Julianna Morris - Undercover In Glimmer Creek

Gabe glanced around at the thriving tourist village—even for a tourist trap, the place was appealing. The extent of preservation reminded him of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.

But appealing or not, it was still the most likely source of TIP’s problems. Other than Rob’s office, Poppy Gold was the only location where certain pieces of company information had been brought together, and the failed contract negotiations had always occurred shortly after a visit to the B and B facility. Rob might have suspected some of his executives were responsible, but different execs had been at the meetings each time, often from divergent areas of the company’s operations.

Hacking had also been ruled out because his brother had started keeping data on upcoming deals and contracts off-line. He’d even moved all the files onto a computer that wasn’t hooked up to the internet.

He looked back at Tessa Connor. As the manager, she was in the best position to know everything that was going on at the conference center, but whether she was an ally or an enemy was unclear. She could even be the culprit. While Rob thought highly of Tessa, it didn’t mean she was innocent.

Gabe almost snorted.

His brother’s judgment was probably clouded by Tessa’s slim figure and sparkling eyes. For that matter, Rob had a hard time believing anyone would steal from TIP in the first place, which was why it had taken him so long to acknowledge the problem. Gabe, on the other hand, didn’t have trouble believing the worst of anyone.

“Come on, I’ll show you Poppy Gold’s reservation hub,” Tessa said.

While the remaining tour of Poppy Gold was thorough, Gabe couldn’t pry another shred of personal information from her. He was lousy at chitchat, but it shouldn’t have been difficult since Tessa seemed to chatter away with the slightest provocation. She even had conversations with cats.

Still, Gabe noticed that the tour didn’t include anything related to security. He just didn’t know if the omission meant anything. Working in Poppy Gold’s security division would have been his top choice, but naturally they did far more extensive background checks on those employees than ones in grounds maintenance. It was likely that his connection to TIP would have been revealed and questioned.

“Have you found a place to live?” Tessa asked after they returned to the maintenance center. Though located in a modern building, it had a Victorian-style facade that blended well with Poppy Gold’s ambiance.

“I’ve rented a furnished studio in town.”

“You were lucky to find something local—we don’t have many rentals in Glimmer Creek. I don’t see any other employees around. They must all be out working. Did Pop tell you what to do for the rest of the day?”

“Mow the lawns and edge the walkways around these two houses.” He pointed to a map on the wall. “I understand you primarily use electric equipment to minimize noise.”

“That’s right. We have riding mowers for the large areas, like the old city center park, but whenever possible, we coordinate using them around the guest schedule. Have you been given a locker assignment?”

Gabe shook his head.

Tessa unlocked a cabinet, consulted a ledger and gave him a key. “This is to locker 5A—work gloves and other protective gear should be in there already. I’ll let you get started, but be sure to take your breaks and lunch. If you have any questions, check with the reservations desk and they’ll find me.”

She left quickly, and Gabe wondered if she was eager to get rid of him. Not that he’d blame her. She managed the conference center and surely had more urgent responsibilities than giving new-employee tours and evicting ornery felines from rooms where they weren’t wanted.

* * *

TESSA HURRIED ACROSS Poppy Gold to the Glimmer Creek Train Depot. She tried not to be a micromanager, so she had established her office away from Old City Hall. Since she handled most of the business clients, it was also nice to have the quieter work space.

“Hey, Jamie,” she called to her eighteen-year-old cousin, who was dressed in period costume and talking to a group of schoolchildren.

Jamie waved back. Close to half of Poppy Gold’s employees were related to Tessa in one way or another. In Jamie’s case, she was Tessa’s maternal uncle Daniel’s daughter and had started working at Poppy Gold Inns right after graduating from Glimmer Creek High. She was rather young for her age, which was why Uncle Daniel and Aunt Emma hadn’t pushed her to leave for college immediately.

Tessa’s office was on the second floor, and she gazed out the window for a moment, loving the peaceful scene. The abandoned train track had never been torn out, and it ran like a ribbon through the countryside, much overgrown, leading to the old railroad spur turnaround. Only the section that ran along the edge of Poppy Gold was in good condition. On it sat a steam engine and two passenger cars from the 1870s, sparklingly restored, looking as if they had just arrived at the station. Their visitors loved the train, and in peak seasons, the passenger cars were filled with picnickers.

Tessa thought about the lunch baskets available at the general store, packed with fried chicken, baked ham on biscuits, fresh-baked bread and other goodies. The baskets were more Hollywood illusion than authentic flavors from the 1800s, but they were popular. And there might be things Poppy Gold could do to simulate a train ride.

She jotted a note in her “idea” book. It was filled with things to do at Poppy Gold, supplementing the plan she’d made in college. Her parents had begun to implement her concept a few years ago, but there was always more to do. In a way it made her feel even more responsible, knowing that turning the business into a conference center was something she’d urged them to try. She’d helped, coming home weekends and spending vacations there, but a lot had fallen on her mom’s and dad’s shoulders.

Now it was mostly on her.

She pressed a hand to her stomach. Suggesting changes as an eager college student was a lot easier than carrying them out herself. Where had all the blind certainty of her youth gone? Maybe the final vestiges had been lost with her mother’s death.

“Hey,” Jamie said, poking her head through the office doorway. “The school group is gone. Mom made peach pies last night and sent one for you.”

She came in holding a Tupperware pie-taker. Tupperware containers were ubiquitous in Glimmer Creek thanks to two of Tessa’s maternal great-aunts who’d thrown so many parties to sell the stuff that it was stockpiled in everyone’s basements. Glimmer Creek was filled with relatives on her mom’s side of the family.

Tessa’s mouth watered. Nobody made pies like Aunt Emma. “My taste buds thank her, but my hips aren’t so sure.”

“Like you need to worry. Can you believe it? Mom even said to eat it with ice cream because you’re too skinny. She never says that to me.”

“I’m not skinny,” Tessa denied automatically. Her female relatives kept trying to feed her, claiming she’d lost weight since returning home, but they worried too much.

If they weren’t trying to fix her up with a guy, they were urging her to eat more.

“You’re skinnier than me.”

Jamie tugged at her costume and stuck out her bottom lip in the mock pout she’d perfected as a four-year-old. The same as most Fullerton women, she was a late bloomer and still carried a few childhood pounds she couldn’t seem to lose. Tessa had gone through the same phase herself.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Tessa urged.

“That’s easy for you to say. My face is so round. I look like a chipmunk that’s stuffed its cheeks with nuts.”

“Lance doesn’t seem to think so.”