Page 19 of Personal Disaster

“For God’s sake, Poppy, put yourself in her shoes. Insert yourself into this situation for one God damned minute and stop pretending it’s just another fucking story. You have to take self-defense courses! This is not normal. This is fucked up. And she doesn’t deserve to be punished for, as you said, shining a spotlight on the reality of decisions made a world away fromus.”

He’s right. I know it. But there was something else in his diatribe… “Insert myself.”

“That’s what I justsaid.”

“Right…” I stare off into the distance.

“Poppy?”

“Hang on a second.” I pace back and forth, then ball my hands into fists. Gah, it’s so close. But how do I do it without…

I turn and I look at him. Oh, he’s not going to likethis.

“I could do that. I could insert myself into the story. I can change it into a process piece about me. But it would be you, too. You are, after all, quite appealing.”

“Quite appealing.” He snorts. “I’m going to put that on my resume.”

He’s joking, but it hurts my chest to think that he might actually need to look for a new job because of me. “I don’t want to put you in any kind of danger, though.”

He gives me a dark look. Is that better than the thunderous look from before? I feel like it might be, but my brain is spinning. The world is upside down, because I have a story, I have a lead to follow, and I don’t wantto.

If Marcus says no, I’ll find another way. Ifhe—

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I trust you. Write me into your story. Call me cute. Whatever you gottado.”

“You just met me. How can you trustme?”

He moves closer and cups my face in his hands. “Because of that look on your face right now. You don’t want to hurt anyone. I know you don’t. And this won’t hurt me. It’s a good idea.” He brushes a kiss across my mouth. “I gotta get back to work. Write like the wind, ReporterGirl.”

“Okay, Ranger Boy.” I swallow around the lump in my throat. “See you later?”

“Come find me in a couple of hours.” He gives me a lopsided grin. “I’ll share my second lunch withyou.”

Lunch. How are we only at the middle of theday?

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