Chapter Text
“Almost there,” Charlotte said quietly as she passed the sign for Sanditon. The drive out to the coast was beautiful and she slowed down to savor the sunshine.
She couldn’t believe her luck with this job. It was always hard starting at a new television station and a bureau reporter job away from the main newsroom would be an adjustment, but it was so nice to get away from the heat of Texas.
“Oh Toto, I don’t think we’re in Austin anymore,” Charlotte said smirking as she glanced at the ocean in the distance. After two years in Austin, she jumped at the chance to join the WSFE newsroom, even if it meant filling in for a reporter heading out on maternity leave at their bureau to start out.
She turned over the last few days in her head. It had been a whirlwind training in Washington, D.C. at the main newsroom. In Sanditon, she’d be working with a photographer named Fred who had worked out there for years to show her the ropes.
She had gone out for dinner and drinks with another reporter who was anxious to tell her about the gossip. “You’ll be taking Clara’s spot,” Kali had told her with a knowing smile on her face. “She’s pretty flirty with her sources,” the woman said. “Some people think that’s how she ended up pregnant, you know, she traded one hot tip for another,” her new co-worker said laughing.
It was hard to picture; Charlotte’s mind flashed through the politicians and business leaders she frequently interviewed, and they looked more like her grandpa than a love interest.
On top of that, she barely had time to go to the bathroom during a typical day let alone have sex.
She decided to ignore it as jealous gossip since most of this crew probably didn’t know Clara.
The bureau was a 90-minute drive from D.C. and she hoped she’d return to D.C. when Clara finished maternity leave.
Finding stories to report about in a new city is hard but her bosses had set up a multi-part series for her to start on. It would be stories about the history and future of Sanditon, centered around a new resort that was about to open.
Her boss said they lined up interviews with those steering the future of the city as they redeveloped the town. Sanditon had to compete with other beach getaways so the group pushing the new Sands Resort was taking risks to make it special.
It was just after lunch when she pulled up to the bureau office and came face-to-face with a friendly-looking guy in his mid-30’s. “Charlotte?” he asked with a smile.
“And you must be Fred,” she said reaching her hand out.
“I’ll be your chauffeur, cameraman, editor and, if you’re like Clara, therapist as well,” he replied laughing.
Charlotte glanced around the small room “is she here? I can’t wait to meet her.”
An awkward expression crossed over Fred’s face. “We had some interviews this morning at the Fire Department, and then she told me to get some video of the trucks and we would meet back here,” he explained.
Charlotte glanced at the clock, it was already 2, and that late in the day most reporters would want to be writing their story. “Will this story air in the 5 o’clock news?” Charlotte asked curiously.
Fred shrugged, “it’s supposed to.” Charlotte decided not to press for more information.
He started showing Charlotte around the office walking her through a typical day when they heard a commotion.
“Fred, did you look through the interview with the Fire Chief?” a very pretty and very pregnant woman said as she breezed in the room. “Do you remember the part—” Clara stopped mid-sentence. “Oh, you must be the fill-in,” she said with a smug smile on her face.
‘Charlotte,” she walked forward with her hand extended.
“I’m Clara and I guess you’ve already met Fred, this is our bureau, our beat,” there was no mistaking the tone Clara was using.
“Yes, Fred was just showing me how you guys do things…” Charlotte started to say as Clara walked past her. Clara moved Charlotte’s bag off of the desk and started shuffling things around.
Fred rolled his eyes “hey, let me show you where we keep file video and where you can find the bathroom and kitchen.”
Charlotte was a little surprised by Clara’s attitude, especially considering Charlotte had no designs on staying in Sanditon. It is a competitive industry, and it wasn’t unusual for women to turn on each other.
After a quick tour, Fred led her back into the office where Clara was logging her video. They were talking by Fed’s computer when Clara approached “can you start editing this story, Fred?”
“Congratulations on the baby,” Charlotte said warmly. “Oh, huh,” Clara said glancing at her large stomach. She started to walk away and then turned to Charlotte quickly “want some free advice?” Before Charlotte could answer she said, “make sure they always wear a condom.”
Clara went back to work on her story and didn’t seem very meticulous in her work. She logged the first few soundbites and didn’t even look at Fred’s video.
It was obvious Clara’s heart wasn’t in it but Charlotte figured she was probably exhausted by her pregnancy.
After a live report at 5:06, Clara bolted home for the day.
Charlotte hoped to get more insights about covering Sanditon the next day, it was their final day together before Clara started her leave.
It was only a few blocks to the apartment building where Charlotte would live. A quick knock, and the door was opened by a red-haired lady who looked a bit disheveled. “Can I help you?” she asked scanning the area behind Charlotte. “Hi, I’m Charlotte Heywood, the new tenant in 2C…” she just let it trail off.
Just then a man joined the lady in the doorway “Mrs. Griffiths I think your spiritual healing session is done for the day,” he said sounding overly formal. “Yes, thank you, Reverend Hankins I’m feeling so much better,” she said with a strange quiver in her voice as the minister passed by Charlotte with a pinched smile on his face.
“Is this a bad time?” Charlotte said feeling confused by the scene in front of her.
“No, no… we were just talking about…” Mrs. Griffiths seemed to be struggling.
“The garden of the Lord,” the creepy Reverend chimed in. Charlotte cringed and rolled her eyes as her new landlady waved at the minister.
Ten minutes later she was looking around her new apartment listening to Mrs. Griffiths rattle on “of course, there is no official curfew, but I’ve always felt a proper young lady should be home at an hour when it would still be appropriate to call her parents.”
“There are 6 units in our building and, it just so happens, the majority are occupied by young women and you could serve as a role model,” Charlotte smiled as Mrs. Griffiths launched into a morality speech.
“You are welcome to have visitors when you like but we observe quiet hours between…” at a certain point Charlotte stopped listening until she seemed to get the hint.
It was time to unload her car, bringing up the bags and boxes she had brought from Texas. The apartment was furnished, and Charlotte left much of her stuff in storage, she would go get it all once she was ready to settle in D.C.
“Are you moving in?” a pretty girl asked as Charlotte came up the stairs with her hands full of bags.
“Charlotte, 2C.”
“Georgiana,” the girl replied. “And I’m right next door,” she said with an enthusiastic smile. It was the friendliest welcome she had received in Sanditon.
Charlotte felt an instant connection with the girl and Georgiana walked alongside her as she carried bags towards the apartment. “So, Charlotte, what brings you to Sanditon?”
“I hope you’re not looking for fun because it doesn’t get any more boring than this place and if it’s romance… good luck.”
“I’m a reporter taking over the Channel 2 Bureau, while somebody goes on maternity leave,” she explained as Georgiana followed her into the apartment.
“You’re Clara’s replacement,” Georgiana said with a knowing look.
“You know Clara?” Charlotte questioned. “More by reputation than by personal knowledge but I have some connections to her,” Georgiana replied.
“I just met her today for the first time,” Charlotte said.
“You may not know her well, but half the town sure does,” Georgiana said with a laugh. Charlotte didn’t like the turn this conversation was taking. Even if Clara had dated a few guys, she thought slut-shaming was a thing of the past.
“That woman is all about drama,” Georgiana explained. “The latest being a fight over who fathered her baby.”
“There are tests for that,” Charlotte said not wanting to feed any gossip.
“Well, she was dating my guardian’s friend, but they broke up, and then all of a sudden she says she’s having his baby,” Georgiana continued. Charlotte didn’t want to hear Clara’s dirty laundry, but it seemed hard to stop her new friend.
“Frank swears there’s no way it could be his and demands she gets an in-utero blood test but then she refused because of potential complications and now lawyers are involved…” Georgiana explained. “It’s been quite the scandal.”
“Wow,” said Charlotte, “That is a lot of drama and you know a lot about it.”
“I know things,” Georgiana said with a mysterious smile. “Clara’s moving in with her rich aunt so she can afford some help until she can get money from the father.”
Charlotte was anxious to change the subject “did you grow up in Sanditon?”
“God, no” Georgiana said rolling her eyes. “I’m from Antigua but moved here 2 years ago when my dad died.”
Charlotte felt an immediate sadness for the girl losing her father at such a young age. “His business associate lives in D.C. and he was appointed as my guardian, but he lives in a townhouse and thought it was better if I live with his brother’s family here,” she explained with a bit of sadness.
“They’re lovely people but they have young kids and when I turned 18, he released money from my trust fund so I could get my own place,” she said. “So here I am, trying to figure out what to do with my life.” They spent a little more time talking before Georgiana suggested they grab some dinner.
“Are you sure I’m not keeping you from something?” Charlotte suggested as they ate burgers at the Denham Pub a half-hour later. Georgiana was constantly checking her phone.
“No, I’m meeting someone later but he’s kind of in the middle of some stuff,” she said nonchalantly.
“A boyfriend?” Charlotte asked.
“Just someone I’m hanging out with,” Georgiana smiled with an air of mystery.
After dinner, they went their separate ways and Charlotte went back to the apartment to look through her research on Sanditon. Her boss said they’d set up interviews at the end of the week with the key players and Charlotte wanted to look for other people she could talk to for the story.
The town has an interesting history: a fishing village reinvented as a seaside bathing resort and then over the years always trying to compete with more popular beach spots.
The development was a joint project between the Parker family and the Denham family, two of the oldest families in the town. She was going to interview them, the architect, city officials, and someone from the historical society, but there was more to learn, and she wanted to make an impression.