Page 55 of Baby, It's Cod Outside
Ben turns, lips parted like he wants to say something more. But Jackson kisses him before he can.
Ben melts into it, fingers curling in Jackson’s coat, body folding into his with a soft, surrendering sigh that undoes Jackson. Ben kisses like he means it, with a promise of endless tomorrows.
Jackson kisses him back like it’s the most important story he’s ever been trusted to tell.
Because it is.
And he intends to write it with Ben. Every day. Every season. Again, and again, and again.
Epilogue
The headlines accumulate along with the years.
MARINESELECT ILLEGAL DUMPING EXPOSED
By Jackson James | Silver Shoals Gazette
The response is immediate. Coastal newspapers pick it up. Then state outlets. Then national. Cited on podcasts, in policy briefings, on late-night monologues.
Jackson finds out he’s been selected as the recipient of the George Polk Award for Environmental Reporting in the Klaussen’s deli line, grabbing a sandwich for Ben, standing between the smoked turkey and pickles.
At the ceremony luncheon, Ben wears a new suit that Jackson helped him pick out.
He claps so hard he nearly reinjures himself.
WHITAKER SEAFOOD LAUNCHES COASTAL CLEANUP INITIATIVE
Scrimshaw Cove to become pilot site for new restoration efforts
No mention of the scandal, the fallout, the boardroom panic. Just a photo of Ben with his sleeves rolled up and boots in the sand, windswept and painfully earnest, standing beside a cluster of volunteers and a smiling city councillor.
Jackson clips the article and magnets it to the fridge. Ben sees it, shakes his head. “Feels a little revisionist.”
Jackson smiles. “I think it’s the story that needs to be told today. Feel free to sue if you don’t like it.”
BENJAMIN WHITAKER III NAMED NEW CEO
Change of leadership marks new era for seafood empire
Ben stands tall behind the podium. Speaks for five minutes, a speech he wrote himself, no stammer. Ends with, “Let’s do this right.” The crowd applauds, the board politely, and the gathered employees enthusiastically. Jackson, in the back, mouths, ‘killed it.’ Ben’s face shines with the peace of a man who’s learned to put down his burdens.
INNOVATIVE USE OF FISH BYPRODUCTS SLASHES WASTE AT WHITAKER SEAFOOD
Company earns sustainability praise
At the breakfast table, Jackson scrolls the Gazette’s front page while Ben’s still half-asleep over toast.
“Look at that,” Jackson says. “You’re the seafood sector’s sweetheart now.”
Ben mumbles into his coffee. “Mort’s going to ban you from writing about me.”
Jackson grins. “Let him try.”
NEW EDITOR NAMED AT GAZETTE
Paper passes torch to longtime reporter
The first issue with the new masthead drops on a Thursday, and along with it, the new last name on his byline.Editor-in-Chief: Jackson Whitaker.
