Page 12 of Kissing Her Rescuer

Now that she'd softened him up, she could get down to business. “I thought of a story idea.” The past three dozen she'd suggested had been shot down by her dad and sister. But they always continued to listen to her.

“What was that?”

“The library announced that it's going to hold a fundraiser to help replace all the lights. New fixtures and using LED light bulbs. I thought I could cover that and help spread the word.” She waited while he pulled out his reading glasses and started his iPad. He used to read a regular newspaper, having several around the state delivered to him. But Juliana had sent him an iPad, so he could get used to reading theStatem Dispatchon it, and he'd hardly looked back since.

“I like it.” He peered over his glasses. “I say you do it. Try to have it in for next week's edition.”

Eliza sat up. “Really?”

“I said as much, didn't I?” He started to look down at the iPad but peered at her over his glasses. “Shouldn't you get going?”

“Yes.” She grabbed her camera from the desk and rushed outside, dialing Ms. Iris as she walked.

“Hi, Mama.” Carrie's sweet voice answered instead.

“Hi, Baby.”

“You should call me Princess. That's what Dewey calls me.”

Carrie was half in love with the man. That made two of them. “How about he calls you that, and I can call you Baby. You are my baby, after all.”

“I'm not a baby,” she whined.

Eliza smiled. Her big seven-year-old alternated between being scared of the dark to wanting to wear lipstick. “Of course not. Tell Ms. Iris that I'll pick you up after lunch. I have a story to go cover right now. Maybe we can go to the community pool, and you can show me your cannonball.”

“Yes! I'll get my suit on.”

“It will be a few hours.” Eliza shook her head, knowing it was pointless. It could be the dead of winter, and Carrie would wear her suit if she had any hope of getting in a pool.

“Have fun, Mama.”

Writing fun? Not likely. “I'll try.” She walked from theDispatchto the library along the newly repaved sidewalk.

A hot summer day, but she wouldn't trade it for anywhere else in the country.Hersmall town. The one she'd run away from at eighteen and the one that welcomed her back without questions.

And she could help the library just like Juliana did with the highway expansion. Doing an article about the library's renovation might spark some extra donors.

She flipped on her camera, circling around the historic library once to see which angle might be best. If she took the perfect shot, capturing the beautiful piece of history in a photo, maybe her story would make it onto the front page.

She loved the ghost story her mom used to tell her about the library. A good writer might be able to incorporate that into the article. She'd mention that to Juliana for ideas.

Tanya Dempsey, her aunt and Cameron’s mom, came out of the library. Her long dark brown hair pulled over her shoulder. “Eliza. What are you doing?” She came to stand with her in the middle of the street.

“I'm writing about the library doing a fundraiser for the renovations.”

“I'm in charge of that committee!” Tanya shouldered her purse higher. “I'm so glad you're covering it. It might generate a little buzz.”

“That was my hope. I'll want to interview you.” Thank goodness it wasn't the old librarian. That lady had given Eliza nightmares when she was young, and she had to be close to ninety now. Still just as scary.

“Of course. Why don't you stop by Ms. Peggy's house tonight? I'm playing poker, and we need a fourth. You can pick my brain while I lose gracefully.”

“Do you really need a fourth for poker?”

“Ms. Peggy likes to keep things even.” Tanya glanced at her watch. “Oh. I have to keep moving. I haven't gotten my steps in for this hour. I’ll see you tonight.” She power-walked away.

Playing poker with women, her mom's age, shouldn't sound like fun. But it wasn't any typical poker match. Playing poker with Ms. Peggy, Nash's mom, was serious business. And, of course, there was bound to be delicious food. She loved eating at Daylight Diner, but sometimes she wanted a home-cooked meal. And by someone whose name wasn't Eliza.

Her phone chimed, and she pulled it out of her pocket. A picture of pink flowers filled the screen of her phone. Ms. Iris had sent her two dozen pictures as ideas for the wedding decorations, nice little confirmations that procrastination was still a character flaw. Hard to help decorate a wedding when she never attended a wedding like the one Ms. Iris wanted.

---