AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And my old workplace wasn’t ideal.” Dane let out a humorless laugh. “I was rushing around, trying my best to make everything fit together and my old boss didn’t care.”
“People misused semi-colons one too many times?” Alissa teased.
Dane raised an eyebrow at her, though his gaze was still light. “They did. I take my semi-colons very seriously.”
They both laughed.
“But anyway, it was rough for me there. I was putting in all of my blood, sweat, and tears, and I wasn’t getting much in return. Finally I just snapped one day and walked out,” he said. “I was preparing to become the co-owner of the newspaper and was mad at myself for blowing up that opportunity. But it’s turned out okay. I’m starting to see the potential of a newspaper out here now that we have a great writer on board.”
Dane wasn’t one for giving a ton of compliments—in fact, past writers he worked with often said he was ridiculously hard to please—but giving them to Alissa felt natural. Plus, he enjoyed her smile after, which grew despite her trying to keep calm. Her giddiness was always contagious.
“So newspapers have always been your passion?” Alissa asked.
Dane picked at the label on his cider bottle. “I’m not sure if they’ve always been a passion, but they’ve been a part of my life. I was the head of my paper back in high school and college and I was always writing. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Superman because well, he was Superman and he was a journalist.”
“So stories are the overarching theme there.”
“Exactly.”
Alissa polished off her sandwich right as Dane did. “That was so good, but the pie of the day has been calling my name ever since I saw it on the menu. Want to split dessert?”
“Sure, key lime pie sounds great. I’ll get it for us.” Dane got up, taking their empty baskets and stacking them next to the trash, and bought them the key lime pie. He pointedly ignored the big grin on Hannah’s face when he said he needed one slice, but two forks. She threw in extra ciders on the house as well.
“I don’t know how Willis makes pies this good every single time,” Alissa said after taking the first bite. “And I didn’t used to be a pie person.”
Dane took a bite from the other side of the pie. It was perfect—the creamy-citrusy taste combined with the perfectly crumbly crust was just the right ending to their meal. They tore through the pie and switched to enjoying their ciders.
“If you could do anything for work, what would you do?” Alissa asked.
“Anything?” Dane took a moment to think. “I used to want to start a magazine. I know it doesn’t sound all that different than starting a newspaper, but it is. More long form content, less aggressive deadlines.”
“Wow, that’s a great idea!” Alissa said.
“You think so?” His eyes widened.
“Of course. I mean, you’re already getting a sense of what people around here like. Having a magazine gives you an opportunity to take a deeper dive,” Alissa said.
Dane nodded slowly. “Like with your piece on the surf competition—it could have been a great cover story. You could have had all the space you needed.”
“That sounds amazing.” Alissa beamed. “Why not do it? People in town already trustThe Outlet. I’m sure they’d love to read longer pieces about hidden gems around here. Or about things they thought they knew, but from a different perspective.”
He liked that—seeing what was here from a different perspective. It was exactly what Alissa had done. She had seen all of the people, those who Dane hadn’t thought to talk to, and pulled out fascinating stories. So much was there, just waiting for them to uncover it together.
“I think it could work. With your help and vision, of course,” Dane said.
“I’d love that.”
They talked about the possibilities for a magazine about the region, tossing ideas back and forth almost as fast as they could come up with them. Eventually, The Crab started to close, so they went outside, their breath fogging in the cold.
Dane suddenly became hyperaware of where his hands were and where Alissa was standing, much closer to him than she would have in any other circumstance. Before he could question his instincts, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Alissa’s lips. It had been a long time since he’d kissed someone, and he’d never felt this swell of joy and contentment while doing so—like everything was exactly as it should have been.
When they broke apart, they rested their foreheads against each other for a moment, trying to gather themselves. Dane had seen Alissa smile a lot, but never quite like this. He wanted to see that smile again and again.
* * *
Alissa couldn’t remember the last time she had smiled this hard, or the last time she’d had such a perfect kiss, if ever. Dane’s grass green eyes were bright, a touch of a smile on his lips too. It was a look he rarely gave anyone, so it felt special—a hint of who he was underneath his serious expression, the version of himself he kept hidden away.
“What are you thinking about?” Dane asked, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.
