“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” he said. He left the break room and slammed the door behind him. He hadn’t been honest with Cissy. She didn’t deserve his honesty. The fact was, he knew exactly what he was going to do.
Milt was at his desk when Jeremy opened the door.
Milt looked up from some papers on his blotter, then set down his pen. “I’ve been expecting you,” he said. “Today’s the day we get a lot of things straight.”
If Milt only knew the weird irony of those words. When Jeremy came to work this morning, he had no idea just how things would be straightened out, and just how Milt’s words would come across as anticlimactic.
“You’re right about that, Milt,” Jeremy said. “But before you fire me, just one question. Did you force Brooke to train me under the threat of taking away her job?”
Milt’s eyes rounded. “Who told you that? Did Brooke...?”
“No, not Brooke.” Jeremy clenched his hands at his sides. “Well, did you?”
“Does it matter? You’ve only benefited from Brooke’s guidance, and she learned a valuable lesson, as well. You’ve learned a lot in the last weeks...” Milt’s smile was smug. “Though not enough.”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Jeremy said. “For what it’s worth, Milt, I’m going to tell you what I think of you. It’s the least I’m entitled to after the bashing I’ve received the last few days.”
Milt leaned back, crossed his arms over his chest. “Take your best shot.”
“You’re a manipulator, Milt. You don’t care how you treat people as long as you get the results you want. I don’t know why Brooke would want to work with you, but apparently she does. That’s her business. But you should know just what a prize you have in that woman. You might try treating her with respect.”
“You don’t need to stand up for Brooke,” Milt said. “She’s got the gumption to stand toe-to-toe with anyone in this station. And, for your information, I do appreciate her. She’s the best in the business, and I tell her so often enough.” Milt raised his hand, pointed his index finger at Jeremy. “And I’ll tell you one other thing. She wouldn’t have pulled that unprofessional stunt you did the other day. She would have done her job.”
“Yeah,” Jeremy said softly. “I’ve learned just how well she does her job.” How her job comes above everything else in her life, he thought.
“So then,” Milt said. “With your brazen analysis of my personality hanging over our heads, let’s move on to the matter at hand. Am I going to fire you?”
“The answer to that is no,” Jeremy stated. “You can’t fire me because I quit.”
“You quit? Are you a darn fool, Crockett? You’re giving up that hefty bit of cash you would have gotten in the buyout if you were let go. If you walk out that door like this, you’ll be leaving with nothing. You should have been hoping all night that I would fire you.”
“We’ll let our lawyers figure out the details, Milt. But I wouldn’t be so sure that I’ll get nothing. Thanks for the memories and giving me a shot. And good luck with everything.”
Jeremy strode to the door, but before leaving, he turned back to Milt. “As for that replacement, you might give Brooke a try.”
“She doesn’t want the job!” Milt bellowed. “And I wouldn’t give it to her because I’d lose the best dang producer I’ve ever known.”
“Here’s another idea, then,” Jeremy said. “Cissy Littleton. She’s a natural. Good luck, Milt. I’ll be watching the news.”
He heard Milt holler through the closed door. “You lost two things today, Jeremy. Your job and your ability to know what’s good for you.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
AS SOON AS Brooke heard the news that Jeremy had quit, she began trying his cell-phone number.
“This is Jeremy. I really want to talk to you, so leave your name and number and I’ll call you back.”
After hearing the message the fifth time, Brooke wanted to scream.
Finally, at four o’clock in the afternoon, he answered.
“Where have you been?” she asked. “I’ve been calling you all day.”
“I’ve been meditating. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing these days? Meditate and eat kale? I haven’t mastered the art of kale yet.”
“I’ve been worried sick about you.”
“Stop worrying. I’m fine.”
Brooke could tell from the sound of his voice that it wasn’t true. “You really quit?”
“I did.”
“Jeremy, we were so close to the end. You were going on air in just a few days.”
“If Milt didn’t fire me.”
“I doubt he would have fired you. Where was he going to get another anchor by Monday? He backed down on his threat to fire...” She stopped abruptly.
“What were you about to say?” he asked.
“Nothing. Look, there’s a place about midway between my place and Hidden Oaks. It’s called the Lowcountry Tavern. Is Marta at your house? Can she stay with the children?”
“She’s here. I suppose I could get away for a while.”
“Great. It’s on Route Forty. Just turn right off the main highway when you see the gas station. I’ll meet you there at six thirty.”
“Okay. But Brooke, I’ve quit. I said it and I meant it. Nothing will change my mind, and I don’t think Milt wants me to change it.”
“Just come to the tavern,” she said. “We’ll talk.”
Brooke left WJQC as soon as the news ended. She’d been to the tavern before. It wasn’t fancy, but the food was Southern and the drinks were strong. Not that she was going to drink too much. She didn’t need a ticket on top of the horrible emptiness she was feeling in the pit of her stomach.
She entered the tavern ten minutes early and found a table in a dark corner. She ordered a white wine and the kind of beer that Jeremy liked. She waited. He was only a few minutes late. He saw her at the table and walked over. He didn’t kiss her. They could have been acquaintances renewing an old friendship for all the attention he showed.
Brooke cradled the wineglass between her hands, hoping he couldn’t tell that her hands were shaking. “How are you?” she asked.
“I’m okay. Actually I feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders.”
“You didn’t have to quit,” she said. “Milt may have said he would fire you, but he wouldn’t have. You were doing great. When I go over the amount of stuff you learned in such a short time, I’m impressed. I really put you through the ringer, and I’m sorry.”
“I hope my quick learning skills made your job a little easier then?” he said. “Well, good. No regrets.”
She started to reach for his hand but paused. “Jeremy, what are you going to do now?”
“I’ve got options,” he said. “I’ll take a couple of days to make some contacts, see what’s out there for a washed-up wide receiver and a never-been news anchor.”
His assessment of his choices was like a stab to her heart. “You are not a failure,” she said. “You would have made a fine anchor.”
“We’ll never know, will we?” He took a long sip of his beer. The waitress came and asked if they would like another round. “I think we’re done here,” Jeremy said. When the waitress left, Jeremy said, “Let’s face the facts, Brooke. From the day I walked into WJQC, I’ve been different things to different people. First I was Milt’s ego booster. Then I was your special project. And finally I ended up as Cissy Littleton’s punching bag. It’s time I went back to being plain old Jeremy Crockett.”
Brooke didn’t even try to hide her shock. “Cissy? What does she have to do with this?”
Uncertainty clouded Jeremy’s usual confident demeanor. She didn’t know if he would answer until he finally sighed and said, “She told me everything. About how you and she wanted the anchor job—”
“
That’s ridiculous. Cissy has a vivid imagination. I never wanted that job.”
“Well, maybe Cissy is right. You don’t recognize opportunities when they fall in your lap. Maybe you should try out for the position. You would be great at it.” He gave her a smug grin. “And I can attest that you know a lot about the news business.”
She didn’t like this side of Jeremy. But he was hurt. His life had changed, and he didn’t know what he was going to do about it. “Who are you going to believe, Jeremy? Cissy, who has an ax to grind about everything at the station, or me, the woman who’s been by your side from the beginning?”
“So why were you by my side, Brooke? What was at stake for you in this whole make-Jeremy-great scheme?”
“Nothing. I just wanted you to succeed, and when Milt asked me to counsel you, I was happy to do it. You may not believe it, but some of us at WJQC just want the station to flourish, the ratings to climb. We don’t have personal agendas.”
He sat back, gave her a penetrating stare that made her uncomfortable. “Really? You had no personal agenda? Not even keeping your job?”
Her jaw dropped. She couldn’t even respond to his veiled accusation.
“Cissy told me everything,” he said. “I know Milt was going to fire you if you didn’t make me into his caricature of the perfect anchor.” He stared at her a long moment, then said, “Are you going to deny it? Now would be the time.”
She shook her head. “No.”
“So here you are, a woman who has probably never watched a football game in her life, who has no idea who Jeremy Crockett is or was. And suddenly you’re faced with the almost insurmountable problem of turning him into someone he’s not and never will be. And all to keep your job, your precious job that allows you to live six blocks from the Battery and have all the bells and whistles that go with it.”
A sense of desperation washed over Brooke. “Okay, you are right about how this started, but I never expected to end up believing you would be perfect for the job. No one’s perfect.”
“Is that all you never expected to happen, Brooke?”
No. I never expected to fall in love with you. I never thought I would try to reconcile our differences and love your children. I never expected that I might end up thinking I would marry you if you would have me.
But she didn’t say any of that. Instead, she cleared her throat and said, “What do you want to hear from me, Jeremy? That I care for you? Because I do. I don’t want you to throw away your future because you’re angry with me.”
“Brooke, I learned more about you and myself in the last few hours than I learned in all those weeks we worked together. I learned that I can’t be bought. I can’t be a pawn in anyone’s game plan. And I can’t let my heart overrule my common sense. It all comes down to one thing. I have to be my own man, not yours, not Milt’s.”
He reached for his wallet, threw a ten-dollar bill on the table and stood. “Nice talking to you, Brooke. In truth, there has been a lot about the last few weeks that has been nice. So don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I have those nice things to think about as I consider my options. I’ve been knocked down enough times in my life that I know how to get back up again.”
He turned and walked out of the tavern without looking back.
* * *
WHEN BROOKE GOT home she did what she and Camryn had done their entire lives. She looked to her twin for comfort and advice. The minute Camryn heard Brooke’s voice, she said, “What’s wrong?”
“Are you busy?”
“No, of course not.”
Baby Grace crying in the background told a truer story than Camryn’s words did. “I can call back,” Brooke offered.
“Don’t do that. Everything is fine here.” She paused a moment. “Come here, Esther, take your sister and give her a bottle. Make sure Reed warms it in the microwave for a few seconds.” A relaxed sigh was next. “Okay, talk to me.”
“I don’t think I’m a very good person,” Brooke said.
“Don’t expect me to agree with you, but why do you believe that?”
“It’s Jeremy. I’ve made him so disappointed in me that...” Brooke ended the sentence on a giant sob.
“Oh, my gosh, Brooke, you’re crying,” Camryn said. “I haven’t heard you cry since we made that fateful trip to meet our not-so-wonderful biological mother. Something terrible must have happened.”
Brooke tried to get control, but once the tears started, they were hard to stop.
“Oh, no,” Camryn said. “You were fired. Milt actually fired you.”
“No. I almost wish he had. But I still have my job.”
“Then Milt fired Jeremy?”
“He told me he was going to but I’m not sure he would have,” Brooke said. “But Jeremy learned all about Milt’s scheme if I didn’t turn Jeremy into the area’s number-one news broadcaster. And Jeremy quit. Just walked out a few days before he was due to go on air.”
“I guess he just couldn’t stand to work for someone who would threaten to fire you, Brooke. He sees Milt for the lowlife he is. How many times have I wished you would do the same thing? Milt is unreasonable. He’s—”
“Cam, the reason Jeremy quit was only partly to do with Milt. He really quit because of me.” Brooke reached for a tissue on the end table beside her sofa. She wiped her eyes and then twisted the tissue into a tight little ball and held it in her palm. “I feel so horrible.”
“You’re going to have to give me more than this, Brooke,” Camryn said. “You’ve been working your butt off to train Jeremy. From what you’ve told me, he’s made numerous romantic gestures toward you. And I don’t have to be a genius to know that you’re crazy about him.”
“I am,” Brooke admitted. “For the first time in my life I’m truly in love. With a man who has kids and lives in the country. It doesn’t make sense, but I heard love never does. I’ve also heard that love hurts more than almost anything, and it’s true. Hurting someone you love is worse than being hurt yourself.”
“So why did Jeremy quit because of you?”
“Because I was never honest with him, not from the start. He kept asking me what was in the training sessions for me. I kept saying things like ‘I just wanted to see him succeed’ or ‘I’m a team player and I would do anything for WJQC.’ None of that was true, not at first. I played along with Milt so I wouldn’t have to give up a darn thing, so my life could go along as it always had. And you want to know the worst part?”
“Sure, tell me.”
“I was never honest about his chances of making it. He worked hard, he tried, but so much was lacking. And because I was desperate to go along with Milt, I kept telling Jeremy he was going to be great.” She sniffed, started crying again. “I hate to admit it, but he would have been poor if he’d gone on air to do serious news. And it would have been my fault.”
“But you were trying so hard,” Camryn said. “Maybe he would have done well.”
“I was working hard to prepare him for a job he wasn’t suited to,” Brooke said. “But I never prepared him for failure because I was always thinking of myself. I was protecting Brooke Montgomery above all else. And now I’m left with the job I thought was so important and suddenly it doesn’t seem like it was worth it.”
“I’m so sorry, honey,” Camryn said. “What are you going to do?”
“What else? I’m going to work tomorrow like every other day. I think when I left today, Milt and I had formed a kind of understanding.”
“And what is Jeremy going to do?”
“I don’t know. He says he has options. But none of them include WJQC. And none of them include me.” She released a shuddering breath into the phone. “I wish I’d never met him, Cammie. Then I could go on being the selfish person I’ve always been, not even caring that there are people like Jeremy in the world, nice people with principles.”
“You
’re being too hard on yourself, Brooke. I wish I could help you,” Camryn said. “Why don’t you come down to the farm this weekend? We’ll drink tea or wine if you want to. We’ll talk. You can see the girls. The boys will leave us alone, I promise.”
Brooke smiled. “Thanks, sis, but I don’t think I could stand being around all that wholesomeness right now. I just wouldn’t fit in.”
Brooke glanced at the clock across the living room. She’d been monopolizing her sister for forty minutes. Camryn was a woman who had much more important things to do than dust her antiques and make sure her work clothes were pressed. She had people who loved and needed her, people who trusted her to tell them the truth and be honest.
Brooke had always thought she was the lucky one—money, success, power, the perfect life of independence and freedom from responsibility. But it turned out that Camryn was the lucky one because she had people, some of them those messy, noisy creatures Brooke had always avoided—kids.
“Thanks for listening to me,” she said. “I love you, Cammie. Though I can’t imagine why.”
“I love you, too. And I can think of a thousand reasons why. Call me tomorrow, please.”
“I will. Good night.”
When Brooke went to bed that night, she couldn’t help challenging the priorities in her life the last few months. She’d spent time and dollars and energy looking for a man—yes, a brother—who might never want to have her in his life. And all the while the man she should have been concentrating on was right before her eyes. And until today, she’d have sworn that he definitely wanted her in his.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“DADDY, AREN’T YOU going to work today?” Alicia stared at Jeremy as he poured her cereal.
“No, not today,” he said for the second day in a row.
“Then why do we have to go to school?” Cody asked.
“Because you’re not old enough to make up your mind about things like this.”
Alicia scowled at him. “So we have to go to school, but you don’t have to go to work?”
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