Page 21 of No More Heartbreakers

“I have to go to Statesboro today, too, to cover tennis and soccer. You know, we could ride together and shoot for each other. We’d each have a photog and maybe get some better interviews and stand-ups out of it.”

“Yeah, we’ll do that sometime,” I said briskly.

As in never, ever getting into a tiny news car alone with you.

“My thing there today is really short, though, and then I’ve got to go straight to a couple other events in other towns. So, I’d better go alone. This time.”

Okay, so it wasn’t exactly a “no,” but the look on Aric’s face told me he knew it wasn’t a “yes” either.

His mouth twisted in a smirk. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

He started walking away but turned around and came back after a couple of steps. “You know what? I think I need to apologize. I don’t know what my problem is. It seems like I’m always asking you to do something you don’t want to do. I’m not normally such a pest. But I’m done now—promise. That’s the last invitation you’ll get from me, okay?”

Aric smiled, but it was hard, not happy. He looked rather annoyed, in fact.

“Okay,” I said.

As he walked away, I was instantly more at ease. So why did I also feel kind of disappointed?

“Have a good day,” I called to his back.

“Yep. You, too. See you on the anchor desk, Heidi.”

Of course after he’d withdrawn it, I thought about Aric’s suggestion all day as I struggled to lug my bags and equipment from shoot to shoot and get the interviews and video I needed, trying to somehow not look haggard in the process.

He was absolutely right.

If we combined our efforts, our weekend shoots would go twice as fast. More importantly, having a photographer would allow each of us to come up with and execute creative stand-ups for our packages, and as a result, have better escape tapes.

It was what I’d said I wanted. It was the fastest route out of this place and onto a bigger market with a better salary. But it was also scary as hell.

Why couldn’t my new co-worker have been someone more like Hale? Approachable, comfortable, non-threatening. I would’ve takenthatguy up on the offer without thinking twice.

But Aric—he was theotherkind of guy, the dangerous kind.

Like Jason.

The worst part was, Aric didn’t seem to realize how dangerous he was. At least he put on a good show of being harmless. He was probably like one of those big alligators who lie motionless on a sunny bank all day long, while the little turtles swim closer and closer, and then SNAP!

Isodidn’t want to be that little turtle.

Not again.

SEVEN

Family Dinner

The fried chicken was delicious. The rest of the evening was a nightmare.

When you work weekends in TV news, your days off are likely to be Monday and Tuesday, and I was spending my Monday night off in the happy Haynes household.

My older sister Jane Elaine grabbed me and pulled me into the laundry room as soon as I stepped into my parents’ home from the garage.

“I need you to cover for me. I told Phillip you and I have plans tomorrow night.”

“Why?”

“To get out of running the Tuesday night choir practice.”

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