“Jest if you will, but I’d like to think I had something to do with that. I’ve been fighting for the heart of Harper’s Grove. I want this town to get even better, to foster a real sense of community and togetherness. So what about the story? You’d be doing your good friend and mayor a huge favor. Two birds with one stone.”
He was right. Grayson had made great strides in repairing the income and social divides that had been cropping up since the tech and Hollywood folks decided this was a quaint town to live in. People like Wally, Angela, and other small business owners were seeing an uptick in business. Hell, Marco was even thinking of opening up a wine bar in town. The story could further those efforts. Grayson was a good friend, and he’d been doing his best to be a darn good mayor too. It was worth mulling over.
“I’ll think about it.”
“That means I’ll have a firm yes by tomorrow.” Grayson fist-pumped then went into the house to chill the champagne.
Austin looked at Alex. “Hey. I’m not that easy. Am I?”
“You let Chloe give you a facial, and Noah convinced you to give him driving lessons. Yeah, you’re that easy. But waiting a day to give Grayson his yes will make you feel better.” Alex flipped the burgers on the grill.
Grayson came back onto the deck and started talking about the date he’d had last night after he left the hospital. Austin let his thoughts wander as his friend told his story.
Doing the right thing didn’t garner celebration in Austin’s book. He was just doing what anyone in his position would have done. The last thing he wanted was to be touted as some kind of hero. But then again, maybe this whole overblown event might have some positives to it. It would probably mean he’d see Savannah again. The attractive reporter had been in his thoughts quite a bit since she’d charged into his hospital room last night.
Fine. He’d do it. For the town. He’d wait the twenty-four hours before agreeing to do it, to make sure he kept up his street cred as being a rough-and-tumble cowboy. But he’d also work in that Savannah had to be the reporter to do the interview. Just in case she was too feisty to see him again on her own accord after he’d turned her down last night.
Who knows? This could turn out to be interesting after all…
* * *
Savannah held up the camera and took a few shots of the restaurant as the fire department continued to comb through the debris. The dining area was pretty much gone, and it was nothing short of a miracle that it was contained within the one business. Seeing the charred remains was a reminder that Angela and Austin were lucky to be alive. She wondered if he’d thought about the consequences of charging in there when the rescue squad was minutes away. It was one of the questions she’d planned on asking him. The man was either insane or one of the bravest people she’d ever met.
After taking a few more photos and scribbling notes onto her notepad, she decided it was time to get some breakfast. She took the short walk down to the bakery, went inside, and looked at the chocolate chip muffins behind the glass and groaned. Everything looked delicious. Too bad she’d restricted herself from anything too decadent. Sure she was seeing the results and felt much healthier, but she’d eaten so much salad the last three months she was afraid she’d start sprouting leaves out of her ears.
She stood when she heard a familiar, syrupy twanged voice in the back coming toward her. It was her friend and book club partner Barbara Jean. Savannah might have been new to the town, but the second she’d met the spunky baker, she’d felt like she’d had an old friend for years. Barbara Jean was one of the reasons Savannah had been hesitant to leave after the breakup. She was developing roots in this small burg and had real friendships for the first time in her life. It was worth staying to see if a new life could come out of it on her own terms.
“Hi, Savannah, honey. What can I get you today?”
“Hi, Barbara Jean. A cup of coffee and a—” She kept her eyes locked on the chocolate chip muffins. “—bran muffin.”
“Are you sure? That chocolate chip muffin looks like it’s calling your name.” Barbara Jean laughed.
She bit her lip. “No. I better not.”
“I’m starting to get a complex. You turned down my oatmeal raisin cookies at book club too.”
“You are a dieting person’s worse nightmare.” She rolled her eyes.
“Come on.” Barbara Jean held up the muffin on a plate. “You know you want it.”
“OK.” She threw up her hands. “You twisted my arm. I’ll just run twice around the entire town this weekend.”
“Have a seat, love. I’ll bring the coffee over.” She handed her the muffin then turned toward the kitchen and yelled, “Farrah, can you take over for me please?”
Savannah looked at her phone display. She had some time before she’d head over to the hospital again. With any luck she could talk to Angela and get the article turned finished in time for the Sunday edition. That meant she could spend the evening catching up on her emails. She went over and grabbed a seat by the window. Outside, the townspeople were bustling about on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
“My special gourmet medium roast house blend with one sugar and skim milk.” Barbara Jean set the cup down and took a seat with a cup of her own.
“Thanks. I love your coffee.” She took a whiff. It was strong but didn’t overwhelm her pallet. “How was the book club last night?”
“We pigged out and drank three bottles of wine. I tell you we’re never going to find out how that man got out of the life raft and ended up on that plane.”
“It would help if everyone actually read the books we select.” She giggled. She’d had a hard time cracking the spine of the latest book. The whole story was wrought with introspection. How many times could the same person ponder about his poor life choices while floating on a dinky raft? “Sorry I missed it.”
“How was your first assignment? Is Angela OK?”
“Technically it’s not over. I have to go back to the hospital today to see her. She was in no shape to talk. The guy who rescued her was a jerk and didn’t want to be interviewed. And to make matters worse, Levi was on call.”
“No.” Barbara Jean gasped. “This is your first time seeing him since the big makeover, isn’t it? How did he react?”
“He kept complimenting me and staring at me like I was a T-bone steak. Jerk.” She rolled her eyes. “He had the nerve to ask me out to dinner.”
“And you slapped his face and turned him down, right?”
“Yes. Well, not the face slapping part.” She stirred her coffee.
“You would have been totally vindicated after what that rat did to you. But at least phase one of your revenge has started.”
“Phase one?”
“Yes, he’s seen how great you look. Now it’s time to ramp things up. Go date someone hotter than him. He’s bound to see you around town. And then he’ll die of jealousy.”
“I don’t want to do that. It’s bad enough he wants to have dinner with me. I’ll refuse a few more times, and he’ll move on.”
“You’ve got to think bigger. You move here with him so he can follow his dream of being a doctor while you scrounge around for writing jobs.”
“I did not scrounge. I was gainfully employed until the online magazine I worked for got sued into oblivion and went out of business.”
“OK. But you could have had better opportunities in Southern California or New York. I’m sure your mother would have put in a good word for you.”
“And would have wanted one of my kidneys in return.”
It wasn’t easy being the daughter of a popular, nationally syndicated talk show host. Clare Brewster was the woman America tuned-in to every afternoon to watch her interview stars, give fashion tips, suggest books to read, and other life hacks. They hung onto her every word, and she had the audience share to prove it. Savannah got a kick out of watching her mother host chefs. The woman couldn’t boil an egg without calling for the cook to ask how to turn on the stove. The Clare Brewste
r of television fame came off as knowledgeable and down to earth, but the reality was very different. She was an overbearing tyrant of a parent who never supported Savannah when she was a kid.
She also wasn’t blessed with her mother’s high metabolism and the ability to lose five pounds at the drop of a hat. Savannah had always been a chubby child. She was an odd duck, and her mother never let her forget it. Her mother had even offered to get her liposuction for her sixteenth birthday after her dieting attempts failed. But Ella, her sister, was the perfect child. Her mother had doted on her budding beauty since she was three. Whether it be criticizing Savannah’s clothes or her choice in men, her mother always had something to say. Although her mom had liked Levi. He was just as ambitious and shallow as she was.
“You’ll make a name for yourself at the Harper’s Gazette,” Barbara said. “I know it feels like small potatoes, but Ralph is an old-school newspaperman. He comes in here and asks for the same plain black coffee, hold the fancy. Just nail the fire article and Ralph will see you don’t need any handholding. By the way, who’s the jerk who refused to be interviewed for the article?”
“I thought the grapevine would’ve made its rounds to your bakery by now. Some rough-around-the-edges cowboy named Austin.”
“Austin Holbrook?” Barbara Jean’s eyes glazed over.
“The one and the same.” She examined her friend’s dopey expression. Why did women react to him that way? He was just a man. “Don’t tell me you’re a member of his fan club too?”
“Lifetime member,” Barbara Jean gushed. “He’s hot. I’d love to latch onto to those broad shoulders and gaze into those soul-stirring eyes, but I’m too chicken to flirt with him. And he has a bit of reputation.”
“If you like that type.” She shrugged. “What kind of reputation?”
“You know Lucinda the DJ at the radio station?”
“Of course I do.”
Lucinda was a local media sensation. They’d met a few times, but she got the feeling the woman didn’t like her. She’d pretended twice not to remember her name. She wasn’t being conceited, but Savannah was a city for heaven’s sake, who could forget her name?
“Well Lucinda started dating him after she introduced that relationship and romance segment to her broadcasts. A month later she’s calling for a public lynching of any man who’d ever broken a woman’s heart. She’d come in here and buy whole birthday cakes for no occasion. I worried about her.”
“Ah.” That explained a lot. Lucinda’s chats about love and romance had taken a depressing turn a few months ago, which was odd because she had confidence, style, and was pretty to boot. She would’ve been a perfect catch…until she started spewing her broken-heart rhetoric on the air. These days she seemed jaded and bitter. “So you’re saying Austin Holbrook is the man who bolted out of Lucinda’s house when it was time to define their relationship?”
“The one and the same. I don’t think Lucinda’s ever been dumped before. Hence the meltdown.”
“So, he’s a player.”
“I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean you’re not sure? Running out of someone’s house like a cartoon character when it’s time to talk about the relationship indicates he has a fear of commitment and doesn’t care who he hurts. He had the woman buying sheet cakes.”
“Austin’s hard to pin down. What I could surmise from the gossip is that once he’s done with a relationship, he won’t be coming around to woo you back. So what happened with you two?”
She took out her smartphone. “Mr. Austin Holbrook got all upset because I barged into his hospital room when he was getting dressed. But that was no reason to refuse to give me a meager quote.” Her fingers flew over the keys of her phone. She looked up when she realized Barbara Jean wasn’t saying anything. “What’s wrong?”
“You saw him naked?” Barbara Jean grinned. “I want details. Feel free to draw me a picture on a napkin.”
“Not naked. He had on his boxers.”
“Is he as muscled as he looks? Those work shirts hug him pretty tight. How’s his package?”
“What package?”
“How long has it been since you had a roll in the hay? How’s he hanging?”
“Barbara Jean!” Her cheeks heated up. “I will not answer that.”
“OK. If you were to mail this package. Would you need to pay additional postage because of the extra weight?”
“You are officially losing it. I’m heading to the hospital to see if I can finish my story.” Her phone made a notification ping. It was Ralph, her editor-in-chief, asking her to come into the office. “Look, I have to go.”
“Wait. I want you to take some treats to Angela and give her my love.”
“Will do.”
Savannah walked over to the glass counter and watched as Barbara Jean put a variety of sweets in a box. Barbara Jean had her tongs hovering over a cinnamon bun when she looked at her and her eyes lit up. “I have the perfect idea. Someone sexy like Austin would definitely stick in Levi’s craw.”
“I doubt it. He’s too involved with himself to be jealous over anyone else. As a matter of fact, if it were possible to be jealous of yourself, he’d do it.”
“It’s called having narcissistic personality disorder,” Barbara Jean said thoughtfully. “Just give it some thought.”
“Maybe when Hell starts serving snow cones.” She took the box of treats her friend handed her.
As she walked down the street, she mulled over Barbara Jean’s suggestion on how to make Levi jealous. If it were possible, someone like Austin would definitely stick in Levi’s craw. She generally stayed away from men like Austin though. The kind who were drop-dead gorgeous, broke hearts wherever they went, and didn’t care about the damage they left behind.
A few minutes later, she was back at the newspaper. She hurried up to her editor-in-chief’s office and tapped on the door. He was on the phone, but he waved her inside. Ralph’s office was like something out of a museum for journalists. There were photos of old printing presses on the wall, and he had a typewriter on his desk she was pretty sure was from the sixties.
Ralph was a bit of an enigma. He was a celebrated newsman and had won plenty of awards over the years. That was one of the reasons she’d wanted to work for him. He was known for journalistic integrity and his pursuit of the truth. But he, much like her, had ended up in Harper’s Grove instead of fighting the good fight in a major city where exciting news happened every second of the day.
Right now he was spouting off numbers and something about a bad rate of return. He must be talking to a vendor. He finally ended the call in the gruff way he did with everyone.
“Trouble with an advertiser?” she asked.
“No, that was my son-in-law asking for a loan but cleverly disguising it as an opportunity to invest in his marijuana farm.”
“I do hear that they are profitable once they’re up and running. It’s not like it’s illegal anymore.”
“I don’t like him. He’s been full of get-rich-quick schemes since my daughter met him.” He patted his shirt pocket. “Days like this, a man could use a good cigar.”
“But you won’t do that because you quit.”
“I never quit anything in my life,” he huffed. “It was a mandatory cutback ordered by the doctor and Dottie.”
“They both know what’s best for you.” She smiled. For all Ralph’s gruffness, his wife Dottie was the sweetest person in the world. “I got your text. What’s up? I was just about to go to the hospital to see Angela. I should have everything finished for the article by this evening.”
“There’s been a change in the angle on that story.”
“I thought it was pretty cut and dry.”
“You’ll do the fire angle, but that’s just the first part of the story. I talked to the mayor. He thought it would be a good idea to do a spotlight on Austin Holbrook.”
Oh no, this was not a good idea. Chasing that disagreeable, taciturn man around town trying t
o get him to say something, anything of merit would be a nightmare she didn’t need. “Since when do you take orders from politicians?”
“It wasn’t an order. I agree with Grayson. He’s always thinking of ways to get the community together and get to know each other. That used to be the cornerstone of small-town living. Neighbors helping each other.”
He made a good point. But still— “Did anyone get the cowboy’s input? He hardly wanted to talk about it last night.”
Ralph chuckled. “Austin isn’t one for words. But I think this will be a good thing. He’ll come around. One thing about him, he may grumble about it, but he’s one man you can count on.”
“How so?”
“I guess you’ll find out after you spend some time with him.” Ralph tapped on his desk with the papers in his hand. “I’ll let you map out the details of how you’re going to go about this, but I’d like to see some progress by month’s end.”
She could complain, but she was getting a chance to stretch her wings, which is what she wanted.
“I won’t let you down.”
Besides, how bad could Austin Holbrook really be?
* * *
Austin placed the bouquet of flowers on the passenger seat and pulled out of his parking spot. After spending a wonderful afternoon with his friends, he was off to check on Angela at the hospital.
He looked at the time display on the dash and wondered which state his brother Logan was in today. Austin pulled out into traffic, thinking about Logan and all the recent changes. His long-distance relationship with girlfriend Megan required a lot of traveling, but he seemed happy to spend time with her even if it meant practically living on a jetliner. If a year ago anyone had told him that his brother would finally settle down in a committed relationship, he would have said they were nuts. If someone had told him Logan was contemplating marriage, he would have declared them insane. But it was true. Logan had evolved into a man who thought seriously about his future. And he wanted one with Megan. Austin had to admit they complemented each other well. There was a carefree, fun aspect of their relationship that he admired. But when it was time for them to get serious, they were present and always willing to talk.
Restless Heart Page 4