Page 10 of Skipping Stones

“Girls!” Anna said sharply, trying to regain control. “Come and say hello to Olivia. Uncle Derek’s going to marry her this summer.” She used the familiar title they preferred their children call close family friends.

“Hello, Olivia,” they chorused politely and Olivia smiled tentatively. At eight, Gabby was still excited to share what Santa had brought her, and Emma, one year older, was curious about the wedding. They planted themselves beside Derek and Olivia on the couch and by the time Kirsten let herself into the cozy house half an hour later, the girls had hardly allowed the grownups a second to themselves.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” she said to them, hearing the chatter about the wedding and winking at Anna. “Why don’t you two go out and make a snow bride and a snow groom and let the grown-ups visit?”

“Thank you,” Danny mouthed, and got the girls bundled up for their task.

Suddenly there were several more children in the yard, as Anna’s sisters arrived with their families and Olivia tensed. Derek watched as she relaxed again, realizing it would just be adults for a while. She was introduced to the new arrivals, and Derek squeezed her hand. She’d get there, he told himself. She was an only child like him, but she hadn’t had exposure to young kids. They’d fix that in time. He couldn’t wait until they had a family.

5

“Smile!” The photographer at the awards gala snapped a photo of the TCN table. They were a handsome group. The men looked dashing in their tuxedos and the women were dressed to the nines. Linney was wearing the elegant black evening gown she’d bought with MJ and she’d been getting compliments on it all night.

Mac’s eyes never left Linney. She could feel him staring as she laughed with colleagues, and she saw a cloud pass over his face as she deftly brushed off overly friendly compliments from other men. She couldn’t decide if he was dying to get her out of her dress, or angry and possessive about the way other men were looking at her. That dress. Linney loved that dress and the way it made her feel. She looked sexy, sassy, and smart, and her eyes sparkled behind her glasses. Mac reached for the wine and filled his glass again. He offered her more, but Linney shook her head.

TCN was up for several awards, including Linney’s first nomination. Linney caught Mac fiddling with his bow tie as their dessert was taken away, an unusual show of nerves. When his category was called, she held his hand and squeezed it tight. “You’ve got this,” she whispered to him.

The table clapped politely when the nominees were announced and held their collective breath until Mac’s name was announced as the winner. As their colleagues applauded wildly, Mac made his way to the stage. In his acceptance speech, he thanked Gemma and the network for their support. Linney felt a small pang of disappointment when he didn’t mention her, but said nothing. MJ noticed too and rolled her eyes. All of the winners that evening had mentioned their spouses or partners. But not Mac. It was always all about him.

In total, TCN picked up seven awards that night, up two from the year before. Champagne flowed, and spirits were high. Linney hadn’t won, but she hadn’t expected to. It sounded trite, but she was honoured just to be mentioned in the same breath as the other journalists in her category. MJ grabbed Linney’s hand when the band started playing and the two were soon dancing with abandon. Their exuberance attracted others to join them and soon the dance floor was full.

When they got home in the wee small hours of the morning, Mac put his statuette on the dresser and turned his attention to Linney’s zipper. “I have been dreaming about getting you out of that dress all night,” he whispered, as he kissed the back of her neck. The black satin puddled to the floor. She looked just as good out of it as she had in it, and Mac pulled her towards him possessively. It was a glorious night.

* * *

February was gloomy in London, but Linney hardly had time to notice. Gemma was giving her more and more interesting stories to cover. Linney had natural instincts, and she turned in consistently great work with unique and interesting angles. The whole newsroom knew it and nobody—except maybe Linney herself—was surprised the first time Gemma assigned her a top-tier story that any one of them would have wanted.

“Thank you, Gemma,” she stammered.

“Go get ’em,” Mac whispered in her ear when the story meeting was over and everyone had their assignments. Linney’s star was rising, and he was proud of her. When the story aired, he took her out to a favourite neighbourhood restaurant to celebrate.

“You’ll be outgrowing me soon,” Mac joked with her over cocktails.

Linney blushed. “I’ve learned so much from you. And I value your opinion. I’m not sure I could ever outgrow you.” She couldn’t quite believe her own success yet.

They ordered a bottle of wine with their oysters and Mac toasted her again.

While they waited for their entrees, Linney went to the ladies’ room to powder her nose and when she returned, she saw Mac beckoning the waiter over for a second bottle. Linney was surprised. Mac had only just poured her a second glass. How could they need a new bottle already? But as she bit into the best fish she’d ever tasted, she forgot to ask about the wine. Mac was spoiling her with this amazing meal.

“This is so good,” she told him between forkfuls and Mac smiled at her enthusiasm.

He raised his glass. “A toast. To London’s newest star journalist.”

Linney blushed but raised hers as well. “And to the man who’s helping me along the way.” They drank, and Mac topped up his nearly empty glass before they turned their attention back to their meals.

As she finished a slice of decadent chocolate cake for dessert, Linney groaned. “I’ve eaten too much.” She was fully sated and pleasantly relaxed from her two glasses of wine. “I don’t think I even have room for coffee. This has been amazing, Mac.”

Mac popped the last bite of his key lime tart into his mouth and gestured to the waiter for a whiskey. When his drink came—a double neat—he took a gulp. “Now,” he started, leaning back in his chair and indicating a shift in the conversation. “We’ve celebrated enough. Let’s talk about what you could have done better.”

Linney looked at Mac in shock at this sudden change, but he continued, his words slightly slurred. “Your intro wasn’t executed well, and you could have asked tougher questions.” He waited for her to reply. “Have you nothing to say for yourself?” He waited another moment. “I thought you were a serious reporter,” he taunted her, taking another drink from the brandy snifter.

Linney gritted her teeth. “I am a serious reporter. And I was pleased with that story. So was Gemma.”

“It was fine. But fine isn’t enough. You need to do better if you want to be great.” His voice was loud.

“Mac, not now. Not here.”

“Yes, right here and now.” He banged the table and people were starting to stare. “How are you ever going to be more than average if you don’t learn from your mistakes? I’m just trying to help you.”

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