Michael skimmed down the logged maintenance column, his eyes narrowing. "According to these official records, a structural crack was never mentioned during any of the yearly pool draining or the pressure-washing phases. I don't want to sound like a wild conspiracy theorist here, but this entire timeline is incredibly fishy."
Penny nodded in agreement, leaning closer to the desk.
"It looks like it was intentionally planned so that you would be forced to drain the pool again and find the Calusa settlementunderneath. That was the very first thing that crossed my mind when I managed to pull these records from the internal files of Baxter's acquisitions team." She flipped through the manila folder, sliding out a single sheet of paper with a corporate header. "Look at this. It's a formal request for a geographic survey of the Hearts Hotel grounds, and look at the specific academic name they pinpointed to execute the evaluation."
Linda's eyes caught the typed text at the bottom of the page, her heart skipping a beat as she recognized the name.
"Dr. Debbi Wineberg," she read aloud, voice cold. Penny nodded firmly.
Linda frowned, her eyes scanning the upside-down lines further down the document where a bold signature was stamped. She pointed her finger at the lower margin, reading the name upside down. "Wait, though... who exactly is Rory Grumshoe?"
Maggie let out a sharp, uncharacteristic snort from her chair at the sound of the ridiculous name. “Grumshoe? Really?”
"Unfortunately, that name is entirely real, and he is quite the little weasel," Penny hissed, her features hardening. "He is Baxter's father's sister's child, and he was brought into the firm specifically to work as a project manager on Baxter's project team."
Maggie's features shifted into a look of deep disgust. "Isn't that a blatant case of nepotism?"
"Unfortunately, that is exactly how the Johnson family operates," Penny sighed deeply, shaking her head as she reached for her coffee mug. "Well, Baxter's father is actually a decent, hardworking man, but his extended family is a completely different story." She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, lettingout a soft shudder. "I can easily see why Isabel and Darius's aunt originally fell for Mr. Johnson, but his sister and her husband are absolutely terrible. Even their children and the rest of their family are, well, not the nicest people in the world.”
"Well, they are Grumshoes." Maggie snickered again. “I’m sorry but… seriously, it’s no wonder he’s a weasel. I couldn’t imagine going through high school with that last name.”
“Actually,” Penny told them. “Rory never got bullied. He was a high school heartthrob. A quarterback and team captain.”
“Well, that story took an unexpected turn,” Maggie said, wide-eyed. “So he’s a heartthrob with that last name?”
“Yup.” Penny nodded. “But a sleazy heartthrob these days. He is always looking for an easy out and has no qualms about using his looks to get what he wants.”
Maggie shuddered, and so did Linda, thinking of the type.
Linda set her warm coffee mug down onto the desk blotter, her fingers resting against the porcelain as she tried to focus on the immediate logistics. "Are you absolutely sure the Wayne Group is going to back off from the property foreclosure?" Her eyes held Penny’s. “If they back off as promised, it will be one less predator to worry about.”
"Yes, of course," Penny answered immediately, her tone carrying a firm, absolute certainty. "You will have the official letter in writing, I promise you that. I will personally ensure it is drafted and delivered straight to your desk before the week ends."
"This still doesn't excuse Darius’s lie. It doesn't change what he did." Linda drew a slow breath, her jaw clenching as she stared down at the open manila folder.
"Look," Michael said softly, leaning forward from his leather cushion to rest his elbows on the desk. "As a man, I will tell you that we are all absolute idiots sometimes. And I am certainly not happy with how things were handled out there in the foyer. But it wasn't an exact lie."
"I truly believe that he was merely waiting for the right moment to come clean," Martin added from his side of the semi-circle, his voice quiet and contemplative. “It’s what we do. We’re not as emotionally in tune as women.”
Maggie gaped at the two men, her eyes flashing with a sudden, angry light.
"Are you two seriously sticking up for Darius right now? I don't care if his firm is backing off or what his excuses are." She threw her hands up in the air, turning her fierce gaze toward her lifelong friend. "Absolutely nothing excuses the fact that he deliberately hid who he really was from Linda since they met when he arrived in Sweet Blossom Bay.”
"Maggie..." Michael started, shifting his weight to reach for her hand.
"Look, I am closest to Darius, and I think it was a heinous way to handle the situation," Penny stated, interrupting the building argument as she turned a worried look toward Linda. "But I also know that the deception was eating him alive. For the first time in his entire life, Darius felt a true connection with someone that went significantly deeper than a casual friendship, and it terrified him."
"I actually agree with the perspective here," Martin said, surprising everyone in the room. He offered a quick, boyish grin to break the thick layer of tension in the office. "And as theself-proclaimed second big brother around here..." He gestured toward the door with his thumb. "Since Owen is the third and younger than me, I get the next senior brother say. Anyway, back to the point. Also, as a man, I have to agree with both of them. We get incredibly scared too, you know. Falling for someone that quickly is absolutely terrifying."
He glanced at Penny when he finished speaking, a swift, flickering motion that would have been entirely invisible if someone wasn't watching him closely. But Linda was watching. His eyes darted directly toward Penny's face before he quickly looked back at Linda.
Linda’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion.Was he talking about a general rule, or was he referencing his own feelings?Her brow rose, and her head tilted slightly in contemplation.But how could he possibly be falling for Penny when they hadn't even had much contact around the hotel grounds?
Linda shook the thought away, telling herself she was being completely silly, but she filed the moment away in her memory for a more appropriate time.
"This is still a massive shock and..." Linda clenched her jaw, staring at the polished wood surface of her desk. "I just need some quiet time to process everything."
"Yes, let's give her some space," Maggie snapped, instantly stepping into her role as a protector. “Let Linda decide the outcome or what she wants to do.”
