Page 105 of Positively, Penelope

“The museum.” Her gaze fastened on him. “It’s been vandalized. Half of the artifacts are gone.”

“What?” He rounded her and took off at a run up the hallway.

The museum door stood open and evidence of the truth greeted him as soon as he stepped over the threshold. Broken glass. Empty walls. Displays left in disarray. Parts or all of the items missing. “How?” The word burst from him. “Why?”

He turned to find Gwynn behind him, her eyes watery, her bottom lip shaking. “Morale. To break us. Punish us?” She shook her head. “I know it can’t destroy us, but it can certainly put every other immediate performance under a cloud.”

“But how could our little museum hurt Emblem?” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand it at all. And there was no break-in. The door isn’t damaged.”

“It’s that visible representation of our place in the community, Matt.” Her voice shook and she leaned over to remove a Mary Poppins hat used in a performance in the sixties. “And we’ve been advertising for people to visit it when they come to thePeter Panopening in a few days. Nostalgia brings people.”

“So someone’s trying to hurt our reputation and steal our business.” He scanned the room, his fists tightening on his hips. All of Penelope’s hard work. “Who would do this?”

“I asked around once I saw the museum. Last night, Dani was working late and he saw someone leaving the theater with some big boxes in tow.”

He spun back around to his sister to find tears making silent trails down her cheeks.

“Alec,” she said.

“Alec?”

“I phoned Grandfather.” She wiped at her face with her hand. “His museum keys are missing.”

All the information from the emails and the meetings came together. Alec? At the heart of it all? Against his own family? Why? What sort of hatred could fuel him to do such a thing? What could he possibly gain by the theater’s downfall?

“Why... why would he do this?” Gwynn’s voice finally broke and Matt crossed the space to her, taking her into his arms.

She wept against his shoulder as the ache of betrayal burned through him. Why, indeed? And then the realization dawned, deepening the wounds.

The money. If Emblem bought The Darling House, then not only would Alec receive a portion of the sale, but—Matt’s shoulders slumped—would he receive some sort of payoff from Niles Westing too?

“We’re not ruined, Gwynn.” Matt ran a hand down his sister’s back. “Our hard work and a bit of Penelope’s magic have done such good, not even this is going to ruin our trajectory. The theater will be all right.”

She nodded into his shoulder.

“But do you know where Alec might be?”

She looked up at him and shook her head. “Grandfather said he left after breakfast but didn’t mention where he was going.”

“Then we need to see if we can find him, because then we can retrieve the museum items, and perhaps it’s not too late to save Alec from choosing to do something even worse.”

***

A mix of large, fluffy clouds and brilliant sunshine filled the big sky. The sky always seemed so big on this island, but perhaps it was because the sea hovered on the horizon at every turn. It was one of the most beautiful places Penelope had ever seen, and she’d definitely be back.

Shehadto come back. Especially if she got up the courage to tell Matthias how she felt about him and he reciprocated. She should tell him tonight after her surprise party. Or... perhaps during their romantic meeting on the remote Kirk of Skree. A shiver of delight shimmied up her shoulders. Oh yes! Then they’d have a month to date and see if long-distance could work. Was worth it.

She already knew it would be for her,ifhe reciprocated.

He and Iris already had her heart.

She’d always dated guys very close to her age—those in high school or college with her—but a relationship with Matthias Gray, a friendship with him, had been different from the start. More settled and right. Adding Iris into the mix only made everything sweeter.

Maybe shewasliving a Maria von Trapp story.

“You’re terribly quiet,” Alec said as he drove them along a coastal road. “Everything all right?”

She turned to him with a smile. “Just enjoying the beauty of Skymar. This is such a great drive.”

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