Cover Story

by Rachel Bailey

  I shrugged. “Um, sure.”

  Kevin walked up and slapped me on the back. “Good work, Fletcher. This is the kind of community support for our paper I like to see.”

  “Er … thanks. Um, Kevin, this is Dot, the person who invited you.”

  He stuck out a beefy hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

  Dot ran her gaze up and down him then batted her lashes. “Charmed. Kevin, can I show you the bar?”

  “Love you to, Dot.”

  Kevin handed me a parcel of letters he’d been carrying in one hand. “Fletcher, these are for you. We’ve already used a couple for tomorrow’s edition.” He turned to Dot and offered his arm.

  I watched them leave then shrugged and opened the first letter.

  Dear Editor,

  I just had to write and tell you that, thanks to your paper, our street started our own communal gnome ritual. It’s been so much fun, I think the adults are enjoying it more than the children. Kudos to your paper for printing some good news instead of the doom and gloom of the other papers.

  Sharon Barletta,

  El Rancho

  I tore open the next.

  Dear Editor,

  After reading your latest article on Los Alamos Court, I went straight out and bought my own gnomes. Then, I went door to door and met some of my neighbors for the first time. Ten out of twelve houses have since bought their own gnomes and we had a meeting last night to decide how we’ll operate. Your paper has brought Los Alamos Court’s sense of community across the country to here in Seattle. Thank you.

  Sandra DeLeo,

  Seattle

  Then the next.

  Dear Editor,

  I’m not one for cutesy things like garden gnomes, but spurred on by Ms. Fletcher’s stories, I baked some cookies and took them along my street. I’m so glad I did. I found that the elderly woman three doors down is recently home from surgery and had no one nearby to call on if she needed help. The other neighbors and I have made a roster and we’re checking on her several times a day and the task has brought us together as a little community.

  Many thanks,

  Barbara Archer,

  Albuquerque

  I flicked through the next few.

  … held a morning tea for all my neighbors …

  … we decided on cat statues instead of gnomes …

  … made such a difference in our street …

  I felt my mouth gape. I shut it, and bundled the letters back together, feeling too overwhelmed by emotions to identify any specifics.

  “You look like you could use a pineapple punch,” Simon’s deep voice rumbled in my ear.

  I whipped around to see him holding out a plastic cup of bright yellow punch. Which was convenient because suddenly, my mouth was completely dry.

  Chapter 20

  I moistened my lips and took the drink Simon offered. “Thanks.”

  He gestured to the bundle. “More letters for Deefer and Remington?”

  I stroked a finger along the top envelope. “No, from all over New Mexico and other states about … um …” Still too bewildered to explain, I simply handed them to him.

  He read the first three or four, as I’d done, grinning. “Good for you, Tobi.”

  “It seems I made a difference.” I frowned, a sliver of belief starting to assert itself in my thoughts.

  “I know you have.” His midnight-blue gaze trailed a lazy path across my face, coming to rest on my lips.

  And just like that, I forgot the letters. Hollywood-style lust gripped my entire body—goose bumps spread across my skin, my heart-rate trebled and the slow burn of yearning he’d started from across the yard combusted into brushfire-size proportions. I had trouble drawing enough breath to supply my overactive body.

  “You know, Tobi,” he trailed a finger across my cheek, “I’m still glad you’re taking this job, but saying goodbye to you will be damn hard.”

  Hard? Until that moment, I don’t think I’d let myself feel how hard it’d be. Try almost impossible. “I know.”

  So why was I leaving? And why was he letting me? Knowing him, I understood he’d never stand in the way of my dreams, but a little possessive selfishness would be nice for a girl’s ego. Perhaps a smidgeon of clubbing me over the head and dragging me off to his cave, barricading me in, and making me miss the flight couldn’t hurt?

  But then he wouldn’t be Simon. And I wouldn’t want him so much.

  Grace came bounding over, tugging Anna by one hand, Cosmo by the other. “Tobi, guess what?”

  I blinked, still under Simon’s spell. “What?”

  “I’m moving into Los Alamos Court!” Grace said, and she and Anna and Cosmo all clapped and jumped about.

  My heart went from triple time to stop. I turned slowly to face her. “You are?”

  “Davo just showed me around number six, his old house. It’s perfect! I’ll put an offer in first thing in the morning.”

  Anna clapped again then grabbed my legs. “Tobi, isn’t that good? Now when you visit from N’York, you can see all of us together!”

  So I’d leave the state and Grace would get to live on Los Alamos Court? My blood simmered. What if I wanted to live here? Simon had once said that one day he’d be asking me to be a permanent part of his and Anna’s lives. And their lives were in this street. The simmer rose to a slow boil.

  All my life, Grace had easily come by the things I’d wanted … and now she got Simon and Anna too? Well, not quite in the same way as I wanted them, but close enough. Closer than I’d have them. The slow boil escalated.

  When I’d felt okay about inviting Grace to the party, I’d thought I’d outgrown my sibling rivalry. Apparently not—unless this was less to do with Grace, and more to do with what I was losing?

  I took a steadying breath. I had to remember, this time it was my choice. My dream job—most journalists’ dream job—awaited me. And that was worth more than anything. Wasn’t it?

  Simon draped an arm across my shoulders, supporting, comforting.

  Oh, dammit, how was I supposed to know the answers to these sorts of questions? I barely knew which watch I was wearing with Simon standing this close.

  *

  I bumbled through the rest of the party, smiling where I thought I needed to smile, grateful where it was required. And by the time we left, I was too overcome with the warring factions in my heart and mind to do more than let Grace lead me to the car.

  I’d had real live tears in my eyes when I’d hugged everyone goodbye. Totally unprecedented. I even suspected Anna had had sticky hands when she’d hugged me, and I hadn’t cared. Well, only a little, but that was still saying something momentous.

  What was I doing leaving this?

  Dream job. I had to keep focused on my dream job.

  As I watched the cityscape pass by, Sofia’s voice drifted into my head. Your job makes you happy, but it’s other things for me. Did it make me happy? Because, if I was giving up so many things for this job, I’d better be damn sure it was worth it. Would it—could it—make me happy?

  Simon’s voice floated in my mind.

  You have to take it.

  You want me to take it?

  Yes, I want you to take it.

  Simon must think my job made me happy, too. Maybe it did?

  I pressed my forehead to the window and Matias’ face appeared. You will not give this up for some guy. This is big. There are almost two billion men on the planet. You’ll find another one. How many jobs like this are there?

  He was right. I wouldn’t give up a job for a man. But … what about giving it up for me? Grace had said she’d learned not to make decisions based on a man. This decision has to be for you. What if the right thing for me was to stay? Honestly, no job had ever made me happy in the past—my career had been a vehicle for me to prove myself and excel at something. Why would this job be any different?

  When I thought of happy, I thought of Simon. And Anna. And Grace. And the whole darn Gnome Street. They made me hap
py. So, quite simply, I needed a job that gave me access to them. That was it. I loved them all.

  I loved Simon.

  I sat bolt upright.

  It was so simple. All I’d needed was to identify what made me happy, then reach out and take it. And Simon had told me how to reach out and take it—or him—the night of the non-seduction. Besides, he’d been chasing me—Simon-style—since we met, and I’d been running. It needed to be me reaching out to him. I could do this. I would do this.

  We pulled up in Grace’s garage. She’d been quiet the whole trip—she must have realized I needed thinking time. I smiled. Sometimes she knew just what I needed. Either that or she was singing nursery rhymes in her head again. We climbed out of the car and walked through the parking lot.

  “Gracie, I have a favor to ask.”

  She stepped inside the building’s elevator and gave me a sympathetic smile. “Does it involve a mercy dash for beer nuts and chocolate syrup? Because I have a secret stash I’m willing to share under the circumstances.”

  “Um … no. I need to borrow a coat.”

  Grace’s eyes lit up. “Sure!” The elevator pinged and Grace rushed to open her apartment door. “Come into my closet.” She dropped her handbag on the table, kicked off her shoes, and padded down the hall.

  Even though I’d seen it before, Grace’s closet never ceased to amaze me. Easily the size of another bedroom, it had everything arranged in sections for type of garment and season. I swear, it was the only organized part of her life.

  She walked straight to the coat rack. “What color do you want?”

  She held up a powder-pink hip-length jacket, held together at the front with only one large button. “This one says style and femininity—”

  “Nope. Too short. What else?”

  “Okay, longer … There’s this flirty little peach one.” It was certainly longer—floor length—but it was made of gauze and lace. No hiding anything under that piece of froth. I should’ve realized anything involving Grace and clothes wouldn’t be straightforward.

  “Have you got a trench coat?”

  Grace looked at me like I’d asked for a semi-automatic weapon. “What exactly do you want this coat for?”

  “Never mind. I just need one that covers me from neck to knee. Preferably longer. No splits. No cleavage dips. No see-through fabric.”

  Grace flipped through her collection, frowning. “Well, I only have one that does all that.”

  “I’ll take it.”

  She grinned. “It’s not really your style.”

  “Doesn’t matter. As long as it covers me like a trench coat.”

  She walked to the other end of the rack and pulled out a silver coat—every square inch covered in tiny sequins and with silver fake fur around the collar and cuffs.

  I had to squint at all the light it reflected. “Er … are you sure you don’t have anything else?”

  “Sorry, no. But if I could talk you into the scarlet silk coat with the thigh-high split—it really only shows when you walk—”

  I closed my eyes for the briefest second as I braced myself. “Okay, seems I don’t have a choice. I’ll take the silver one.” No one would see it except Simon and possibly Anna. Worst case scenario, Dot would catch a glimpse. The things we do for love.

  Grace arched an eyebrow as she took the coat off the hanger and handed it over. “You going out somewhere?”

  A smile crept across my face even though I tried to bite it down. “Hopefully I’m off to start my new life.”

  Grace grabbed me around the neck and pulled me into a tight hug. “Good for you.” Then she stepped back and stared at the coat in my hands. “You know what, hon? Me too. Good luck.”

  “You too, Gracie.” Though I wasn’t even sure she’d heard my reply—she walked into her bedroom, picked up her bedside phone and took her diary from her handbag.

  I left her to her call and scooted back to the guestroom, quickly changing into the pink lace teddy and the silver eyesore. Then, heart racing, I called a cab on my cell.

  What shoes went with this ensemble? Nothing I owned, so I just slipped on whatever shoes were by the door. On impulse, I grabbed a little bundle tied in a ribbon and stuffed it in the coat’s deep pocket.

  A cab honked from the street below. I poked my head into Grace’s room but she was still on the phone, so I waved and rushed out the door. I gave the driver Simon’s address and tried to relax into the back seat. Nerves wouldn’t help the mission objective.

  I checked my watch. Ack! For the first time, I’d gone out without considering which watch to wear. I still wore the same one I’d had on at the street party—the yellow and green beaded one. It clashed horribly with the damn silver mirrorball with sleeves, but I wasn’t going back to change. I had priorities higher than a watch matching my outfit.

  The cab pulled into Los Alamos Court and my pulse spiked. What was I doing? I looked down at what I’d worn. Teddy or no teddy underneath, Simon would laugh his head off. Oh, God. I felt sick. I had to go back—this was a bad, bad plan.

  “Here we are then,” the driver chirped.

  He told me the fare and, on autopilot, I handed the money over.

  “Something wrong?” he asked when I didn’t move.

  I stared at Simon’s gate the way I imagined a condemned person looks at the guillotine.

  “Miss?”

  I turned back to the driver and shook myself. “Um, no problem. Thanks.” With nervous tension in my shoulders and butterflies in my belly, I stepped out into the dark, silent night.

  Anna answered the door and her eyes went round like lollypops. “That’s the prettiest coat I’ve ever, ever seen.”

  “Um … thank you, Anna. You … ah … ahh … ahhh fink.” Dammit. Forgot antihistamines in the rush.

  With my eyes closed from ah-finking, I heard a deep, reverberating voice from the doorway.

  “I’d know that sneeze anywhere.”

  I peeked open one eye then the other. He’d changed since the party and now wore faded denims and a T-shirt the hue of his eyes. My knees wobbled. He paused as he took in my attire. “Anna, it’s time you went and brushed your teeth.”

  “But, Tobi’s here.”

  “Tobi will come and say goodbye before she leaves. I need to speak to her for a minute alone.”

  “Okay.” Her little shoulders slumped. “But, Tobi, you promise you’ll say g’bye?”

  I patted her on the head. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  She smiled up at me, full wattage, then skipped off down the hall.

  No secret from anyone that I’d never been a fan of the whole motherhood caper, but as long as Anna was the kid in question, I suddenly knew with all my being that it was what I wanted. And I could do a good job of it. Probably. With heavy supervision.

  “Hang on one second,” Simon said, then disappeared into the house. He returned less than a minute later with a small tablet and a glass of water. “Antihistamine?”

  I bit down on a grin. “You stock antihistamines now?” Even I knew that was a very good sign. I swallowed the tablet and handed him back the glass.

  “I bought them before you decided to take the job. Just in case you’d need one.”

  “Um … thanks. That was very sweet.”

  Simon put the glass down on a side table and stepped out onto the porch. Then he closed the door. We were alone. The time had come.

  He looked me up and down in his maddening, slow, sensual way. “I take it this visit isn’t to borrow a cup of sugar?”

  I looked him square in the eye. The time for second guessing my mission was gone. I had to lay my cards on the table and go for broke. “I have two words for you, so listen up.”

  The corners of his mouth quirked. “I promise, you have my undivided attention. I don’t think a herd of elephants could distract me.” He stood, hands in pockets, not touching me with any part of his body, but I felt the contact between us as surely as if it’d been physical.

  “Come help!” A
child’s voice called from the gate. “Mommy’s having the baby!”

  “Cosmo?” Simon called as we dashed down the path.

  “It’s okay, don’t panic,” came Jazlyn’s voice, tired but calm. “We have time.”

  Trying not to trip on my silver, sequin-spangled coat, I skidded to a halt just in front of them, Cosmo’s words just computing. Having the baby? So not my area. Simon, however, seemed to have assessed the situation and taken charge. He took Jazlyn’s hospital bag from her and thrust it at me. I took it and stood back, so as not to get in the way and to better admire Simon in action.

  “Waters broken?” he asked.

  Jazlyn nodded, her eyes betraying anticipation through the fatigue. “About five minutes ago.”

  Simon wound one of her arms across his shoulders, taking as much of her weight as he could. “Cosmo, run inside and get Aunty Dot.” He turned back to Jazlyn. “Contractions?”

  “Very light, no hurry.”

  He helped her up the path. “Have you called an ambulance?”

  “Yes, and I’ve called Wayne. He’ll meet me at the hospital.”

  Dot scurried out to Jazlyn’s other side, throwing me a quick smile followed by a flash of confusion as she took in my coat. Then her attention was back on Jazlyn. “I’ll call the ambulance and tell the dispatcher you’re at a different house. Everything will be all right, dear. Don’t you worry.”

  “I’m okay, really. I just wanted you to watch Cosmo and Deefer—I can’t leave her.”

  “Of course we will,” Dot said as they practically carried Jazlyn along the path. I trailed behind, carrying the bag helpfully.

  “What’s wrong with Deefer?” Simon asked.

  They paused as they reached the porch. “She’s in labor,” Jazlyn said. “Hasn’t had any puppies yet, it could be a way off, but I know the signs of labor.” She grinned.

  Simon laughed. “I’m sure you do.”

  They settled Jazlyn into a lounge chair, elevating her legs with a footrest.

  “I’ll go and get Deefer,” Simon said. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything.”