Page 62 of Breaking News

“If I tell my mom, she will immediately tell my dad. And, well, you’ve seen how he is. He’s going to crash out. I’m not sure he’ll survive the news.”

All I could do was stare back at her with a wincing, sheepish smile. After all, her prediction for his reaction probably wasn’tfar off. “That might be accurate. I’m sure he’ll freak out a little initially, since sees you as his baby girl.” I tucked my hair behind my ears. “But you know what? Once he gets past that initial panic, I know he’s going to support you every way he can. I really believe that, Olivia. He loves you more than anything, and he’ll be there every step of the way.”

I wasn’t bullshitting this kid. I meant every word. I knew in my bones that Graham would guide her through this because that’s who he was. He took care of the people he cared about.

Why did my throat feel scratchy all of a sudden?

“He hates Richie, though,” Olivia said, shaking her head. “He’s going to kill him.”

“He’s not going to kill him.”

“He already mildly threatened him outside of La Cocina last weekend. I’ve been trying to tell him that Richie is a good, responsible guy, but I can tell he doesn’t trust him.”

I leaned back slightly in my chair. “Tell him about the book,” I said, “and let Richie show him how responsible he is with his actions, not just words.”

Olivia nodded, but she was quiet for a moment. I watched her chew on her thumbnail, and I tried to picture how my fifteen-year-old self would have handled pregnancy. A baby. The sheer weight of it all. I could hardly remember to wear my retainer, so being responsible for a whole other person was unthinkable.

Then again, that was in the time of Roe v. Wade. I would’ve had more choices than Olivia, who was sitting there looking like she was barely holding it together.

“Are you taking prenatal vitamins?” I asked, and she answered with a nod. “Okay, good! You’re already being smart about this.”

“I changed my diet and cut way down on caffeine, too,” she said in a perky voice, like she wanted me to be proud. And I was.

“You’re doing great, Olivia,” I said, leaning in a little closer. “And you know what? I think you should tell your mom and dad.The sooner you do, the sooner they can support you through this. I don’t think it’ll be as scary as you think.”

Olivia exhaled, her shoulders sinking like she was carrying the weight of the world on them. And then a small smile formed on her lips, and she rolled her eyes. “I bet my dad’s going to be the type of grandpa who’ll insist on being called Pappy or Pop-Pop or something goofy like that,” she said before turning back to her laptop.

My smile quickly faded and I froze, staring at the back of Olivia’s head.

Grandpa.

The word echoed through my brain like an alarm bell.

Last night, a soon-to-begrandpatied me to my headboard and edged me until I almost cried.

Suddenly, the age gap between us felt wider than before.

chapter twenty-three

Graham

Ihad a plan.

When Jill said being in constant pain was her “normal,” something snapped inside of me. For far too long, this news station had taken advantage of her loyalty and insane work ethic, forcing her to do the work of two people until she had a full-on breakdown. It wasn’t right.

Not when we had another able-bodied news reporter running all over town with his stationary camera and scuffed Vans like he just rolled out of bed and tripped into a live shot.

Chase was a talented field reporter. He had a knack for setting up a live shot with a moment’s notice, delivering stories without a second of rehearsal. Viewers loved him just the way he was. But despite his offbeat charm, I knew his talents would be better utilized on the morning news. He could share some of the load and make it less of an ordeal if Jill needed time off.

Sure, he needed more practice with the teleprompter and maybe a little coaching. And we’d have to test his on-airchemistry with Jill, but she was pretty good at putting people at ease. Who wouldn’t have chemistry with her?

Most of all, I’d need the approval of both parties and their producer. Though this felt like more of a lateral move for Chase, it was still a significant change. As interim CEO, I wasn’t sure I had the authority to make the call alone.

I pitched the idea to Marco first, sitting in a metal folding chair in his windowless office, which used to be the school’s A/V room. He didn’t hide his disapproval, one of his brows inching upward with every sentence I spoke.

“Did you not see how he performed Tuesday?” he asked.

“I did, and I have faith in him. If anything, I think viewers are going to have a soft spot for his awkwardness. It’ll bounce right off of Jill’s confidence. She’ll no longer carry the weight of the whole damn show.”

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