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I nodded as if I understood. Theoretically, I did understand but I’d lived and worked in Carson Creek for nearly all of my life. How could I possibly understand? “Do you miss it?”
“The stress? Hell no. I’m finding that I’m enjoying simple things like being a grandfather, small town living and interviewing the first Miss Tennessee in history. It’s different but for me, it’s a new adventure.”
“Great evasion but that wasn’t an answer.”
He smiled again, this one was different and I couldn’t quite figure out the meaning behind it. “I miss telling the real stories of people’s lives, not just the version that’s sanitized for the masses or meant to induce fear. Some of the people I’ve met have lived with constant war but still they don’t live in constant fear and they’re quite happy with their lives.”
I smiled back because he downplayed his impressive career that spanned three decades, on and off, traveling to the most devastating and heart-breaking locations in the world. He had a knack for weaving a story and even I knew that his talent was wasted here in Carson Creek. “Any plans to go back out into to the world?”
“No plans, no. My priority right now is Mickey.” His salad arrived first and Levi dug into it, eating it without one frown or wince, as if he actually enjoyed it. Monster. “Don’t let GG get to you. It’s a test to see if you’re tough enough to handle the news business.”
I snorted and shook my head. “That’s not it at all. He doesn’t think I can do it and lately I’m not even sure if I want to.” I’d given up my chance to become like Levi, heck to even give myself a chance to see if I was capable of becoming like him, while my brothers went out and conquered the music industry. Staying here, helping Daddy keep the paper alive hadn’t been enough all these years and it never would. “It doesn’t matter.”
“You’d leave?” The note of surprise in his tone shouldn’t have offended me, but it did.
“Why shouldn’t I? He’s got you now and we both know your opinion matters more than my own.”
“That’s not true Lacey. He’s testing you, trust me. I’ve seen it a thousand times with those old timers who expect everyone to be treated the way they were treated in the sixties, before Google and the internet.”
“I don’t know you well enough to trust you Levi, no offense. What I know is that the future I thought would have at CCDJ is not going to happen, not ever, so I have to decide if that’s okay with me or if I need to do something else.”
“Lacey,” he sighed and shook his head. “Don’t give up.”
I finished off my chili fries and smiled at Levi. “There’s a difference between giving up and knowing when it’s time to cut my losses. You have a better shot at becoming the next head of CCDJ than I do, which means I have no place there. Not anymore.”
Chapter 2
Levi
I sighed, saddened my Lacey’s dejected tone. “Talk to your father Lacey. You’ll feel better.” She was angry, rightfully so. GG was an ogre to work for if you were his beloved daughter. He second-guessed every word she said, every story and idea, every pitch, and he made her feel as if she would never be enough to run Carson Creek Daily Journal. I’d seen it before, dozens of times, older guys who believed the hard way was the only way to learn.
“No thanks,” she answered with a bitter smile before dipping her spoon in the small bowl of chili now that her fries were gone. “I’ve had my fill of him today.”
My burger arrived with a flirtatious smile from the waitress and we ate in silence for several long minutes. The silence lasted so long I wasn’t sure she would say anything else to me before requesting the bill. She resented my presence at the paper, that much was clear, but it was more than the fact that GG valued my opinion. I didn’t blame her for that resentment, it was almost as if that’s how GG wanted it, but it was unnerving because most people liked me. Even those who didn’t trust me right away, found me likable. It was part of the job, of getting people to talk.
Lacey’s plate and bowl were empty and she focused on the milkshake, bright blue eyes settled on my face. “Were you really inside the palace during the coup attempt?”
I smiled because that was definitely the question of someone who admired my work. “I was. It was terrifying as hell, men armed with machine guns and machetes interrupted what had started as a bland interview about the state of the royal family. They were angry and determined, using more force than necessary to shove us into one of the many wine cellars at the bottom of the palace.”
