The Seamstress Secret: A spellbinding novel that spans the centuries (The Tidewater Chronicles Book 4) by Vanessa Lind

Author:Vanessa Lind [Lind, Vanessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-01-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter sixteen

Olivia ~ Present Day

Aside from the occasional glass of wine, Olivia isn’t much of a drinker, and neither is Ethan. But on a wintery evening, there’s no place like the whiskey bar. They’ve nabbed seats on the sofa, right in front of the fireplace, a roaring blaze warming them from without and tiny sips of their whiskey drinks warming them from within. Judging from Ethan’s morose look, the drinks are a good idea.

Olivia sips from her specialty drink, savoring the rich taste of chocolate and the bite of whiskey in a concoction reminiscent of German Chocolate cake. She and Ethan keep changing the subject, then coming back around to the theft of the cash box.

“Penelope was just lashing out, blaming you,” she says. “If anyone’s to blame, it’s Sarah, for leaving the box unattended.”

“Sarah was only away from the table for a couple of minutes, and she stashed the box under her coat. It was reasonable to assume it was safe. Ultimately, the buck stops with me. I should have secured the cash once people stopped coming in.” He swirls the ice around in his glass, then sips from it. “Oh well. It’s been a good run.”

“That sounds ominous. Surely the board won’t ask for your resignation over this.”

“They will if Penelope has her way. You heard what she said last night. Yet another example of mismanagement.” He shakes his head. “It’s too bad. I never dreamed I’d enjoy a job as much as I’ve enjoyed this one. Every day is different. And with so many old buildings around town, I assumed there would be plenty of job security.”

“Don’t go throwing in the towel just yet. You’ve got the rest of the board behind you. That was clear at the last meeting.”

“And I guarantee that after this, Penelope will be lobbying hard for them to change their minds.” He leans back, stretching his arm along the top of the sofa. “I’ve wracked my brain, trying to figure out what I’ve done to turn her against me. We got into a little back-and-forth at the board retreat over rewording our mission statement. But that doesn’t seem like a big enough thing to make her want to get rid of me.”

“Whose wording won out?”

“Mine. But I didn’t think of it in terms of winning or losing. It was the more accurate way to express our mission, that’s all.”

Olivia raises an eyebrow. “You could have let her have her way. Pick your battles and all that.”

“I guess. But who knows if it would have made a difference? Maybe she’s ticked off about something else.”

“You could ask.”

“I’ve tried. She bristles. Turns it back on me, like I’m reading too much into things.”

“I could try talking with her. She’s got that event coming up at the bookshop.”

“I appreciate your wanting to help. But I have a feeling that could end up making things worse. And hey, there’s no sense in your getting all stressed out about this. You already ran yourself ragged, pulling that silent auction together.

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