Page 50 of A Moment In Time

He smiled. “Maybe I did good because you were there.”

“Gage.”

“I’m serious. I wouldn’t have known how much food to eat without you.”

“I’m sure you would’ve figured it out.”

“Sydney. I hate how things ended that day you left. And I wish there was something I could do or say to convince you to come back.”

“I can’t. The reason I left is still valid. Nothing has changed.”

“What if I’m really mean to you? Will that change how you feel? I don’t care if you hate me. As long as you come back to work.”

“I don’t think I could ever hate you.”

“What if I’m a real jerk?”

“Stop.” She sighed. “I will continue to accompany you to these social events. But that’s all.”

He nodded. “Okay. That’s something, I guess. And I don’t need to be mean to you?”

“No.”

“How about distracted and out of touch? Self-involved, I believe you called it.”

He saw her hold back a smile. “Just be you.”

“Being me didn’t work out so well.”

“Regardless of that. I never wanted you to be anything but who you are.”

“Okay. I think I can do that. Being a self-absorbed ass has always worked for me.”

“You’re only an ass some of the time.”

“Just enough to be slightly annoying?”

“Yes.”

He smiled. “Okay. Good talk.”

Chapter fifteen

"My brain works just fine."

By St. Patrick’s Day, Gage was getting a little tired of all the social events. It was keeping him from the paper. And since he was running things by himself, he always felt like he was playing catch-up. The bad weather hadn’t helped. Their early winter was lingering on. Typically, the weather started warming up by mid-March. And they would get only the occasional snowstorm. They’d get a few inches, that would melt away in a couple of days. But this year, they’d had snow on the ground since the end of February. And the current storm was expected to drop several more inches.

Gage drove into town from his cabin on a freshly plowed road. But the falling snow made it hard to see. He was glad whenhe reached the outskirts of Calaway Crossing. And even more relieved when he parked in front of the newspaper office. The paper was coming out tomorrow, but he needed to finish laying it out by early afternoon. He was helping Paxton in the bar tonight.

As he sat down at the computer, he realized he still had two articles to finish. He needed help. He could call Clementine. But he didn’t want her out on the roads. He stared at the phone for a moment, then dialed Sydney’s number. She lived in town where the roads were all kept plowed.

She answered with, “I already told you I’d be there tonight.”

“That’s not why I’m calling.”

“Okay. What then?”

Sydney had continued to be distant. They only talked when she accompanied him to events. So he was reluctant to ask for her help. But he needed it.

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