The Boarding House - Miss Olivia

From Greg at Book Haven

 

There was a moment of silence. 

Kirby and Mina were locked in an embrace and to Olivia it looked like... something. Mina quickly stepped away, but they both had their phones in their hands and Olivia could just imagine what they were doing. Her face was a little flushed. 

"Well?" she demanded. She kind of frowned on her tenants fraternizing, although she really couldn't do anything about it per se. Still, she wasn't too pleased. And here the girls had just been trying to hint to her the other night that Kirby wasn't... you know, interested in women. 

Apparently sweet little Mina was an exception. 

"No," Kirby flustered. "It's not like that at all. we were just... exchanging numbers, there's a job down at the base, and I thought she..." 

Why was he always s tongue tied around Miss Olivia?

"Right," Mina jumped in. "That's... all..."

They both looked so guilty. Olivia laughed then to dissipate the tension. "Relax, you two. What my boarders do in their alone time is no business of mine..." she said with a wink and a twinkle in her eye, although it still rankled. 

Sarah and Penley appeared in the door then, looking startled. Sarah looked upset, her eyes a little puffy. 

"Alright, what's going on?" Olivia demanded sternly. 

"Nothing," Penley replied quickly. A little too quickly. All four of them were looking at each other as if to say you go first.  

"Well?" Olivia was tapping her foot. 

"Just a little... drama," Mina said quietly. "Nothing for you to worry about."

"Is that right..." Olvia began, before she realized who was missing. "Where's Fitzie?"

The looks they all exchanged were telling. 

Drama indeed. 

"What did he do?" she asked exasperatedly. 

"Nothing," Sarah blurted out. "Just a ... a misunderstanding." They all nodded vigorously. 

"You're all terrible liars," Olivia said with a huff. "Well, you know I don't like drama here. If there's a problem you need to let me know. Anyways... I'm thinking of ordering pizza tonight. Any preferences for toppings?"