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She wiped a drop of tea from her lip, smothering the pain that had once overwhelmed her. “I started getting sick all the time and developed ulcers. I couldn’t sleep without a sleeping pill. I was in a relationship, and then the guy turned out to be…well, not the man I thought he was.”
She rubbed her chest and stared at the floor. “Not long after we broke up, I was interviewing a senator about a new water bill, and I had a panic attack. I couldn’t breathe and ended up passing out. When I woke up in the hospital, I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. I turned in my resignation the next day. And the following week, I moved back to Bliss Cove.”
Silence fell. Brooke risked a glance at Sam. He was watching her, his eyes dark and his mouth set in a straight, thin line.
“I’m surprised you didn’t hear about this,” she said.
“Why would I have?”
“Well, it was big news when I moved back.” She gave a wry smile. “As you can imagine, after the send-off I had. But of course, everyone in town told me how happy they were I was back, that they’d missed me, and that obviously it wasThe Times’loss. People were super nice and understanding about the whole mess.”
“They would be.”
A faint warmth seemed to underlie his tone, as if despite his reclusiveness he knew the townspeople would rally around her. Some of the tension eased from around her heart.
“It’s been great working atThe Gazettefor the past couple of years.” She plucked a hippo cracker from the box. “But I still sometimes feel like I let everyone down, even if they’ve never made me feel that way. That’s just one of the reasons I’m trying to start something new.”
“Are you looking for freelance or a full-time job?”
“I’ve been trying for both.” She capped the bottle of tea. “I don’t want to work for a national newspaper again, but I really enjoy writing feature stories. So I’ve applied to a lot of lifestyle publications around the country. To no avail.”
“What has your grandfather said?”
“He doesn’t know.” She let out her breath in a long sigh. “I resigned fromThe Gazettebecause I found out he was paying my salary out of his own pocket. He knows I’m looking for another job, but he doesn’t know about the rejections yet. None of my family does.”
Guilt trickled through her. She knew her family would support her even if she collected rejections for the next year, but she didn’t want their support for failure again. Especially not after two years of hiding out. This time, she wanted it for her success.
“Why haven’t you told them?” Sam asked.
“I want to have something to show or tell them, you know?” She picked at the label on the bottle. “I want to go the distance and to really establish myself. I don’t want to quit again.”
He studied her, his expression pensive and remote. Curious how easy it was to talk to him so openly when he’d made it clear he didn’t want to get close to anyone. What was he like behind that wall? What were his secrets?
“Anyone who rejects you is a fool,” he muttered.
Before she could respond, he pushed abruptly up from the sofa and strode to the foyer. Turning his back, he pulled on his boots and parka. The door clicked shut behind him.
