There was a pause, then Freddy waved his hand. “Your call, but you explain it to John.”
“Absolutely and with great pleasure. Nadine stays.” She ignored Daniel’s strangled protest as Nadine listened in disbelief. “I hear there’s an open spot on the politics beat, and we need someone to follow up on this Wilson story,” Olivia continued. “What do you think, Nadine?”
Nadine blinked. This was it. Her chance to resuscitate her dream.Back to politics where she belonged. She wasn’t scared anymore. She could do it.
She thought of Dot and what she’d taught Nadine about making an impact. She thought of Wes and his faith in her. She thought of the mayor and his community potluck and how she felt after she’d finished his story.
She opened her mouth to accept, then found herself saying, “Actually, I have another idea.”
Epilogue
Two years later
Nadine checked her email to see another request, this time from a woman whose mother had been one of the first to travel the country by dogsled.I hope this isn’t too morbid, but my mother is dying, and it would be a shame for her to leave this world without anyone knowing her story. She loves your obituaries and says she reads them every day to see who she’s outlasted. Despite her little joke, it would be a great honor for her to be in theHerald. She would not be averse to chatting with you before she passes.
Nadine smiled and forwarded it to one of her freelancers to look into. She’d been the obituary editor for two years now, and in that time, she’d made it into the section she wanted. A growing and enthusiastic readership confirmed she’d made the right decisions.
“Hello.” Irina came by her desk with a package. “I found this for you.”
Nadine unwrapped the tissue with trepidatious fingers to reveal a lovely marble angel with her arms crossed over her chest and one hand raised to her throat. “Irina, this is gorgeous.”
“TheAngel of the Resurrection,” said Irina. “The original was sculptedin 1882 by Giulio Monteverde for Francesco Oneto to honor his family’s memory.”
“Thank you.” Nadine’s collection had grown to take up half the table and included a model of a Victorian funeral carriage and a skeleton that could be taken apart bone by bone. This was from Raj, who had given it to her over drinks a month after she started back as editor. The hearse remained her favorite and was the paperweight for the collection of obituaries she’d found at Dot’s house. Occasionally she read through them for inspiration and as a reminder that every person had a story.
“Hey, you going to the staff meeting tomorrow?” Lisanne popped up when Irina had left, Ying at her side. “Hetty had her meeting with Olivia last week, so we get the updated targets.” Hetty had been appointed editor in chief after Olivia had taken charge. Daniel had moved to a paper in Tampa.
Lisanne’s story had been such a blockbuster, she was about to go on book leave for six months to do a more in-depth study. Ying, who had turned down a manager position because she loved working with data, would be taking a month to help. They’d moved into their own place in October, and Lisanne had deleted all her dating apps with great fanfare.
“I’ll be there.” Nadine was distracted by an email coming in from [email protected].
TheApex, formally theSpear, was Brent Tatterly’s new venture. He’d rescued theSpearfrom bankruptcy with his inheritance from Dot Voline, saying he’d always wanted to be a media tycoon. As well as a heavy emphasis on the arts—a section run by Wes’s old Lifestyle editor Rebecca—theApexhad quickly earned a reputation for its investigative journalism. Hetty had tried to poach Wes twice but couldn’t compete with the carte blanche Brent gave him. His first story had been about John Wilson, his misdeeds, their impact, and how other powerful men had ignored the whispers and out-and-out complaints over the years. Wilson had been forced to quit politics and lived entirely at his cottage in Muskoka. Nadine had heard there were lawsuits in the works for hisfinancial misdeeds and criminal charges. Other reporters were looking into Matt White and the influence of the White Group. Dot would have liked that, almost as much as Nadine had liked that Tyler had been fired on the first day of Brent’s takeover. Jason as well.
The only issue Wes had with his new job was that Brent continued to insist there was a nefarious story behind the use of construction pylons. So far, he hadn’t been able to find it.
Read at end of day, the subject line said. She checked the time. It was 4:54, so close enough.
To the editor of the Herald obituary section. I have an obituary for consideration. Please respond ASAP.
She scrolled down.
Regardless of his actual birth date, Wesley Chen—Wes to his friends—considered his life to have only started in university. Journalism 102, when he met Nadine Barbault, to be exact. She was his rival from the moment he beat her handily on an assignment.
Here Nadine frowned. She absolutely got the higher mark, and they would have a talk about this revisionist history.
A decade of pining and rivalry was alleviated one summer night in a pagoda, when Nadine finally admitted that he wasn’t totally awful.
In that moment, Wes became complete.
When Wes was younger, there was a couple—he thought they were ancient, but they were probably only fifty—who he used to watch from his window as they left the house, hand in hand. Sometimes they were laughing. Sometimes, one would pauseat the bottom to wait while the other locked the door, always twisting the knob to check. How could they be so sure of each other? How could they always trust the other would be there? How could you make your happiness dependent on another?
Meeting Nadine answered all those questions. For the first time in his life, Wes understood how it was possible to love someone so much that home was no longer a where but a who. To have a person to share both your best and worst self. To know you were safely loved even when you felt you didn’t deserve it.
During his life, Wes found joy in many things. He loved his work as a journalist and his family. He loved his four gorgeous furry girls: Erma, Octavia, Murasaki, and Sidonie-Gabrielle. He loved going for walks and baking for Nadine, especially after the time she insisted garlic shortbread was made by simply adding minced garlic to a regular shortbread recipe. She was wrong, and for once, she admitted it.
Most of all, he loved Nadine.
They brought each other patience when rushed.
