Page 12 of The Truths We Find

And the show delivered. It was everything it needed to be.

Alexa was fearless. Her story wasn’t just strong, it was airtight. The kind of reporting that reminds people why journalism still matters. She kept pressing, layering question after question, never giving Tate a moment to regroup. By the end, he was so rattled he might as well have confessed outright. Buying City Council votes almost stopped being an accusation and started sounding like a fact.

I lean back, heart still racing, and let the moment wash over me. This wasn’t luck. This was the payoff.

Walking back into the newsroom, I see Gavin step out of his office. My chest tightens for half a second on instinct, but then it loosens, replaced by something warm and electric. Even he can’t ruin this moment.

I can still feel the show humming under my skin. Every choice we made paid off in real time. That was one of the best broadcasts this station has seen since I took over the afternoon team. I know it in my bones.

Gavin’s words from earlier echo faintly in my head, all smug certainty and thinly veiled criticism, but I don’t let them get to me. Tomorrow, when the ratings come in, he’ll be forced to swallow every one of them. The thought makes my lips curve into a smile I don’t bother hiding.

“Dani,” Gavin yells. “Can you come here for a moment?”

I walk over to find him standing in the doorframe of his office, and he gestures for me to move inside. I slide past him, careful not to graze our bodies, and take a seat. He closes the door behind him, taking a seat across from me.

Stormy blue eyes meet mine as we stare at each other for a moment. A quiet tension settles between us. I refuse to look away. I won’t back down and give him the dominant hand here.

“So.” I smile. “You wanted to see me?”

“That’s a look I haven’t seen in a very long time,” he quips.

“Huh?”

“You’re smiling. It’s nice to see. I missed it.”

I can’t stop the blush that creeps onto my cheeks. Despite the anger I still feel towards him, nothing is going to ruin my good mood. “Well, I don’t know if you saw, but we just had an amazing show.”

“I will admit,” he sighs, “the Tate story was impressive. I definitely wasn’t expecting that and should’ve given you and Alexa the benefit of the doubt. However…” He straightens in his chair. “We still need to see where the ratings are tomorrow.”

I stand up and place my hands on his desk, leaning slightly towards him, making sure he gets the full impact of my words. “Fine. We’ll see how the numbers are. But when I’m right, I’m expecting the world’s biggest apology from you.”

He stands and leans in to meet my eye line. “You sound pretty confident in yourself.”

I keep the smile fixed on my face, even as the space between us disappears. It takes a moment to register just how close we are, barely a foot apart, but I don’t pull away. I can’t.

Something unfamiliar, yet achingly familiar at the same time, sweeps through me. A feeling I haven’t let myself touch in years. His leather cologne drifts in, slow and steady, stirring memories I thought I’d buried. Late nights, laughter, the ease we once shared.

Flutters bloom low in my stomach, just like the first time our eyes met. My heartbeat stumbles, too fast to ignore, heat spreading through me in quiet waves. I study his face, noticing the faint flush in his cheeks. When his gaze drops to my lips, my breath catches, and before I can stop myself, my eyes catch on to his lips as well.

A sudden knock on the door forces us both to jump back, the moment shattering as quickly as it started.

“Come in,” Gavin says, pulling the edges of his vest down, clearly a way to compose himself.

“There you are!” Alexa exclaims. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, D. It’s seven o’clock and I owe you some drinks, remember? Gavin, can I steal her away now?”

“Of course. I just need a few more moments with her and she’s all yours. By the way, Alexa, great job on the story.”

“Thanks, boss! Dani, just meet me over at Doolies when you’re done.”

She gives me one of our silent are you okay looks. I give her a small reassuring nod, which must be enough, because Alexa smiles, and closes the door behind her as she leaves.

Gavin and I turn to look at each other, and he steps around the desk closing the distance between us once again.

“What happened before Alexa walked in here?” he asks in disbelief.

“Something that can’t happen again,” I whisper.

I look up at him and see something I’m not expecting. Regret. It’s right there in his eyes, mixed with pain and something that looks too much like love. It doesn’t matter. He’s a decade too late.