“That’s fantastic.You must be relieved.”
Theo pulled her close.“I should be, but I’m still worried.”It felt good to have Barbara here, to know he could talk to her and not worry about the other things happening in his life.
“Have the IRS or the District Attorneys’ Office charged Steve McGibbons with tax evasion?”
“He was arrested an hour ago.”
“Are you worried he’ll win the court case and not be prosecuted?”
“Steve has a way of dodging responsibility for everything he does.”He kissed Barbara’s forehead before leading her into the kitchen.“Tell me about the dresses you bought.”
Barbara smiled.“You must be desperate when you want to hear about our bridesmaids’ dresses.”
“They’re important to you.”
“And that’s why I like you.”
Theo lifted his hand to trace the smile on Barbara’s lips.“I really like you, too.”
A soft brush filled her cheeks.“You’ll like me even more when you hear what we did.After Penny bought her dress, we met a woman who started a group called The Bridesmaids Club.Brides from around the country send her their bridesmaids’ dresses and bridal gowns to give to other people.We found three dresses for us and a lovely dress for mom.Tess wouldn’t accept any money for them, so we gave her four weekend honeymoon packages to The Lakeside Inn.She was thrilled and we left with some gorgeous dresses.”
“You paid someone else’s kindness forward.”
“We did.It felt good to know we were helping someone else.”Barbara took the cup of hot coffee he handed her.“This smells delicious.”
“Ethan gave the ground coffee beans to me.They’re supposed to be healthier than the ones I usually drink.”
“Did his generosity have anything to do with the half-marathon?”
Theo sat on a kitchen stool and smiled.“How did you guess?”
“Diana said Ethan’s looking for any team advantage he can find.Apparently, last year’s winners have decided to enter the race.He might ask you to shave your legs next.”
“That only works for swimmers.”
Barbara laughed.“Not according to Ethan.Tell me about the funding for the radio station.When can you access it?”
“As soon as I’m ready.All I need to do is keep the receipts for everything I buy and document any administration charges.”Theo took a deep breath.“Something else happened today.I had a call from my former boss this afternoon.”
Barbara’s smile disappeared.“The editor ofThe New York Times?”
“He asked if I could write another story about the charges against Steve McGibbons.”
“Will you do it?”
“I’m not sure.I don’t even know how he found out about the charges.The meeting with the lawyers was supposed to be confidential.”
“Maybe he always believed you were right?If he did, it would be in his best interests to keep informed of what’s happening.”
Theo wrapped his hands around his mug.“If I’d known I had his support when the story was published, it would have been better.”
“I wish I’d been there to help,” Barbara said softly.
“It was a long time ago.Anne’s evidence made a huge difference in the decision to prosecute Steve.”
“She’ll be thrilled.It took a lot of courage to give you the information.Did I tell you Anne found a job in Polson?She’s working as a receptionist in a lawyer’s office.”
“Is she happy?”
