At one point, there was a loud noise and she started at it, before focusing her fiery gaze on the offender. She was quite miffed that she was stuck on the back of a truck and that she was huddled in the corner, hay sticking to her skirt and hair as it inched its way towards the town where her assignment waited for her. This wasn’t the best assignment she’d ever gotten and the amount of work she was doing for this assignment wasn’t near enough in her opinion.
Gabrielle never thought that Joe would have the guts to send her so far away from home for a measly councilman interview, but she had to admit that she wouldn’t have been able to do anything in his position. It was no doubt something that she’d brought onto herself.
It didn't justify the trouble she was going through just to reach this place, however. For two days, she had been on the road, because Joe hadn’t had the decency to buy her a bus ticket. He hadn’t even bothered to check the schedules and had done everything last minute, which meant that she was unaware that the only bus company that went to the town was currently dealing with issues. This meant that in the end, there were no bus routes available to her. She had already reached the halfway point, before realizing that and had been lucky or perhaps unlucky enough to find a man who would take her the rest of the way on the bed of his truck.
She tried to salvage whatever was left of her appearance, but another bump from the truck stopped all progress and she settled for leaning back against the cold metal wall, as she tried to keep herself from jostling around too much. She was trying to gather her thoughts to try and not be ill composed when she actually reached the town. She replayed her assignment in her mind.
She was to go to the town, talk to the councilman, compose an article, send it to Joe and when it was approved, she would be able to come back. Her reporter mind told her that it wouldn’t take more than ten days and having the experience that she had accumulated in her six years of working in the media sector, she knew she would be able to finish it in one week.
That is if she was going to follow the brief. She had another thing in mind which if she was able to implement it, would make sure she could regain the loss she had felt.
Damn you Dave, she thought in her mind. It was because of him she was on this truck right now. Joe was partially to blame and so was she, but in her mind it was Dave who had the biggest blame of it all.
Before she could dwell on Dave, however, the truck went through a pothole which made her squeak. She growled under her breath and hugged her bag closer to herself. It centered her and she breathed in slowly to calm herself down. It shouldn’t be long now, an hour at most. The man had said it would take three hours to reach the town and it was already past the two hour mark, or at least she thought it was. She confirmed with a quick glance to her watch and prepared herself for the rest of the ride.
To while away the time, she took out her notebook and tried to review her questions as the truck bounced under her.
What made you run for office?
What are your aspirations?
Do you have any changes planned?
How do you feel now that you are an official council member?
These questions are rubbish, she thought with disgust. Of course Joe would come up with these questions, they were too tame, but then again, it was a normal interview. I am going to change that, she thought. I am going to make it something that is going to get me back in good graces.
A lot was riding on her for this interview, she had a lot to prove and she would be damned if she let Joe ruin it for her. She was being harsh on Joe, if it wasn’t for him she would have lost her job by now. Still, it didn’t diminish the feeling that he could have done better than demote her into a normal reporter. All that work she had done in the last six years had gone down the drain.
She noticed that she could see the outline of the town and sat up so that she could peer carefully. Yes, that was it. It was the town, which was a good thing for her, because that meant this wretched ride had come to an end. She didn’t lean back as she waited impatiently for the truck to enter the town limits and when it did, she breathed a sigh of relief.
The man had said that he was going to drop her off at the center of town, so she waited until he reached what seemed to be the center of the town. After that, she had to make her way into the rented house that Joe had gotten for her. She had thought that he was going to put her in the local inn, but he had said that he didn’t want to incur too many costs, cheapskate, and that a rented house was more practical for her. She hadn’t offered any protests, but she was already trepidous about it, seeing as it was going to incur more work for her and she wasn’t the type of person to spend hours in the house.
The truck stopped and the man who had helped her came around the back to help her get down. She kept a smile on her face as he did so, because she had started to realize that it wasn’t fair of her to blame the man; after all he had been nice enough to give her a ride. The man smiled back as he took down her backpack as well. She brushed the hay off her clothes as he said,
“Where are you off to ma’am?”
“Just a little further from here,” she said. “I have to meet someone called Miss Hay.”
“Oh that’ll be Jennie,” the man said. “You renting her house?”
“Yes, how did you know?” she said, with surprise.
“The town isn’t small, but we all know each other,” he explained. “Jennie has been looking for a person to rent her house ever since her sister passed away.”
“Is that so?” she murmured. “What shall I call you?
He laughed at that and he did look younger. Gaby had put him at mid-forties with his slightly graying hair and wrinkles. He was dressed in a checkered shirt and jeans which gave off a different feel than a rancher or maybe that was only her imagination. She had always thought ranchers would have a different look. It had to be the city slicker in her.
“Just ask around for Jay,” he said. “I’ll be seeing you around ma’am.”
He smiled once more and got into his truck, driving away with a friendly wave. Gaby looked around and then consulted the street signs before recalling the address that had been given to her. She wandered around for a while, taking some help from the friendly people, before finally turning up in front of a quaint little cottage a bit away from the center of the town. It looked promising as she walked up to the door and rang the bell.
The door opened and she was facing a pleasant looking middle-aged woman with dark brown hair in a bun and a floral dress on. The lady took her in, before a smile appeared making her gray eyes warmer than before.
“Come in, you must be Gabrielle Montague,” the lady said.
“Miss Hay?” she asked tentatively.
“Who else?” she said with a laugh. “Come in dear,”
Gaby walked in, taking in the cottage in all its glory. It really was something, the decorations were tasteful and the colors were warm. Everything was done up very well. It wasn’t what she had expected when Joe had told her that she would be renting from someone who would be middle aged and unmarried, she assumed that she would be put under scrutiny as some women in that age range were prone to do. Gaby didn’t usually think of it like that, but years of having to deal with it had hardened her to that effect.
Gaby sat down on the soft couch and Miss Hay disappeared to bring her a tray filled with treats and a cup of tea. She blushed as Miss Hay poured her a cup and handed it over to her.
“Drink up dear, I can imagine you have had a rather long journey,” Miss Hay commented.
Gaby was about to ask how she knew that then realized that she must look like a vision. Self-consciously she touched her hair then decided to just enjoy the tea. She usually preferred coffee, but the tea was delicious and the warmth coursed through her, giving her much needed energy.
“Have some of the biscuits as well,” Miss Hay urged.
She nodded and took one, nibbling into it, before devouring it. She couldn’t resist taking another one as her stomach
growled. She had to get something to eat soon.
“I left the fridge well stocked,” Miss Hay said. “You shouldn’t have any problem cooking.”
“Thank you,” Gaby said, swallowing and wiping away the crumbs from her lips.
“How long will you be staying?” Miss Hay asked.
“I’m not quite sure,” Gaby said carefully.
“Well, the nice man on the phone has already paid me for the week, but I do hope you can stay longer,” Miss Hay said. “It would be a nice change to have the house full.”
Gaby didn’t want to ask any awkward questions but she was curious about it. Miss Hay must have noticed so she said, “My sister used to live here. I live ten minutes away and Gigi lived here. Our parents left us both houses and we decided to live separately. She passed away last spring, a heart attack they told me. She was young, but who can tell really? She left me the house and it pains me to see it empty, so that’s why I am renting it out. Don’t worry, I removed any personal effects from here,” Miss Hay said. “I wouldn’t want the guests to feel awkward.”
“It’s quite all right,” Gaby said.
“Yes well, if I did miss anything, do tell me. I left my number in the kitchen so if you have any problems with anything, do give me a call.”
“Of course.”
“Well I must be off. You should get some rest,” Miss Hay said. “I’ll see myself out.”
The lady stood up and walked out, the sound of the door closing echoing a moment later. Gaby breathed in and savored the silence, she was the only one in the house now and it was a calming feeling. She finished her tea, before she took her backpack to go upstairs and check out the bedroom. There were two bedrooms, both looked clean and were relatively the same size. She picked one at random and plopped her bag down on the bed. She took out a change of clothes and then went to the bathroom. She had to take in a deep breath, before she dared to take a peek into the mirror.
As she thought, she was a mess. Her light hair was all over the place and there were black bags under her eyes. Her face had become wan and pale, unlike the bronze she usually sported, the effect was most likely due to the lack of sun. Her pale blue eyes looked almost darker which made her slightly surprised. She really was tired.
The hay clinging to her attire was another turn off and she stripped, tossing them to the corner before heading into the shower. The water was deliciously hot and she felt her muscles relax under it. When she was done, she went out and changed but found the allure of the bed too much to bear.
She fell down on the bed and purred, feeling its softness. It felt extra comfortable after the hours of journey that she had to put in. She curled up and her mind drifted to random thoughts, singular thoughts that refused to join.
Even food lost its priority as she fell into her dream, blissfully unaware of the trouble that she was going to have to face the next day.
Chapter Three
Gaby woke with a start.
For a second, fear gripped her heart as she took in her new surroundings before realizing that she was in the middle of an assignment and this was the place where she was going to be working for the next week. It had surprised her at first, but as she looked around, it wasn’t as shocking and her heart rather slowed down immediately. Once she was able to calm down, she realized just how hungry she was.
She crawled out of the bed and searched around for a clock and checked to see what the time was. It was near twelve and she realized she had slept away most of the day. At least she was kind of in time for dinner.
She went downstairs to check out what Miss Hay had left for her and opening the fridge was surprised to see that it was stocked to the brim. She took out some thawed pieces of chicken and pan fried it, before cutting up the pieces and making a salad for herself, adding a piece of toast as a side. She balanced the plate in her hands as she headed for the living room to catch some TV. She relaxed as she finished eating and finally sated, she lay down on the couch, mindlessly watching TV shows, before deciding to check up on Joe. It was two by then, but she knew that Joe was awake, the man barely slept.
As she reached for her cell, she was surprised to see that there were five missed calls, all from Joe. She hadn’t realized that she had put it on silent and was sheepish as she dialed to call him back. He answered on the third ring.
“Where were you?” he demanded.
“I was conked out,” she said. “Did I worry you?”
“About as much as you do all the time,” he said. “What’s the update?”
“I finally got into town after a lot of hardships,” she said bluntly. “Had to change transportation vehicles two times, before I finally made it here though.”
“Well, live with it,” he said, refusing to cow down to her remarks. “Have you met the subject yet?”
“Not yet,” she said. “I’ll head out tomorrow morning to go the council office.”
“Sounds good,” he said. “Take your time with it.”
“Any other background you have to give me?” she asked.
“Not really.”
“How’s the paper doing?” she asked.
“A bit boring without your articles.”
“Whose fault is that?” she couldn’t resist saying.
“Partly yours, partly mine and partly Dave’s,” he said with a pause. “But we aren’t going to dwell on what happened, are we?”
“No,” she said. “We aren’t.”
“Good, get some sleep.”
“I slept the entire day.”
“Then work on questions. Either way, I have to get back to work. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Fine,” she said. “Bye.”
She hung up and looked blankly at the ceiling. What was she going to do now? Maybe she should take his advice. Thinking that, she took out her notebook and with the sound of the TV in the background, she wrote some new questions, occasionally scratching them out in favor of a better one. It took her some time and two hours later, she was tired enough to fall asleep on the couch, her notebook on her chest.
Despite how later she had slept, she was up like clockwork at eight o’clock. It was a bit late for her standard, but she gave herself an allowance for new surroundings and the lack of need to run after news. The first thing she did was go take a long shower before coming down to make some breakfast for herself. It was nine thirty by then but she knew that as long as she made it to the office at 10 am, it would be fine for her and so she took her time eating.
Finally, dressed in a business skirt and simple white shirt with her hair back in a ponytail, she was ready for her interview. As a seasoned reporter, she knew it was going to take more than one sitting with the councilman, even if she managed to get one today. She also had to check around the town and with her agenda, well she was going to have a lot to do today.
She locked the door and took in the bright day, it was a nice day and she was appreciating the weather as she headed for the council office that is, if she knew where it was. That was a trouble in and of itself for her, at the moment.
This time, there weren’t many people around her to guide her so she was entirely reliant on her directional skills which were challenged at best. Finally she managed to find what looked to be the council house and took in the small office as she walked up the path to the door. She breathed in once before entering, and critically examined the entrance before walking up boldly to the reception table. A woman sat behind it, busily talking on the phone and taking notes as she did so. She noticed Gaby and smiled slightly indicating that she had to wait a few minutes. Gaby wasn’t bothered and went to sit down as the lady took down some more notes. She didn’t mind waiting and patience was crucial for a reporter as she had learned early on in her career. She relaxed herself with some calm thoughts and finally the woman indicated for her to come forward. She had a professional smile ready as she did so and the woman said,
“How may I help you?”
“Hi, my name is Gabrielle Montague, I’m the re
porter from Daily News here to interview the new councilman,” she said. “Councilman Hamilton that is.”
“The reporter?” The woman repeated, looking confused.
“Is something wrong…” she said, looking down at the woman’s name tag which said “Destine”, “Destine?”
“I-well-wait a moment please,” Destine said flustered. She got on the phone and said,
“Mr. Simmons could you come out here please?”
Mr. Simmons? She thought. Who could that be?
She got her answer a second later when a tall man strode out of an inside office, coming towards her. She felt her heart rate pick up as he came to stand in front of her and she cursed herself for her weakness for handsome men, because this man was undoubtedly handsome with his messy hair, almond shaped eyes and strong face. He was dressed casually in a shirt and jeans, but he pulled it off somehow, making it seem like he was working here or was some sort of a council member as well. It wasn’t fair, but she was a professional and she kept her eyes impassive as she stared at him without showing any curiosity.
“This is the lady who came saying she is the reporter,” Destine said from the counter. “She said her name is Gabrielle Montague.”
“Miss Montague?” the man said.
“That’s me,” Gaby said, but she could feel a change in the atmosphere. Call it her intuition or whatever, but she wasn’t sensing anything friendly from this man, if anything there was a slight layer of hostility coming from him and she was prepared for it.
“Miss Montague,” he said in his deep voice (Curse him, she thought), “It appears there has been e a mistake.”
“A mistake?” she said.
“Yes, I don’t know if you are here to hijack someone’s interview but we were told that the reporter was a man and that we should expect him shortly.”
“A man?” she repeated and then cursed under her breath, “That bastard.”
“I beg your pardon?” the man said.
“No I mean, “Gabrielle said, finding herself tongue tied for a reason. “I assure you, I am the reporter that is supposed to come from the Daily News. It was a last minute change, which is probably why my editor…”
Simmons Brothers Series: Boxed Set Page 17
