Jamie: A Simmons Brothers Story

by Danielle Gray

  “Where have you been?” Gaby controlled her voice with effort. “Do you know how long I’ve been trying to reach you?”

  “Well sorry,” Joe said. “I just have to look after a whole newspaper press.”

  Gaby sighed. “It’s not that, just something happened.”

  “What happened?”

  Gaby explained what she had faced that morning and Joe cursed on the other side.

  “My stupid assistant must have forgotten to call them and tell them about the change. I can’t believe that happened, I’ll have to have a talk with her.”

  “That’s not the point,” Gaby said. “The point is, I am stuck without anything to do, because someone called Jamie Simmons wouldn’t let me do the interview. Apparently I was too close to being a fraud.”

  “Sensitive isn’t he?” Joe said. “Don’t worry, I’ll call him right now and tell him.”

  “That would be great,” Gaby said and after a pause added, “Thanks.”

  Joe hung up and Gaby ate her pasta, savoring every bite. She glanced at the clock and was sure that it would be near impossible for her to get the interview today so that was one day wasted. If only she had been more prepared, she could have started searching for some other piece of news, not to mention she wouldn’t have left her press credentials on her dresser, at home. But it didn’t matter; she was going to make the best of what was happening. She finished her dish and got up to finally leave. She figured instead of moping around, she should get back home and do something else productive, maybe work on her laptop and ask for Joe to send her something to edit or something. That had been her starting job at the newspaper; she had been in charge of editing articles, before she had gone onto becoming a full-fledged reporter.

  God she missed it. Suddenly as she walked towards the cottage, she couldn’t help but miss the rush that she had felt while she had worked in her office. It was something that she regretted, having been demoted for a couple of weeks according to Joe. Who knew if she would regain that same respect again?

  She walked towards the cottage, trying to keep herself distracted which worked all too well, because she walked straight into a wall of lean muscle. She staggered back and found herself face to face with the tetchy man from the council office whose name she now knew to be, Jamie Simmons.

  “Mr. Simmons,” she said stiffly.

  “How do you know my name?” Jamie Simmons asked with a raised eyebrow.

  She shrugged, getting a bit of pleasure from the annoyance that passed over his face. It was almost sinfully pleasurable to annoy him, it let her give him a taste of what he had done to her earlier that morning.

  “Miss Montague isn’t it?” he said.

  “Yes,” she said, without elaborating.

  “Well, I got off the phone with your editor,” he said and she could see where this was going. No wonder he looked so sour. Joe worked fast.

  “Is that so?” Gaby said, pretending to be calm. “I expect he explained everything to you.”

  “Yes he did, it seems there was a matter of miscommunication from your part,” he said bluntly.

  She almost saw red when he said that, did this man not have the audacity to stand there and pretend as if he hadn’t treated her at the last, disrespectfully? She almost wanted to say something, but then decided against it. He wasn’t worth it and she should be patient.

  “That’s good then. When can I start the interview then?” she asked.

  “Come tomorrow, after lunch,” he said. “At 3.”

  “Pretty late,” she commented.

  “That’s when he’s free, he has important things to take over in the morning,” Jamie responded.

  “Three is fine, thanks,” she said and then moved around him to walk towards the cottage.

  “Where are you staying?” he asked suddenly.

  “I’m in the cottage owned by Ms. Hay,” she figured that he would know the address like everyone else seemed to know, and wasn’t disappointed when he nodded.

  “I’ll contact you if there are any changes,” he said.

  She gave a brief nod and then turned her back to him. She didn’t quite know how to feel about their conversation, but she didn’t really care. She had scored her interview and once this interview was done, she would be free to do the research that she needed to.

  This was only first step.

  Chapter Four

  Jamie watched the reporter walk away from him, the haughty air about her being a dead giveaway to how much he had failed in being professionally firm with her. It was getting on his nerves that this girl had gotten the best of him, even after he had tried his best to be as forthcoming as possible. The moment that had part passed through his mind however, he could clearly hear Drew laughing in his head and telling his that he was lying to himself.

  Sometimes it was almost like Drew was his voice of reason. Of course the two eldest siblings stuck together, but Drew was everything that Jamie was not, which in an odd way, made him perfect to be his voice of reason.

  This time he ignored the Drew in his head and headed home so that he maybe he could relax and eat without having to worry about the council. Even as he said that, his cell rang and he picked it up.

  “Simmons here,” he said.

  “Simmons, it’s me,” came the voice of Councilman Hamilton.

  “Yes, Councilman,” Jamie said tiredly.

  “Did you talk to the reporter?”

  “I did,”

  “What did she say?”

  “She’ll be there after lunch to speak to you,” Jamie said. “Don’t worry; I apologized about the mix up and everything.”

  “That’s good,” Councilman Hamilton said. “I wouldn’t want any bad press.”

  Bad press? Jamie thought, but didn’t dwell on it. Instead he said,

  “Is that all?”

  “Yes,” Councilman Hamilton replied. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  The line went dead and Jamie put his cell into his pocket to continue walking home. It took him thirty minutes of walking but it was nothing compared to walking around the ranch. As he walked up the stairs of the farmhouse, he was greeted with the smell of roast beef which indicated that Lana was at it again.

  Two-thirds of the sibling patch was already there, with Drew lounging on the sofa and Pete helping Lana with the cooking. He went to sit beside Drew and asked,

  “Where’s Mark?”

  “He went off to have dinner with Cat,” Drew said. “Love you know.”

  “I do know, I went through that,” Jamie said snarkily.

  “Well well, what bee got into your bonnet?” Drew asked with interest.

  “No bee that you should concern yourself with.”

  “It wouldn’t be a certain reporter, would it?” Drew asked slyly.

  Jamie groaned inwardly, having forgotten that Drew had lines everywhere in town and was listening on each end.

  “Fine, yes, a reporter, she came by to interview and I didn’t like the look in her eyes.”

  “The look in her eyes?” Drew asked.

  “Yes, she seemed to have an agenda,” Jamie said uncomfortably. “I don’t know, there was something weird I couldn’t put my finger on.”

  “You’re imagining things,” said Drew. “Is she pretty? I might get her off your hands if she is.”

  “I am not going to resort to that just yet,” Jamie said. Drew, though charming, yielded a dangerous power to make women fall for him and the thought of this one, Gabrielle, falling for him, was suddenly not very attractive.

  “Have it your way, you know where to find me,” Drew said with a grin, before turning to the two in the kitchen. “Hurry up! I’m hungry you know.”

  “You can always take over if you want,” Pete retorted. “Then we can see how long it takes for you to burn down the kitchen.”

  Drew scowled at him, but Jamie said nothing, his mind already on the pretty young blond that may cause more trouble for him the next day.

  Gaby’s dinner wasn’t extravag
ant.

  The ingredients she had were great, but her morale was low so she just made herself a grilled cheese sandwich and settled in front of the television, munching on it as she watched her shows. But a few minutes later, she felt her focus leaving her as her mind wandered. Her mind went back to Jamie Simmons; that man continued to be thorn in her side. There was something he was hiding, she was sure of it. He had to have some agenda in mind.

  But she had won in the end; she had been the one who had ended up with the interview, so she was going to make perfect use of it. She was going to make sure this reflected the whole of her ability.

  Gaby placed the empty plate on the table and then lay back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. There was nothing to do for now, she could start working, but she didn’t want to think too much of work. Some sleep would be nice, she thought. It was a bit early, but she could get up early and go for a run.

  She liked the sound of that idea so she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, thinking of the interview.

  ***

  Gaby did nothing of what she had thought she would do. She woke up at eight and then destroyed two hours as she lazed around making breakfast for herself. She spent another hour in eating that breakfast and didn’t regret it one bit. She was thinking about the last time she had so much time to spend and it didn’t even come to her mind. She was always so busy that she never got the chance to enjoy herself and this was a welcomed change of pace. She liked it, but knew that she shouldn’t get too used to it.

  Finally as lunch time neared, she started the first processions of getting ready for it. At 1, she was ready to leave the house so that she could get some good exercise in, when the doorbell rang. She was surprised by it, but went readily to see who it was. It was Ms. Hay holding a plate of food for her.

  “Oh hello,” Gaby said taken aback.

  “Hello,” she said. “May I come in?”

  “Please do,” Gaby said.

  She moved aside for Ms. Hay to walk in and she did so, placing the food on the table and sitting down on one of the sofas.

  “I seem to have caught you on your way out,” she said.

  “It’s quite alright; I still have some time before I have to leave.”

  “That’s good then. I had some food, so I thought that I would give these dishes to you.”

  “Thank you for thinking of me,” Gaby said touched.

  “It’s no problem; I don’t usually have a lot a do.”

  “Have you lived here your whole life?” Gaby asked.

  “Oh yes, I have left very rarely. My sister used to be the traveler, but then she decided to settle down. And that was when I lost her, a dreadful thing, fate,” Ms. Hay said sadly.

  Gaby murmured her condolences and Ms. Hay stood up.

  “I’ve taken up enough of your time, please enjoy the food.”

  She left and Gaby sat down, taking the plate of food and unwrapping it. She ate the food, marveling at how delicious it was. Clearly Ms. Hay was a talented cook. Enjoying the food thoroughly, she left the dish in the sink to be washed later and stared at the clock. It was near two thirty and she figured she could leave now and wait at the office. That didn’t sound too bad.

  She left the house and took her time walking towards the office, reciting the questions in her mind. She was not going to be unprepared at all.

  ***

  At the office, she checked her watch and saw that she had ten minutes left. She shot Destine a smile and then took a seat, with her notepad and recorder out. She was not going to mess up her note taking either and she waited patiently for Destine to let her inside.

  Three o clock struck and the front door opened to show Jamie Simmons walking in. He saw her, didn’t say a word, and then went inside which suited her just fine. She wasn’t going to be offended by him any longer.

  A second later, Destine indicated at her and pointed at the door so she got up and walked through it. It led to an office and before she could look around, she was taken by the person standing in front of her, offering her a hand.

  “Hello, Miss Montague,” the man said. He had luxurious white hair and a ready smile. She immediately placed him as the councilman and she shook his hand firmly.

  “Hello Councilman,” she said.

  “I trust your journey here wasn’t full of rifts,” he said pleasantly as he sat down.

  She didn’t want to talk about the troubles she had faced so she only nodded and smiled, noting that Jamie Simmons stood in the corner, his eyes focused on her. Now that she had sat down, she looked around the office, seeing the marks of the Councilman as well as the images of his family on the table.

  She made a mental note to talk about it later but now she focused her attention on the councilman.

  “I’ll be recording the conversation,” she said. “If that’s alright with you.”

  “Of course.”

  Jamie Simmons twitched at that, but she pretended not to see him. Without any other issues, she started the interview. The councilman answered all of her questions easily and she tested him a few times, to see if he would crack, but he was perfect under pressure. She liked that, but that also meant that she wouldn’t be able to get anything juicy from him. That was a shame, but that hadn’t been her objective after all. After half an hour, she stopped and Jamie Simmons came forward.

  “Will that be all?”

  “No,” Gaby said, surprised at his gruffness. “I have to get some images of him as well some of his family.”

  “His family?” Jamie said sharply.

  “It’s a piece on the Councilman, of course I need to see his family,” she said obviously.

  “Of course, that’s a wonderful idea,” Councilman Hamilton interjected.

  “Alright,” Jamie said, not looking very happy. “I’ll take you there tomorrow.”

  “Why do you have to be there?” she asked rudely.

  “Because I’m his aide,” Jamie said. “I have to help him, so I’ll take you there tomorrow.”

  “Yes, that sounds great,” The Councilman said.

  Gaby didn’t say anything after that, but she could feel the frustration in the air. What was up with Jamie Simmons following the councilman around? Why was he so needed here? It was getting on her nerves, but she didn’t say anything as he escorted her out of the office. She was about to leave when he said, “How about I walk you to where you’re staying?” he asked. “That way I know where to pick you up from.”

  She shrugged, she didn’t really care about it and he didn’t say anything either as they walked out. The first part of their journey was quite boring with neither of them speaking and she was feeling the iciness in the air. What would she say to him, the two shared nothing in common! If anything, she hated him for being such a barrier in view of her journalistic endeavors.

  “How do you like it here in town?” he asked finally.

  “It’s quite peaceful,” she said. “I haven’t explored it fully yet, but I intend to as soon as the interview and other issues are seen to.”

  “That sounds nice, the town is intriguing to newcomers,” he said. “We do have some things to boast of.”

  “Have you lived here long?” she asked.

  “Most of my life,” he said. “I don’t live in town though; I own a ranch with my brothers just beyond the town.”

  “I thought you were the aide,” she said surprised.

  “I am an aide, out of hobby, not vocation. There’s no one qualified enough to take my post so I remained,” he said avoiding her gaze.

  That was strange, but she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, they had arrived at her house and he stopped as she walked up the stairs.

  “I’ll be here tomorrow at eleven,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Yes, goodnight,” she said.

  “Goodnight, Gabrielle.”

  It was only after he walked away that she realized that he had used her first name and shockingly she hadn’t hated that at all. She repeated her name, hearing it
as it had rolled out of his lips and felt her heart quicken.

  Head in the game Gaby, she reminded herself. You have more important things to focus on.

  Chapter Five

  He was prompt.

  Gaby was up and waiting for him and he didn’t disappoint as he drove up to her doorstep in a red truck. She gingerly got into it as he started the engine to head towards the ranch where Mr. Hamilton lived with his family.

  “Nice vehicle,” she said as the noise threatened to drown out her voice.

  “It’s a spare. I was going to bring my usual car but Drew, my brother, stole it.”

  “Does he do that often?”

  “No,” he said shortly.

  She figured something must have happened and so she didn’t question him. Instead, she took out the camera she had and practiced taking some images with it. The bad thing about being sent to a low budget job was that she didn’t have a camera man with her. All she got was a camera with which she had been instructed to take good images. She had half a mind to tear into Joe about it last night, but decided against it. How hard would it be to take images?

  She saw Jamie sneak peeks at her practicing with the camera and reluctantly put it back into her bag, thinking of what she was going to write. This second interview was only a formality; she just wanted some good images with the family and a tour around the ranch, so that she could make the story as family friendly and warming as possible. Jamie had said he had a ranch too, she couldn’t help but wonder what his looked like.

  He was characteristically quiet during the journey, something that didn’t surprise her. If there was something she knew about him, he preferred to keep to himself. It bothered her in a way and she couldn’t understand why.

  Maybe it was because his eyes could be so expressive. He could say all sorts of things through them and she was eager to find out more about him, if only she could get him to talk.

  They reached the ranch and instantly she was shocked to see how flashy and modern it was. It wasn’t that she was expecting it to be outdated, but everything about it screamed show off, in a way. She didn’t hate it, but the workers helping them get the car parked, somehow put her ill at ease.