Page 67 of Live for Me

“No, I can handle it. What is it?” I pressed, walking to the windows, looking out at the ranch and silently praying the ranch had nothing to do with this. “I need the distraction.”

A sigh left him, a sign of him giving in. I almost smiled when he started speaking again. “A few years ago, a few men from a local firm here went up to Hayden for business. Something about a new hotel development in the town. Anyways, they were never seen or heard from again.”

A chill ran down my spine. “What?”

“Don’t ask me if you can’t handle this story,” he warned.

“I can handle any story,” I shot back firmly. “After everything I’ve covered, the danger I’ve been in, sir, you know I can.”

“Fair enough,” he sighed.

My next question was out of my mouth in an instant, ready for a sense of normalcy again. “If this took place a few years ago, why are you wanting a story on it now?”

“The developer is still interested. They just did a press release on it this morning,” he explained. “They left out why they hadn’t completed the project, so I did some digging.”

My lips twitched. My boss was just like me, always looking for a story.

“You want to work, Abbie? Then work. I’ll email you the details.”

“Yes, sir,” I whispered, feeling purpose for the first time in days.

“Alright,” he muttered. “Anything else you need?”

So much.

But there was nothing else he could give me. “No, sir. When do we go to print?”

“You have a week. Think you can manage that?” he prompted.

“Yes.”

“Good. Check your email,” he ordered before hanging up.

The front door opened behind me, and a raspy voice filled the air. “Hi, Abbie.”

I turned to find Harmony walking in with a few to-go bags in her hands. “Hi, Harmony,” I greeted with a small smile.

“Mason told me about your house,” she said, coming my direction and setting the bags on the coffee table. Her blue eyes were filled with sadness. “Are you okay?”

I looked away from her to the rocking chair in the corner of the living room. I started off the day with her husband hating me, and for the second time, she was checking on me. Harmony Langston was a good fucking person—a treasure in this world of shit.

“I’m okay,” I lied. When my eyes met hers again, she knew I was lying, but she didn’t push it.

“Well, I went into town and got us a late lunch. I didn’t know what you liked. I was going to grab you a turkey club, but Barry gave you your usual instead,” she said, pulling out to-go box from the local diner and holding it out to me.

My hands reached for it automatically as I murmured, “Barry is still there?”

Harmony tucked a curl behind her head before she set out the next two boxes on the table. “Barry owns the diner, actually. Hestill hasn’t come up with a name yet,” she informed me, laughing at the end as Valerie came into the room with three bottles of water.

She held one out to me with a smile. “How did your call go?” she asked.

“Well, I’m not fired, so that’s something,” I deadpanned.

Harmony chimed in then. “That paper would be a fool to let you go. Your stories are what sell it in the first place.”

“Agreed.” Valerie nodded, opening her bottle and taking a sip. A sigh of satisfaction left her then. “God, I haven’t had anything to eat or drink all day.”

“I’m going to tell your husband that,” Harmony teased, shooting her sister-in-law a look before looking at me. “Let me know if your food is okay. If not, you can have some of mine. This burger is too big for me.”

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