Teresa Watson Read Free

the usual spiel. My dog is depressed, I never get to spend any time with T.J., and I’m pretty sure my mother is hearing wedding bells.”
    “You mean he proposed to you?” Ellen exclaimed, bouncing in her chair. “When’s the wedding? When did he prop…”
    I held up my hand. “Hold it. No proposal, no engagement ring, no wedding bells. Come back down to Earth, Ellen. Mother has been trying to get me married off since I was in college. Every time I get serious with a guy, she starts buying bridal magazines.”
    “Oh,” she said, clearly disappointed.
    “Did this man happen to leave his name when he called?”
    “It’s Jacob Mathias,” a deep voice said from behind me, “but most people call me Jake.”
    I froze. It couldn’t be. Turning around, I looked into the deepest blue eyes I had ever seen.
    “Hello, Lizzie. It’s been a while. You look great.”
    Of all the newspapers in the world, he had to walk into mine. The only man I had ever run away from.
    It was definitely going to be one of those weeks.
     

 
    Chapter Four
    “Jake,” I managed to say after an awkward silence. “What are you doing here? I mean, I know why you’re here, but…”
    “Why did I agree to help out a small town newspaper?” he finished. I nodded. “Dale is an old family friend. When he called asking for help, I said yes. I had no idea you were involved until a few days ago. If I had known, I might have turned him down.”
    “Well, no one is holding a gun to your head and making you stay,” I snapped. “There’s the door. Don’t let it hit you on the way out.”
    “I’ll leave the running away bit up to you,” he retorted. “It’s what you do best.”
    “This isn’t the time or place to get into that tired, old conversation,” I hissed.
    “Fine. Name the time and place. I’ll be there.”
    “Tonight, my house, six p.m. Let’s get this out in the open and over with, so we can focus on work.”
    “I’ll be there.”
    “While this is wildly entertaining,” Ellen interrupted, “and as much as I would love to know more, could we focus on work right now? I have a few questions I would like answered first, before you two kill each other.”
    “As you are in such capable hands, I am going home,” I said. “I’ll check in with you later, Ellen. Call me if you have any problems.”
    “Seems to me the only problem she has is keeping a boss around here that won’t run away at the first sign of trouble,” Jake replied.
    I glared at him. “If he gets too bossy, Ellen, just remind him that everyone is allowed to express their opinions. Women were given the right to vote almost a hundred years ago. Some people just need to learn to give everyone a chance to speak before jumping to conclusions.”
    “Some people need to learn to say something when they aren’t comfortable,” he said. “Leaving someone in a lurch…”
    “That’s enough!” Ellen said, holding up her hands. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to know what is going on between the two of you. Jake, go to Dale’s office, straight back and to the left. Lizzie, go home. I’ll call you if I need you.”
    Embarrassed, I glanced at Jake one more time before I left. As I drove off, I mentally kicked myself for falling into the same old trap whenever I was around him.
    I had met Jake in college. I was a naïve, small town girl, and he was a guy from the big city. He had big plans for his life: he wanted to become an award-winning journalist, reporting from war-torn countries about the atrocities plaguing them because of dictator-like rulers. All of his plans included me going with him. But he never stopped to ask me what my hopes and dreams were. He just assumed I was going to drop everything and come with him.
    I tried many times to talk to him about the things I wanted from my life, but he repeatedly told me that his way was the best. He didn’t want to hear anything that was going to deviate from his plan. I got tired of the endless