So, I’m all yours for the rest of the afternoon.”

Her mouth opened to say something when the implication of his words registered in her mind. He was all hers. Her heart fluttered. Oh my! She pressed her lips together, trying to remember what it was she was just about to say to him.

And then it came to her. She got to her feet. “I should get the dishes cleaned up and then we can go.”

“I can help.” He gathered his dishes and followed her to the kitchen.

At the sink, she set down her dishes and turned for his. When he hesitated, she said, “I’m just going to rinse them off and place them in the dishwasher.”

He hesitantly handed them over. “I feel like I should be doing something.”

“You will be very shortly.”

She rushed to change her clothes and fix her ponytail. Then she decided to put on a little makeup, including mascara. She assured herself she would have done all of this, even if Reed wasn’t waiting for her.

She shifted her thoughts to a safe topic: the maze. Someone else was working the early shift, and she was scheduled to take over at two o’clock. She knew she would be late because of her interview.

But it wasn’t the festival that held her attention.

It was the man who had shared lunch with her that she couldn’t stop thinking about.

As much as she wanted to be angry with him over keeping his identity a secret until after he’d kissed her, it was hard to stay upset with him.

He was genuinely a nice guy, and that was a problem.

She should have turned him down when he offered to help with the maze. But how could she turn him down when they needed all the help they could get? Each year the Pumpkin Festival was getting bigger and bigger. And it was hard to find enough volunteers to run all of the booths.

She didn’t know how she’d gone from being angry with him to having him accompany her to the festival. He was being so agreeable it was hard to be mad at him. And when he smiled at her, her heart started to flutter, and it became impossible for her to think straight.

Now that she knew more about his business model and the reason he’d started his business, she wasn’t as vehemently opposed to the sale. She was now just opposed to the sale.

And she knew it wasn’t logical, because her father could no longer run the paper, and she had a job that was going to take her out of the country. But maybe her editor wouldn’t call. Maybe they wouldn’t find a story for her. Yeah, right.

She was good at her job. She wasn’t being conceited. She’d won awards. People liked what she wrote, and they wanted more.

She yawned as she joined Reed in the living room. She hadn’t slept well the night before. And it was all Reed’s fault.

He looked at her and asked, “Do you want to stop and grab a coffee?”

She shook her head. “Maybe later. I don’t want to be late.”

As they made their way along the sidewalk, Mrs. Smail walked toward them. Her eyes lit up when she noticed Reed by Sadie’s side. A smile puffed up her ivory cheeks. “Hello, Sadie. Reed.”

They both said hello and kept walking.

The next person to approach them was Sophie Miller. She smiled broadly. She didn’t even bother with a greeting. “You two make such a cute couple.”

Sadie’s mouth opened, but no words came out. By the time she got over the shock, the woman was too far past them to say anything.

When Sadie chanced a glance at Reed, she noticed there was a smile playing at the corners of his lips. She pursed her lips. “It’s not funny.”

When his gaze met hers, the merriment was blatantly obvious. “If you would have seen the look on your face, you would have to agree that it was quite amusing.”

“But you and I… We’re not… You know…”

“We’re not a couple,” he finished for her.

“Yes. That. Where do these people get their information?”

The next person to pass them also called out their names and a greeting. So did the person after them. Sadie found it strange that so many people knew Reed.

She glanced over at him. “What did you do?”

“Me?” His eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

“Did you go around and introduce yourself to everyone in town?”

“Considering I’ve spent most of my time with you, no, I didn’t go around meeting all of the residents.”

“Then how do they know your name?”

“I don’t know. I was wondering the same thing.”

It happened a few more times before they arrived at the festival. It was in full swing. They’d drawn in quite a crowd for a Monday afternoon. Everyone seemed to stop and stare at her with Reed. What was wrong with them? This was going to be a very long afternoon.

What was the deal?

Reed wasn’t sure if the Bayberry residents were trying to make him feel welcome or if they were letting him know they were watching him? So much for him being able to work out whether the Bayberry Gazette was a good match for the Rumor Quill without outside pressure.

Once again, he worked the entrance to the maze, but today, Sadie was helping him.

There were some volunteers from a local college working the lookout.

He’d just given a group his talk about how to navigate the maze and returned to the front, when he saw Sadie talking to her friend Abby.

He wasn’t sure if he should approach them or not.

When Abby saw him, she waved him over. “Hey, Reed, could you give me a hand at my booth?” Her gaze moved to Sadie. “Unless you need him.”

“Uh.” Sadie looked flustered. “No. He can help you.”

“Thanks.” Abby smiled brightly. “Come on.”

Reed felt as though something was up, but he didn’t know what it was. Maybe he was just overthinking things. After all, Abby seemed nice enough.

“What do you need help with?” he asked, trying to make conversation.

“I just need some stuff moved.” Once they were away from the maze, she stopped walking and turned to him. “So, what’s your story?”

“Excuse me.” He wasn’t sure what she was asking.

Her gaze narrowed. “If you hurt Sadie in any way, you’re going to have to deal with me.”

“Wait. Why would I hurt Sadie?”

“Well, you’re constantly with her. And don’t think half the town didn’t see that kiss the other night, and the other half heard about it. Everyone is talking about you two.”

“Is that why everyone knows my name?”

Abby nodded. “And if you do anything to upset Sadie, you know those people are going to be all up in your face.”

He arched a brow. “You mean like you’re doing now?”

“Exactly. Sadie is very sweet. And I know that she likes to act tough, but she has a soft spot, and for whatever reason, it seems you’ve won her over.” Abby straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “So, this is your warning. Don’t hurt her. Got it?”

He nodded. “Understood. Now, do you really need my help, or can I go back to the maze?”

“No. I really could use your help.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of car keys. “Here you go.”

She told him where her car was parked and what to bring to her booth. As he walked away, he couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t liked Abby getting on his case, but he liked that Sadie had friends that had her back. Everyone should have those sorts of friends.

It took him a couple of trips to carry everything to the booth. When he finished, Abby was busy storing the extra supplies. “Thank you very much for the help. I really appreciate it. If you hang around long enough, I think we could be friends.”

“As long as I don’t hurt Sadie.”

“And you’re a quick learner too.” She sent him a friendly smile. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“Actually…”

“It’ll have to wait.” Sadie’s other friend, what was her name? Carrie. She stepped up to them. “Reed, could you give me a hand?”

Abby arched a brow. “Can’t Jackson help you?”

Carrie frowned at her. “He’s not here yet.”

“Uh-huh.” Then Abby sent him a knowing smile. “Go ahead. He’s done here. Thanks again.”

He nodded before falling in step with Carrie. “What can I help you with?”

She didn’t answer him until they got to her booth. She stopped and turned to him. “I wanted a chance to speak to you in private.”

Oh no. Here we go again. He braced himself. “Okay. I’m listening.”

“The rumors have fallen into two camps. The first has you toying with Sadie’s heart.” When he went to defend himself, she held up a hand. “And the second camp says that you’re flirting with her so she’ll talk her father into selling you the newspaper. So, which is it?”

“Wow.” He frowned at her. “Do you always jump to conclusions about people you don’t know?”

Her gaze narrowed on him. “You didn’t answer the question.”

“If you weren’t Sadie’s friend, I would walk away without saying a word to you.” He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension. “Why is everyone jumping to the worst conclusions?”

“Because everyone loves Sadie. If you hadn’t noticed, she’s pretty special.” She crossed her arms. “So, are the rumors true?”

His back teeth ground together as he attempted to stifle his anger. “None of that garbage you accused me of is true.”

For a moment, all Carrie did was look at him as though she were trying to decide if she believed him or not. “Then tell me what’s going on. And don’t tell me there’s nothing going on. We all saw that kiss.”

He grew very uncomfortable. He wasn’t accustomed to discussing his personal life, much less with a stranger. Still, this was Sadie’s friend. He had to maintain his cool.

He let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m only telling you this because I know you care about her and only want the best for her.

When we met, we didn’t know who each other were.

We didn’t even exchange names for a while.

By then, we’d gained a friendship. So, this thing between us…

” He didn’t have a name for it. “It has nothing to do with the newspaper. And I’ve never played with anyone’s heart.

I wouldn’t do that. Now are we done playing twenty questions?

Wait. I meant to say: We are done with this. ”

Carrie hesitated. “Okay.”

“I know…just don’t hurt her.”

She smiled. “Now you’ve got it.”

He glanced around at the well-ordered booth. “Did you need help with anything?”

She shook her head. “That’s all I needed.”

“Okay then. I’m going to get back to the maze.” He walked away.

He was totally over being interrogated. What had he done to make people jump to the worst conclusion about him? Was Carrie right? Was everyone just being overprotective?

“Hey, Reed.” The female voice came from not far away.

He sighed and considered continuing to walk as though he hadn’t heard her. His next thought was that she might follow him back to the maze. And he didn’t want any false accusations thrown around in front of Sadie.

His back teeth ground together as he stopped. Then he forced his jaw to relax, and he pasted a smile on his face as he turned. He came face to face with Sadie’s other friend. But he couldn’t recall her name.

“Hi,” he said.

She smiled at him. “I’m Kate.”

“I knew that.” He didn’t, but she didn’t need to know that.

She let out a little laugh. “Sure you did.”

“Okay. I might have forgotten. Sorry.” Anxious to be on his way, he asked, “How can I help you?”

“It’s about Sadie…”

This time he was the one to hold up his hand, stopping her in mid-sentence. “If you’ve come to threaten me not to hurt your friend, it’s been done. And if you’ve come to find out if the rumors about me are true, I can tell you right now that they are not true.”

Kate’s eyes widened. “Oh. Okay then...I wanted to talk to you about the newspaper.”

“What about the newspaper?”

“I heard a rumor that the paper is up for sale, and I heard you might buy it. Is that true?”

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I make a point not to discuss business deals, especially business deals that are still up in the air. But it seems like the town already knows all about it.”

She at least had the decency to look apologetic. “I’m sorry. I understand your reluctance to talk about this, but you need to know that the Bayberry Gazette is important to this town. Next to the candle factory, it’s the oldest business in Bayberry."

Reed nodded in understanding.

“It’s more than just the news. It keeps residents connected.

It makes Ethel Baker, who is eighty-five and can’t get out much anymore, feel relevant when her chicken and stuffing casserole recipe is in the newspaper.

Her phone rings with friends calling to tell her they saw it and can’t wait to try it.

Do you know what that can do for a person when they begin to feel irrelevant?

Suddenly, Ethel is digging through her old recipes to share them with her friends.

And that is just one example, but I could give you many, many more. ”

“I hear you. And I understand. But there’s more to the paper than recipes. Do you know the reason I picked the Bayberry Gazette out of all of the other papers?”

“No. But I have a feeling you’re going to tell me.”

“I found myself getting caught up in the articles by S.J. Plummer. At the time, I believed they were written by Samuel. I had no idea until I was here in Bayberry that Sadie wrote those stories. She has a way with words. It’s like she paints a picture, but instead of a brush and paint, she uses words.

They aren’t just any words. They are vivid and invoke emotions. ”

The whole time he was talking about Sadie’s writing, Kate was nodding her head. “So, you know how special both she and the paper are?”

“I do. The problem is that Sadie doesn’t want to stay.”

Kate was quiet for a moment. “Maybe she never had a reason to stay before.” She glanced away. “Oh, there’s Wes. Sorry, I have to go. Thanks for hearing me out.”

Kate walked away, leaving him with her last words. But how was he supposed to give her a reason to stay if the newspaper wasn’t enough?