“We’re friends,” Tori said.
“That’s what I’ve heard.” Nora’s smile was slightly on the tight side. “I have to run, so I’ll see you later. Nice robe, by the way.”
When she was gone, Hailey nudged her in the ribs. “That was a dig.”
“And so subtle, too.” Tori took a deep breath and shoved Nola out of her mind. “Hats. Where are the freaking hats?”
*
Max waited patiently for Miranda to line the shipping box up on the postal scale just so, careful to keep his expression neutral.
Rumor had it not a single living soul in Whitford could remember a time when Miranda hadn’t run the post office, and he could believe it. She had to be looking down the barrel at three digits if she was a day.
She asked him the required questions as to whether there was anything in the package there shouldn’t be, glared to let him know she didn’t believe him and then squinted at the insurance form. One of the biggest adjustments, business-wise, when he’d moved to Whitford had been the lack of shipping options. When he had to ship to Canada, he’d drive to the city because he was a patient man, but not that patient. For everyday shipping, though, the easiest and quickest method for returning models to their owners was Miranda.
It had been clear since day one she thought he was up to no good. He’d tried everything. Pleasant manners. Cool business professional. He’d even tried charming once, but she’d called him a cheeky monkey and that had scared him even more than her cantankerousness.
He was a creature of habit, so he’d been shipping boxes the way he always had. But today he made a mental note to research doing the postage online so all he’d have to do in the future was drop the packages and run. For now, he simply waited patiently while she very slowly went through the steps necessary to ship his box, just as he did every single time. While he’d never seen any signs she’d opened a package meant for him, he’d taken extra care in packing them since his first trip to the Whitford post office because he was sure she’d at least shake them.
Once that errand—admittedly his least favorite—was done, he walked back to his car and used his phone to photograph the receipts she’d given him before tucking them into an envelope in his glove box.
Lunch, he decided. He was getting spoiled by the food at the diner and would probably put on a few pounds if he wasn’t careful, but since he was already in town, lunch couldn’t hurt.
Because it was a little past lunch rush time, the diner was almost empty when he went in. He sat at the counter, on his usual stool, and plucked the menu out of the holder.
“Hey, you.”
He looked up, his pulse jumping at the sound of Tori’s voice. “Hi. You again, huh?”
“Disappointed?”
“Pleasantly surprised.”
She smiled and held up the coffeepot. When he nodded, she poured him a cup. “I work all kinds of weird hours, filling in where needed. You never know when I’ll be here.”
“I’m looking for something light. Between Carl and Gavin, I’m going to need new pants if I don’t watch it.”
“We always have the half-a-sandwich and a cup of soup special. How about turkey on wheat and some chicken noodle?”
“Sounds perfect.” He put the menu back and fixed his coffee while she handed in his order.
A few minutes later, he heard a female voice yelling for Tori. He watched her lean into the pass-through window. “What’s the matter?”
“Where are the damn crackers?”
“We have the crackers out front. You just give me the soup and I’ll put the crackers on the plate.”
“That makes no sense.”
“We give out crackers for more than soup. Toddlers love them and sometimes people ask for them to hold them over if we’re busy. We can’t be asking the cook for crackers all the time.”
He saw the dishes appear in the window and Tori brought them over to him, then grabbed several packages of crackers from under the counter.
“That was fast,” he said.
“The soup’s in a steam table so it’s just a matter of making half a sandwich.”
“Dare I ask what’s going on?”
“What’s going on is Rose.” She smiled a fake smile. “She’s helping out for a few days.”
“Is your cousin okay?”
“I guess it’s not a secret now since he’s not here.”
While he ate, she filled him in on Gavin’s trip to Kennebunkport. It sounded like a great opportunity. “I hope he gets the job but, selfishly, I’ll really miss him being here.”
“You and everybody else.”
“You said Rose is helping out for a few days. What if he gets the job?”