Page 107 of No More Heartbreakers

The way he was looking at me, I wasn’t sure if the “we” referred to Aric or to me.

“Hey, I have an idea,” he said. “Why don’t you join Aric and me tonight for a drink after work?”

Aric scowled at the back of his father’s head in a murderous way. Seeing clearly what Aric thought of the ill-timed invitation, I declined and wished Mr. Amore a wonderful remainder of his visit and a safe trip home.

Well, talking to Aric today was out. But tomorrow, he wouldn’t have a horny older man around to scare me off.

* * *

Aric was out of the newsroom all day Thursday, returning just before the news meeting.

He slipped in late, earning a hard glare from an unexpected visitor to the newsroom, Mr. Aubrey.

I assumed Janet had decided today was the day to make her announcement, and he was there to offer some sort of support or kind words, or maybe to assure the troops we’d be okay and the search was on for a new fearless leader.

Boy, was I wrong.

“It has come to my attention,” Mr. Aubrey croaked, straightening his outdated tie and holding up an age-spotted hand, “that we have a very serious problem here at WPVG.”

Aproblem? Understaffing, low pay, obsolete and broken equipment. How did he pick just one?

“I have learned… there has beenfraternizationwithin my newsroom staff.”

He swept his hand boldly over the room as if he was Moses scattering a plague. Some people actually ducked.

His tone suggested the crime was something worse than embezzlement or even plagiarism of the local newspaper, which would get any of us fired on the spot.

Mara turned to me wide-eyed, no doubt afraid he’d found out about Aric and me.

Colleen jumped out of her seat. “Nothing happened, I swear. I was only helpinghim,”

She pointed an accusatory finger at Aric. “I was getting him out of the public eye, so he’d stop embarrassing the station. He was the one who wasdrunk. In public.”

If the Peachtree Valley Community Theater players could have seen Colleen’s dramatic expression of disdain in that moment, they’d have recruited her immediately for their next production.

Taming of the Shrewseemed like a good vehicle for her talents.

But even more amazing than her breathtaking betrayal of Aric was the implication of what she’d said.

Nothing happened?

My heart leapt with a kind of joy I hadn’t felt since the first time Aric told me he loved me.

Okay, yes, my joy at that time had been beaten up and thrown into a gutter by panic, but therehadbeen joy. I could admit it now.

Aric shook his head and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest in a way that said,Go ahead and fire me, I don’t really care about anything anymore.

He did dart his eyes over at me, almost imperceptibly fast. The first time he’d looked at me since arriving.

Well, I wouldn’t let Aric go down alone. If he got busted for fraternizing, I was going to bear the consequences with him.

I started to speak up, but Mr. Aubrey’s loud voice boomed through the room again.

“Miss Burdick?” he said, staring at Colleen. “I was not referring to you. You may sit down, young lady. And that skirt is too short. Immediately after this meeting, you will go home and change.”

“Yes sir.” She meekly took her seat and cast a guilty look toward Aric, who ignored her.

Nothing happened!

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