“Why are you here?”
I swallow down the heat rising in my throat.He’s a mess.His white dress shirt is wrinkled, his tie loosened, black suit pants slightly creased.As if he’s been running his hands through it all day, his brown hair is ruffled, and a shadow of stubble darkens his jaw.When my gaze lifts to his, blue eyes pierce through me.
I cross my arms.“I need to talk to you.”
“I said no.”
The words sting, but I push through.“Adrian, please.”
He breathes heavily and moves closer.“What is it?”
I square my shoulders.“I have an offer.One that I think would benefit both of us.”
His eyebrows lift, the corners of his mouth twitching with something close to amusement.“Yeah?And what’s that?”His tone is mocking, like he already knows I have nothing worth his time.
I force myself to keep my chin up.“A fundraiser.”
He blinks rapidly.“A fundraiser?”
“For the hospital equipment you need,” I say.
His jaw tightens, his gaze flicking toward the house.“He told you, didn’t he?”
I smile.“Maybe.”
Adrian rolls his eyes, shaking his head.“Yeah, the hospital needs the money.I need the money.What does that have to do with the article?”
“What if I help you run the best fundraiser this town has ever seen?Enough money to get the equipment needed,” I say, letting the words settle before adding, “in exchange for your side of the story.”
He drops his gaze to the ground.The silence stretches.I can almost see the battle playing out in his mind.
“I don’t know.I don’t know if I can trust you.How do I know you’ll follow through?”
The accusation stuns me.My trust has never been questioned before.I’ve built my reputation on reliability.Heat rises in my cheeks.Is this how he sees me?
“You don’t,” I admit, uncrossing my arms.“But you could always give me the interview after the fundraiser.Would that be better?”I pause, trying to read his expression.“And the article will be fair.And the photo… must be good.”
His nostrils flare slightly as he takes a deep breath.I think I have him.If I do, I’ll have to email Luna tonight and let her know the plan.
“Fine,” he says at last.“But do you even know how to run a fundraiser big enough to raise that kind of money?”
“Don’t you worry about that.I’ve covered enough of them to know what works.I’ll figure something out.Nothing like an exciting challenge to keep me on my toes.”The ideas are already coming together in my head.
“I’m glad I’m not the subject this time.”
For a moment, we share a smile, the tension between us easing.But then it shifts, the air thickening again, something unspoken hanging between us.The sudden awareness of it sends a shiver down my spine.Adrian clears his throat, as if shaking it off.
“I better go.”I pull myself back.“Gotta get home to my mom.”
His gaze softens, a rare gentleness in his eyes.“Yeah, of course,” he murmurs.
We both nod, then I turn away.He stands on Keith’s porch, watching as I reverse out of the driveway and onto the street.
It’s only when I can no longer see him that I feel like I can breathe again.
And yet, I’m still on edge.
Still feeling something I don’t know how to name.
