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And as the rising sun peaks at the end of the strip, illuminating Seaside with a sleepy morning glow, I believe it.
I pop my earbuds in and scroll through my go-to playlist, filled with a blend of songs from every decade and various beats that fit any mood.
A message from my dad pops up before I can click Queen’s ‘Fat Bottomed Girls.’
Hey, sweetheart. Didn’t hear from you yesterday.
“And you won’t be hearing from me today,” I mumble before flicking the notification away.
I want to know how your first day was. Call me when you make it to work.
His second message quickly disappears, replaced by a selfie showing half of his face and the thumbs-up he’s giving the camera.
Got our hotel booked for the conference. Can’t wait.
“Dear god,” I mutter.
“Oh!” My phone clatters to the ground when I smack straight into a woman exiting the bus.
“Shit, are you all right?” The top of the metal tin she’s carrying skids across the concrete, and I rush to grab it.
I offer an apology when I see that it’s cracked down the center, but the cupcakes it was covering looks mostly unharmed.
“Eh, don’t worry about it, sugar.” She dusts her hands down the front of a bright blue jumper, and my eyes fall to a pair of sandals with fuzzy red straps as she settles the lid back on top. “These are just extras I’m dropping off to some friends. My protégé and I made them fresh this morning. He’s awful at calculating the amount of batter we need, and we ended up with four batches.”
The cheeky wink she gives beneath a pair of checkered glasses makes me smile almost as much as the chunky, playful jewelry on her neck and wrists.
“Well, if you end up with more to spare, you can drop them off at the group home up the block.” I gesture up the street. “Those rascals would be more than happy to take the rest off your hands.”
“You got it.” For as old as she appears, her gaze is full of youth. “Name’s Ida.”
“Penelope,” I say before stepping up onto the bus. “It was nice meeting you.”
She pops the broken top off and reaches inside the tin for a cupcake. “Here, why don’t you take one for the road?”
I smile at the pink polka-dotted paper. “Thank you.”
“See you around, Penelope,” Ida says, waving as the door closes.
* * *
“Good morning, Margret.” I greet her by sliding the cupcake onto her desk, right beside her wooden cardinal figurine.
“What’s this?” she asks, eyeing the treat skeptically.
“A gift.” I raise my palms as I take a few steps back toward the hall leading to Logan’s office. “No strings attached. I just thought you might like it.”
“Buying my affection, are we, Miss Vance?”
“Is it working?” I nearly trip when she cracks half a smile.
“Maybe.”
The finger guns I sling at her have her eyes rolling. “Then yes.”
I halt in front of Logan’s door, hesitating to confront him after the way we left things yesterday.
“It doesn’t have to be awkward,” I mumble, practicing the speech I’ve prepared for him one last time. “I clung to your body like a tree jumping monkey, you gave me a massage, and then we had an argument. So what? We can still be professional.”
