Page 8 of Harmony Island Gazette
Asher: Burning the midnight oil?
I laughed and nodded as I picked up my phone to respond.
Me: Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner.
I pushed my chair back, stretching out my legs in front of me. I leaned back and let my muscles relax as I waited for Asher to respond.
Asher: Red looks good on you.
I frowned as I read his text. Then I glanced down at the red satin button-down shirt and black pencil skirt I was wearing. How did he…? I glanced around. Could he see me?
Asher: To the left
I glanced over to the wall on my left.
Asher: Other left
I glanced to the widow on my right and laughed. Asher was standing at my window with a coffee cup in each hand and a giant grin on his lips. He wiggled his eyebrows, and I shook my head as I moved to stand.
“Wanna let me in?” he shouted through the glass, nodding toward the front door Gloria had locked when she left earlier that evening.
“You’re such a dork.” I stood and made my way through my office to the front room. Asher was standing at the door when I unlocked it and pushed it open. He instantly held out a cup of what I could only assume was my regular order, so I took it from him. “Thanks,” I said as I held the cup in both hands and took a long sip. “You are a hero.”
“That’s me. Harmony’s realtor by day, and coffee bringer by night,” he said as he grinned at me.
I turned and moved away from the door so he could join me inside. He shut the door behind him and then glanced over at me. “Gloria’s got you slaving away, huh?” he asked as he slipped his free hand into his front pocket and glanced around before taking a sip of his own coffee.
“Yeah. She wanted me to get the articles proofed before we send them to the printers on Sunday.” I took another long drink, feeling better with each sip. “I was the one who volunteered to stay late.”
He paused and looked at me. “You volunteered, or youwerevolunteered?”
I pursed my lips and raised my eyebrows as if to say,what do you think?
He tsked. “What did you do to tick Gloria off this time?”
I sighed and took a sip of coffee. I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to tell him. Should I tell him about what happened when I got to work that morning? Or should I just let it go? Gloria told me not to do anything about what the man had said. The Proctors were rich. They had a lot of enemies in the community. The person was probably a spiteful individual who was just looking for revenge. There was no need to bite the hand that feeds you just because of baseless accusations.
And while I agreed with that, not looking into the accusations seemed strange as well. After all, that was the job of a journalist. It was my job to make sure that truths were revealed for the greater good. Ignoring something out of fear of whom it might upset went against everything I’d sworn to do when I decided to major in journalism. And then to have my editor—the woman who hired me to tell the truth—tell me not to so much as look into the family. It didn’t sit right with me.
“Ella?”
Asher’s voice brought me back to the present. I blinked and glanced over at him. He raised his eyebrows and was studying me like he was waiting for me to respond.
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, forcing the thoughts of the mystery person into the locked box in the back of my mind. I wasn’t going to worry about that right now.
“I asked you what you did to tick Gloria off.”
I nodded. “Right.” Then I shrugged. “Who knows why Gloria gets in the ruts she does.”
Asher took another sip. “True.” Then he glanced over at me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you’d be working under someone like her when I suggested that you come to Harmony.” He sucked in his breath. “I guess I was just selfish, and I wanted you here.”
I offered him a smile. “It isn’t your fault. You didn’t know.” I took a few steps toward him and punched him playfully in the shoulder. “And I’m glad you told me about this job. I needed to get out of Chicago. Plus, I like Harmony. It’s growing on me.”
He looked relieved. “Good.”
I nodded toward my office. “Wanna wait while I get the last article read, and then we can get some dinner?”
He studied me for a moment, his expression turning serious. “Does a bear poop in the woods?”
