Page 52 of The Truths We Find

I sit back down between Alexa and Gavin and take a large sip of my wine.

“You all good, D?” Alexa asks.

“Yep. Just the nerves kicking back in.”

“Was that Sam?” she follows up.

“Mm-hmm. He says good luck to everyone.”

The mention of Sam’s name has Gavin reaching for his own wineglass. I’ll tell them, eventually. But tonight, I’m being selfish, and putting me and our big night first. No. Screw that. This isn’t selfish. That’s nine years of Sam twisting things, making me believe that putting myself first was wrong. But it’s not. And you know what? He doesn’t get to take this away from me.

Dinner is served and the awards are underway. There are about twenty-five categories to get through, and I’m not sure where ours is in the lineup. The standard newscast awards are handed out first, and our new friends from Palm Springs win their category. I’m hoping their good luck rubs off on us.

“Next is the award for News Special,” says the presenter of the award.

“Ooo, that’s us!” Alexa exclaims.

I straighten in my seat and listen carefully, not to miss anything.

“The nominees are: From KFRM San Luis Obispo, Poison Candy: A Small Town’s War Against Designer Drugs. From KRWW Las Vegas, Honoring a Hero: A Local Soldier’s Final Journey Home. From KPTV Palm Springs, Pride: More Than Just a Month. And From KSSD San Diego, Robert Tate: How Cash and Influence Nearly Brought Down a City.”

Gavin reaches for Alexa’s and my hands on the table and gives them a squeeze. We wait for the presenter to open the envelope. I know it’s only a few seconds, but it feels like minutes to hear the results. All the air is sucked from my lungs.

Damn, I want this.

“And the winner is… Robert Tate: How Cash and Influence Nearly Brought Down a City!”

“Holy shit!” Alexa screams. She bolts from her seat, bouncing up and down.

I haven’t fully processed what I just heard before she’s pulling me from my chair and wrapping me in a hug.

She lets me go and quickly gives Gavin a hug while I stand there processing. I look up at the screen on the side of the stage and see clips of our work being shown. I turn and see Gavin with his arms outstretched. I fly into his arms without hesitation. His hug is warm and comforting. Being here with him, and Alexa, is everything I want in this moment.

“I am so beyond proud of you,” he says in my ear, before planting a kiss on my cheek.

I pull back and see the biggest smile on his face. Before I can say anything, Alexa grabs my hand and pulls me towards the stage. As we make our way between the tables, we hear the words I never thought I would, “Accepting this award are Reporter Alexa Li and Executive Producer Danielle Russell.”

Once we make our way up the stage and towards the podium, we are each handed a gold Emmy statute. They look exactly like the ones you see television stars get. Holy shit. I look down at it in awe.

I step aside and let Alexa make her speech first. She thanks her mom and dad, explains how she was inspired to make this whole thing happen, but it’s her final comments that cue my waterworks.

“And to my best friend and producer Dani. This would literally not have been possible without you. You fought for this story when the powers that be and higher-ups said no.”

I glance Gavin’s way at that comment and scrunch my nose at him. He sticks his tongue back at me, causing me to laugh right there in front of everyone.

“You believed in me, and the truth of the story,” Alexa continues. “Forget that we’re best friends. I know you would have done the same thing for anyone in our newsroom, because that’s the kind of person you are. You’re someone who believes in fighting for justice and I really believe that’s what we made happen here with this piece. So, thank you.” She blows me a kiss, and I give her an over-dramatic awe shucks back, which gets us a laugh from the crowd.

She moves away from the podium and gives me a big hug as I take my place in front of the microphone.

“There is a reason I’m behind the camera and not in front of it, so I’ll do my best to keep this brief.” A few chuckles fill the room. “Thank you to the voting committee for this amazing honor. I’ve been in this business for ten years now, and while that might be peanuts compared to a lot of you here, I am thrilled to say finally!” I hold up the statue. “But as much as this award is everything I’ve worked towards, Alexa is right, and getting to the truth is the reason we’re even here right now.” I turn towards Gavin and give him a small smile. “Eleven years ago, when I was still in college, I met a repairman while I was working in a coffee shop. He saw me studying and asked why I picked journalism. We got to talking, and when he told me about all the hardships he and his brother faced in life, it inspired me to look at journalism in a different way. From that moment on, my answer for becoming a journalist was because I wanted to make sure the little people weren’t stepped on, and the truth always came out. So, cheers to Robert Tate not stepping on the little people of San Diego. Thank you!”

Chapter 17

Gavin

The electronic music pulses through my entire body the moment we step inside. Alexa insisted we celebrate the big win at a local bar that turns into a club after eleven. This isn’t really my scene, and I know it’s not Dani’s either, but I’m not about to say no to letting them celebrate.

It’s a little hole-in-the-wall on the Strip that specializes in tequila. In our formal wear, we definitely stand out, but this is Vegas, so anything goes. I spot a seating area in the back corner and signal for the girls to head that way. Alexa grabs Dani’s hand and weaves through the sea of dancers, and I make sure to follow close behind.