Page 53 of Positively, Penelope

“Or too ridiculous.”

“Let me just say”—her voice gentled—“a little bit of ridiculous sweetness and enthusiasm may be exactly what you and Iris need most of all. Deep hurt needs great love, I think.”

“Gwynn, don’t even imply—”

“After all, you wouldn’t have taken the initiative to reach out to Dani or contact those donors six months ago or dance on the stage,but now?” Her chuckle returned with added barbs to the stinging in his chest. “It’s all very bewitching, indeed.”

He hung up the phone on her laugh. Just as he shoved the phone back in his pocket, he glanced left into the window of Neeps and Tatties to find Penelope sitting across the table from the very last person with whom he’d have expected to see her. Niles Westing?

He drew to a complete stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

Why was Penelope meeting with the owner of Emblem Studios?

Chapter11

Penelope sat by the window of Neeps and Tatties, sipping her tea and attempting to work up enough bravery to taste the haggis sandwich she’d purchased. Luckily for her, the lunch order included a sandwich sampling of two halves, so she’d chosen the BLT and... the haggis, because she’d promised Grandpa Gray that she’d try it. It wasn’t so much that the “meat” within the sandwich looked unappealing. Strange with its blackish, speckled coloring and spongy consistency, but not as gross as she thought it might look. But the idea of its contents proved the real deterrent. She gave it a few pokes with her fork and took a bite of her BLT.

Mr. and Mrs.Carrington were due to arrive within the next fifteen minutes, so if Penelope wasn’t brave enough to eat the haggis sandwich, one of the Carringtons may want it. After all, they were Skymarian.

And there was always Tootles. He probably loved haggis.

“Ah, MissEdgewood, isn’t it?”

Penelope looked up from her seat to find a rather disturbing person standing over her. She knew his face and rather fierce-looking mustache. The Emblem Studios man! She pushed up a smile. “Mr.—” She floundered, then shrugged. “I’m sorry, but I can only remember Niles.”

“Westing.” His smile curled with as much animated proportion as any cartoon. “Owner of Emblem Studios.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Mr.Westing.”

And he proceeded to sit down across from her without an invitation. “I’m surprised we haven’t run into one another since your arrival, but I hope you’ve enjoyed your time in Skymar so far.”

Apart from the mustache, Mr. Westing didn’t look unnerving, but there was something about him that put Penelope on edge. Was it because she suspected he’d planted a mole to sabotage her and The Darling House? Perhaps and, well, that was enough. She sighed out her frustration. But everyone deserved a chance to prove her first impression wrong, didn’t they? Just like the Beast fromBeauty and the Beast, or Dimitri fromAnastasia, or Captain von Trapp!

“It’s been a lovely stay so far. Are you a native of Skymar?” Maybe learning more about the man would give some clues to what he really wanted. Oh, how she wished she’d worn her red fedora.

“I’m originally from England,” he said with a wave of his hand. “But I consider this my home now.”

“I can see why you’d want to stay.” She glanced around the restaurant, praying Mr. and Mrs.Carrington arrived soon. “I’m sorry, Mr.Westing, but I’m meeting some people here for lunch today. So I don’t have a long time to talk. Is there something you needed?”

He leaned back in the chair, making himself way too comfortable for her own comfort. “I’ve followed some of the things you’ve been doing for The Darling House. You have a gift for seeing what is needed and making it happen. I... appreciate people like you.”

“That’s very kind of you to say.” Pinstriped suits looked so much better on Cary Grant—it must be the broad shoulders. “I’ve had such a marvelous time doing it.”

“Clearly, you have talent.” His dark gaze roamed her face, one brow curving upward. “A talent, I fear, which will be wasted on a dying theater like The Darling House.”

“I don’t think it’s dead just yet, Mr.Westing.” Penelope trained her expression, but her top lip tempted to snarl just a bit. “There’s still a lot of life left in that theater, if hope and hard work can make it happen.”

“Hope and hard work,” he muttered and then leaned forward, braiding his fingers together in front of him on the table. “It comes to this, Miss Edgewood. I want to hire you. I could pay you very welland give you everything you could want in a position at my theater. Top-floor office with a view of the coast. Massive performance halls. Staff to work for you. A dream job for someone so young.”

Her heart twinged just a teensy bit when he mentioned the salary, and the flash of a shoe closet blared to mind. But then Iris’s smile overshadowed it. Followed by Grandpa Gray’s gentle hand to her shoulder. And then Alec’s look of admiration, and Matthias’s... well, just Matthias.

She wasn’t tempted, really. Just a momentary daydream. It really was the shoes’ fault.

“Thank you for that most generous offer, Mr.Westing, but I must decline.”

“Decline?” Both his brows rose. “You cannot be serious! I can offer you twice what that little theater pays you, and a penthouse office instead of the tiny hole you have now.”

How did he know about her salary or her office? “Mr.Westing, as I said, I appreciate your generous offer, but I’ve made a commitment to The Darling House and I am true to my commitments. A trait which any quality employer should value in an employee, don’t you think?”

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