Page 28 of A Moment In Time

The walk to the office was cold, but it felt good. The sky was clear for a change and full of a million stars. Before they went into the office, Gage stopped for a moment and looked up at the sky.

“Wow.”

“Now that’s a picture.”

“You never have a camera when you need one.” He looked at her. “Thank you for saving me from dinner with Lily.”

“You’re welcome. I feel a little guilty, though. I think she really wanted to spend some time with you.”

“I guess I should go check out a book or two this week.”

She nodded. “That would be a smart social move.”

“That’s what I’m all about. Upping my social presence.”

Sydney laughed. “Mmm. I guess we’ll see.” She patted his chest. “You did good tonight. Not socially awkward at all.”

“I was just trying to impress my social liaison.”

“Mission accomplished.”

Chapter nine

"Whoa. Who are you?"

On Tuesday morning, Sydney came into work early, which she always did on the days the paper came out. Gage was already there, and she hoped he hadn’t spent the night on his office couch again. He was always hardest to get along with on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, with the paper coming out on those afternoons. His need for perfection came out in grumpiness and frustration.

When she went inside, he was on the computer they used to lay out the paper and prepare it for printing. She could tell by the scowl on his face, he wasn’t happy. After they had such a nice weekend, it felt like maybe their relationship had taken a step forward. She’d hoped he’d be a little more mellow today. Thosehopes were dashed when he looked up at her, then checked his watch.

“You’re late.”

She wasn’t late. But she didn’t want to point that out to him. “What can I do?”

“Not be late.”

“Other than that.”

He glanced at her again, then sighed. “I can’t get this center spread to line up. I have the photos the way I want them. But something isn’t right.” He leaned back in the chair. “I’ve been staring at it for too long. Will you take a look?”

“Of course.”

He rolled his chair over a foot as she looked at the computer screen. “Um…I think the font and size of the headline is messing you up.” She looked at him.

He stood. “Take the chair. See what you can do with it.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah. Sit.”

She pulled the chair closer and sat down. He’d never once let her work on the layout. She expected him to hover over her shoulder. But he walked over to the coffee machine and filled his mug. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he often drank more than his usual two cups. He then paced around the office while he drank it.

Sydney changed the wording of the headline slightly and reduced the font size. It was a simple fix, one that Gage should’ve known right away to do. She glanced at him over the monitor.

“Do you want to come take a look at this?”

He went around the desk and looked at the screen. “You changed the wording.”

“Um…I can change it back. I was just trying to make it fit.”

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