Page 53 of Fight for Me
“I don’t remember you being this bossy before I asked you out,” he said.
“Are you regretting that decision?”
“Not yet, but there’s still time.”
“Shut up!” she said, her voice still full of humor.
Jake spun her around and pulled her closer, unable to contain the smile that took over his face. “Maybe you should make me.”
“So, how manybackpacks have been filled this year?” Lexie asked, holding her voice recorder toward where Principal Hardeman stood with one elbow propped against the hood of an industrial stove.
“We pack nearly two hundred backpacks every Thursday, which means around eight hundred a month,” he explained. “At this point in the school year, we’ve sent home more than two thousand.”
“Wow!” Lexie exclaimed. “What does each package contain?”
“Well, it’s all nonperishable food that’s been donated by local grocery stores, convenience centers and businesses, as well as kids and their parents who choose to bring in food each week. Let me show you,” he said. He led the way toward what looked like a classroom door branching off the elementary school’s cafeteria.
Lexie was surprised to find the room had been converted into a giant pantry with shelves nearly reaching the ceiling. They were packed with cans and boxes of items like macaroni and cheese, beef jerky, crackers, soup, cereal and almond milk. A huge crate of well-used backpacks was pushed against the far wall.
“We have a team of faculty members and volunteers who come each week and pack the bags with a set list of items for that weekend’s meals. The kids who get these don’t have reliable access to food outside of school, so we want to be sure they aren’t going hungry when they leave here,” Mr. Hardeman explained. “We hand the bags out discreetly as they leave on Friday, and they bring the empty packs back on Monday and drop them in the bin as they get off the buses. That way we’re bringing as little extra attention to them as possible.”
Lexie thanked Mr. Hardeman and turned off her voice recorder as Jake piped up from the doorway.
“Could I get a few shots of you in here?” he asked, addressing their host.
The Cypress Valley alum immediately jumped to accommodate him, obviously thrilled to have his program featured by his alma mater. Lexie hung back as Jake captured images not only of Mr. Hardeman but also of the shelves and food items from various angles. The light in the room wasn’t ideal, but she had faith he would work his magic somehow. He always did.
“We make a good team,” Jake said later as they made their way out to a black Ford Focus waiting in the parking lot, the gold Cypress Valley State University emblem emblazoned on both sides. Jake twirled the borrowed keys around his index finger before popping the locks and opening her door.
“Didn’t we already know that?” she asked as she climbed into her seat.
“Well, yeah, but we’ve always done the boring things—classroom dedications and awards ceremonies. We’ve never done this kind of assignment together.”
She grinned as she watched him stow his gear in the backseat and then slide behind the wheel. He was right. Travel interviews were normally conducted by full-time staff, but a scheduling conflict had made it necessary to send interns instead. Lexie and Jake had gotten the story by default. Not that they’d had to go very far—Donaldson County Elementary School was only a forty-minute drive from Cypress Valley.
“So, do you want to grab a treat for the way back?” Jake asked, plugging his phone into the car’s USB port and cueing up a playlist.
“Ice cream sounds awesome,” Lexie replied.
Jake chuckled. “Dairy Queen it is then,” he said, turning to look over his shoulder as he backed out of the parking spot. “But no cones in this car, please. Your track record is not good.”
Lexie rolled her eyes and reached automatically for his hand where it rested on the gearshift. He caught her fingers between his as he pulled out onto the main road. “And this time, I’m buying,” he added, and Lexie felt her heart squeeze a little.
“I wish that first time had been a date,” she admitted.
Jake glanced at her quickly before turning his gaze back out the window, where downtown Donaldson flashed past them.
“I’d kind of meant for it to be,” he said, not meeting her eye.
“Yeah, I know,” she murmured.
“Then why did you say yes?” he asked, his tone somewhat hesitant. They’d never actually talked about this part of their history.
Lexie sighed deeply and squeezed his hand. “Because I wanted it to be.”
She could see a smile cross Jake’s face, even in profile, as he stopped at a red light.
“How about I take you out for real this weekend?” he asked.
