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I frowned. “Jeremiah is already a good person. One of the best people I’ve met. That’s the problem. I only wrote about the good things, the person I know and—”
Lucy wasn’t getting it. The lights were on, sure, and she was watching me with her big, brown eyes, but not an ounce of what I was saying would matter to her. Unless you knew Jeremiah -reallyknew him - you wouldn’t get it. He didn’t open up to just anyone, and most people would never get to know the side of him I did.
“Never mind. Let’s drop it. How’s the article on the Liberty basketball team coming along?”
“It’s coming along just fine. But, I mean they lost badly. We’re writing about it anyway. There’s not much else going on to replace it.”
The question was did anyone really care? We weren’t a sports town, which was fine. Our kids played basketball for fun, not glory. It kept the game a little purer, in my opinion.
“You know what? Nix it. Don’t write about them losing. Maybe interview the coach instead, talk to him about the teamwork or something else. Don’t focus on the negative.”
“But it’s the news,” Lucy said.
“Yes, but let’s be honest, Lucy, It’ll only bring the kids down, and this town doesn’t need another disappointment.”
I sighed and rubbed my temples. The fact was, print journalism was on the way out, and no one really cared about it much anyway. Liberty was small enough that everyone knew what was going on without picking up a paper. It was tradition for many families to do so, the older citizens, of course. But the younger generation had yet to pick up on that habit, if they ever would.
I was on a sinking ship, and I knew it. I knew it when I bought the paper from Jasper Townsend, but I thought I could turn it around. I thought there’d be some kind of news, talking to the local businesses, exploring the beauty of Liberty, and of course, covering the good side of politics.
Like how people like Jeremiah had real aspirations for our town.
“Sales down again?” Lucy asked, reminding me that she was still in the room.
“Sales were never up to begin with.”
“I’m sure something will work out.”
She was so sweet and naive, much like I was when I entered the industry. I became a journalist to try and make a difference in the world, to share the news and to hopefully open people’s eyes to the world around them.
The one thing that kept me getting out of bed was doing everything I could to keep our town from losing one of the best mayors we’ve had in decades, especially if there was something I could do to get him out of his own damn way.
Jeremiah didn’t want me involved, but this was about much more than our relationship.
Both he and my dad taught me to hold tight to what I believed in, no matter the odds. I wasn’t going to give up, not without a fight.
Jeremiah Jenkins may have been jaded by life from one too many disappointments, but I still believed that good could prosper evil.
He dedicated most of his life to others. It was my turn to be there for him.
And if I was being 100% truthful, it was my opportunity to once and for all to prove that was much more than just a kid.
I was going to go after what I wanted, and I wasn’t going to give up.
Chapter 2
Jeremiah
Iarrived home well before I needed to pick up my girls from day-care.
Removing my clothes, I crossed my bedroom and made a beeline for my shower. Not even bothering with the hot water, I cranked the cold all the way and stepped underneath the massive rainwater spray.
The cold water fell onto my skin like needles, but I didn’t dare to warm it up. I needed the cold and the sobering effect it provided.
“What the fuck was that?” I muttered to myself as I thought back on my conversation with Elle.
I got what I wanted from our meeting and made my point about the news story clear. There was only one problem with me seeing her after five years - and I could feel it pulsing between my damn legs.
Never, not even in my wildest dreams had I imagined that the shy, awkward, scrabble-loving teenager I had once known would turn into a vixen with perfectly round hips, full tits, and the face of an angel.
