About the Boy (8 page)

“Ahh,” Lucas said in acknowledgment. “That’s the boy she was talking about?”

“Yeah, turned out it was Rusty,” Katie admitted with a chuckle. “But let’s just say Aunt Gracie’s version was subject to interpretation, or maybe translation is a better word. Anyway, she couldn’t understand why I was so surprised at the news since she thought she’d already told me, but since I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about at the time…” Katie’s voice trailed off and she shrugged. “I don’t do…gibberish very well I’m afraid. So since then, like I said, I don’t necessarily believe, but I don’t disbelieve in it, either.”

“I’ll make sure to remember that.”

Aware that he was pressed for time, Katie pulled another folder loose from the pile on her lap. “These are copies of the weekly ‘Police Beat’ column the newspaper runs. Every week I meet with the police chief and we discuss any crimes or problems from the prior week.”

“I can’t imagine there’s enough crime in town to warrant one column, let alone a year’s worth.” The worst crime he’d encountered since he’d taken over was old Mrs. Hennighan forgetting which house was hers and wandering into others.

Or the local teens making a pathetic attempt to drag race down the measly two-block area that comprised Main Street.

But he hardly thought that was worthy of being written up in the newspaper.

“It’s not just to report crimes, Lucas. The column is also a tool for you to speak directly to all the residents on a somewhat personal level. I think it will help bridge the gap as you get to know people. Believe it or not, just from reading that column, people will form an opinion of you and feel as if they already know you whether they do or not.”

He nodded. “Okay, but what kinds of things go in this ‘Police Beat’ column?”

Katie thought about it for a moment. “Well, last spring for example, the last week of school, during finals, the police chief wrote an article explaining it was the last week of school and finals were in progress, which meant students wouldn’t be coming and going at the usual times, so drivers should be particularly aware that children could be coming out or going into the school all during the day. And possibly riding their bikes, skateboards, or even just on foot, so he wanted every driver to pay particular attention while in the school zone.”

“That’s an excellent idea, Katie,” Lucas said, nodding his head. “I think a friendly reminder that cars and drivers have to share the road with others can’t be repeated too often.” He opened the folder. “Let me review some of the articles and let you know when I come up with an idea for next week’s column, unless you already have something in mind?” he asked, glancing up at her.

“Please, I have enough trouble coming up with ideas for my own columns, let alone others. Feel free to write about anything you want.”

“Will do. Now when do you need this article?”

“I’m afraid I’ll need it no later than a week from today.” She leaned forward, then hesitated, wanting to be helpful, but not intrusive. “Lucas, sometimes if someone hasn’t had much experience writing they sort of go brain-dead when they start, especially knowing they need a certain number of words in a certain period of time.”

“Now you are scaring me,” Lucas said with a laugh.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” She paused for a moment. “I guess the best advice I can give you is to merely write in the same conversational tone you talk in. Keep it friendly and informal—informational, but not preachy.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to write this?” he asked, and she held up her hands.

“No, thanks. I’ve got enough on my plate right now.” She pulled one more file loose from her pile. “Now, there’s just one more thing and then I’ll let you get back to work.” She glanced up at him and felt her heart tumble over at the way he was looking at her. “I do a column every week called ‘Getting to Know You.’ It’s probably the most personal and popular column in town. Each week I interview a resident of the town and ask questions that maybe no one has ever thought of asking. It’s a way for the town to get to really know more about their citizens and a way for the citizens to sort of connect with the community.” She hesitated for a moment, gathering her courage. Considering the reaction she’d gotten the first night they’d met, when he’d learned she was a reporter and accused her of snooping, she had no idea how he’d react to an official request for an interview. “I was wondering if you’d give me an interview for next week’s column? Since you’re new in town I thought it would be a fabulous way for everyone in town to get to know you.”

She had no idea why she was suddenly so nervous. Maybe because she had a gut feeling that Lucas wasn’t going to like this idea, wasn’t going to like the idea of her asking him questions—
personal
questions.

She had a horrible feeling he was going to think she was merely
snooping
again when nothing could be further from the truth.

While she’d admit to herself she was curious about his past, curious about a great many things about Lucas and his life before he came to Cooper’s Cove, that didn’t mean she wanted to start snooping or prying into his life or his business.

She’d always felt that if any relationship, even a friendship, was to grow and prosper there had to be trust between the people involved. Without trust, there could never be any kind of relationship, simply because all relationships had to be built on the solid foundation of mutual trust.

And if Lucas didn’t trust her enough to give her an interview, to answer questions about his past, then what?

She honestly didn’t know, which was probably why she found herself holding her breath.

“Katie.” He only said her name, but the tone of his voice set off alarm bells inside of her. “Do you mind if I shut my door so we can talk privately?”

“Uh…. no. Not at all,” she said, clutching her files and folders with nervous hands. Private. He wanted to talk in private so maybe he was finally going to talk to her about himself, his past, about all the things that any woman would naturally be curious about, especially a woman who found her young son smitten with the man, to say nothing about the amount of time Lucas would be spending with Rusty.

She wanted to know this information for Rusty’s sake, she told herself. She had a responsibility as a parent to make certain she knew everything about the adults her son associated with and she didn’t think it was unreasonable for her to want to know more about Lucas’s background.

It was simply parental common sense.

But from the look on his face as he rounded his desk and quietly shut his office door, she didn’t think he was going to see it that way.

When he shut the door, all sound from the outer offices and hallways was instantly silenced, and it seemed as if they were suddenly alone in the world.

And Katie wished the idea of being all alone with him didn’t make her so…twitchy.

Instead of retreating back behind his desk, Lucas grabbed the empty chair next to her, pulled it closer and turned it so he was facing her, then sat down.

For a moment, he said nothing. He merely looked at her until she was certain she was going to start fidgeting under his riveting gaze. There was something intensely male about that look of his, Katie mused, something that made her respond and feel on a level that was instinctively primal and entirely female.

Perhaps that’s why just being around him unnerved her so.

“Katie,” he finally said, reaching for one of her damp hands and cradling it in his own. “I think it’s very important for us to keep these relationships separate, so to speak.”

“Separate?” She shook her head as he gently stroked the skin of her hand with his thumb. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Let’s see if I can explain this.” He hesitated a moment as if gathering his thoughts. “In our professional lives, I’m the chief of police, and you’re a reporter and the managing editor of the town’s only newspaper.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “Well, thank you for pointing that out, Lucas, but I wasn’t really confused about our titles or roles.”

“Well that’s what I want to talk to you about. Our roles. Everyone plays different roles depending on who they’re with and the circumstances. When I’m with Rusty, acting as his buddy, I’m not the police chief any more than when you’re at home, supervising his homework, you’re not acting as a reporter, but as his mother. I guess what I’m saying is that I think it’s vitally important for Rusty’s sake, and for our own, that we keep our professional and personal lives separate.”

“I don’t think I understand, Lucas.” She blew out a breath, feeling a thread of annoyance begin to unravel. “I don’t know how to separate myself. One minute a reporter. One minute a mother. I’m both of those things at the same time.” And had worked damn hard to be able to do both well.

“True, just as I’m the chief and Rusty’s buddy at the same time. But it’s very important that we not let anything that happens say…in our professional lives, any disagreements or differences of opinion we have in our professional lives interfere in our personal lives. I think to do so might end up hurting Rusty, something I don’t think either of us want to do.”

“Okay,” Katie began slowly, desperately trying to understand what he was saying by all the things he
wasn’t
saying. “If I understand you correctly, what you’re saying is that we can’t let anything that happens in our professional lives affect the way we relate in our personal lives as it pertains to Rusty, right?”

“No,” Lucas said slowly, meeting her confused gaze. “As it relates to
anything,
not just Rusty.”

Katie nodded, a sense of dread unfolding inside. She had a feeling she already knew what the bottom line of all of this was, and she wasn’t particularly happy about it.

“This is your way of saying you’re not going to let me interview you for the ‘Getting to Know You’ column, isn’t it? And as the managing editor of the newspaper, you don’t want me to hold it against you or let my feelings about your refusal impact your position as Rusty’s buddy? Have I got this right?”

He nodded. He couldn’t tell her that there was no way he could bare his soul and the horrendous scars of his past to anyone, let alone a reporter. It just was never going to happen, no matter what the reasons.

He had a powerful distrust of the press—and was wary of the power they wielded. Reporters were masters of shaping words to tell the story they wanted to tell, regardless of the truth, or how it impacted the people they were writing about.

He’d been burned so many times after his family’s death, burned by the press and their desire to get a story simply to boost their ratings. At times, they made up their facts, using bits and pieces of the truth, and huge fragments of lies.

So why one earth would he ever want to give another interview? It wouldn’t heal his scars, or bring back his family, or lighten the guilt he’d carried around for so long now he feared it had become a permanent part of him.

He had nothing to gain. And everything to lose. He’d moved to Cooper’s Cove to get a fresh start, to try to put the past behind him and start anew.

So why would he invite a reporter to start digging into his life all over again?

There simply was no sense or point to it.

But from the look on Katie’s face, trying to get her to understand his reasons without actually telling her his motives was going to be difficult.

So he chose his words carefully. “I don’t want my refusal to do an interview with you to affect or impact my relationship with Rusty. I don’t think that would be fair to him. Not giving interviews—ever—is a personal choice and a private matter. It has nothing whatsoever to do with my being Rusty’s buddy. Or, quite frankly, with you as Rusty’s mother. Do you understand that?” He waited until she nodded, but clearly she still wasn’t convinced. “Katie, it wouldn’t matter who the managing editor or the reporter asking was, I wouldn’t give them an interview under any circumstances. It goes against my own personal policy. So I guess what I’m saying is just because you happen to be both Rusty’s mom and the managing editor, I don’t want one to prejudice or influence the other. I plan on spending a lot of time with Rusty, and as his mother it’s only natural that some of that time will also be spent with you. It could be very uncomfortable for all of us if we allow our professional disagreements or differences to interfere with our personal relationships.”

“Lucas, do you really think I’d let your refusal to give me an interview interfere in your relationship with my son?” She stared at him curiously, desperately trying not to be hurt. “Do you think so little of me that you don’t think I can separate my responsibilities for my son’s well-being from my responsibilities to the paper?”

“Katie,” he said, his voice husky as he reached for her other hand and held both tightly. “This honestly has nothing to do with
you.
I hope you believe me on that. I truly believe you are a responsible, respectful, ethical professional. And probably very good at your job.”

“I am,” she confirmed proudly.

“But as I told you last night, I believe in keeping my private life just that—private. And I guess what I’m asking is for you to accept my feelings about this, and not let it color your judgment toward me about being Rusty’s buddy. One really doesn’t have anything to do with the other.”

“Lucas, do you really think that’s totally fair? I understand that you want your privacy. I understand that you want to keep your personal life to yourself. But think about something. If you had a son, would you want someone you barely knew, who refused to tell you anything about his private life, spending time with him?”

His face changed. In an instant it drained of color and she knew she’d hit some kind of nerve. The problem was she didn’t quite know which one. He’d already told her last night he didn’t have any children. So why was he so secretive about his personal life? And why did the mere mention of his having a son make his face go white?

In her experience as a reporter, and as a woman, anyone who refused to tell you something usually was trying to hide something.