Chapter Four:
Casey placed the final story back into the folder and sighed. He hated to admit it, but Phoebe was right. Theo had been hard on PT Thorn. A little too hard, in Casey’s opinion. He understood the editor’s desire to improve the man’s stories, but some of the changes seemed designed to frustrate the writer. Theo had never been this hard on him or any of the other journalists he knew.
As he brushed his teeth and got ready for bed, he thought about the look on Phoebe’s face when she’d handed him the files. There had been something odd about her expression. He’d seen reluctance, sure, but also a hint of fear. Why would she be afraid to have him read the edited stories? What was she hiding?
He turned off the bathroom light and headed for bed. It had been a long day and he was tired. The best thing for him to do now was to get a good night’s sleep. In the morning he’d review his recent stories, like Phoebe had suggested, and see if they could be improved. A sudden thought stopped him in his tracks. What if Theo had gone easy on him because he didn’t have faith in Casey’s writing?
He sighed and shook his head. No way. The man had taken him under his wing and mentored him. Theo was direct with his praise and his critiques and didn’t pull any punches. There was some other reason why he’d been so hard on PT Thorn.
Casey was a damn good journalist and part of being a journalist was digging to get the real story. He’d figure out what was going on with Phoebe, whether she liked it or not.
“Good morning Sarah. How are you doing today?” Casey had decided to visit the animal shelter before heading to work. The animals always calmed his nerves and he was planning to speak with Phoebe again, so he needed all the calming he could get.
“Great, Casey. How about you?”
Casey shrugged. “Things are weird at work, but I’m determined to make them better.”
Sarah smiled and nodded. “That’s the Casey we know and love. I’ve never seen you give up on anything or anyone. You always have a positive attitude and it’s infectious—in a good way,” she laughed.
“Thanks, Sarah. I’ve been feeling a bit off my game lately, so I appreciate the positive feedback.”
“Any time. Now, how can I help you today, Casey?”
“Well, I woke up this morning thinking about Cocoa. I’d like to spend some time with her, if that’s okay.”
“Well, I’m sorry, Casey, but you’re too late.”
His heart stopped and his mouth fell open. For once, he had no words and stood there, gaping at her.
Sarah’s eye widened and she lifted her hands in the air. “No, Casey! Not like that. She was adopted last night.”
Casey’s shoulders sagged and he placed his hands over his heart. “Oh, my word, Sarah. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, Cocoa is fine. More than fine, actually. She’s finally got a forever home and I know the woman who adopted her will make sure she’s healthy and happy.”
“That’s great. I’m glad to hear it.” He paused, unsure what to do now. Sensing his confusion, Sarah threw him a lifeline.
“We did get some kittens in late last night. They haven’t been examined by the vet yet, but you’re welcome to check them out. There’s nothing like a litter of kittens to bring a smile to your face.”
He laughed and shook his head. “You’re not reeling me in today, Sarah. I know myself. If I get anywhere near those kittens, I’ll lose track of time and end up spending hours with them. Nope, I’m going to have to face the lioness in her den without a cute pet fix. I can do this.”
“I know you can. But surely your boss isn’t that bad, is she?”
He paused and considered her question for a moment. “It’s not that she’s bad. She’s not. But there’s some kind of tension between us. There always has been. We just can’t seem to talk to each other without one of us getting upset or hurt.” He sighed. “I can calm a feral cat who’s been abused, but no matter what I say or do, the boss gets her fur ruffled.”
Sarah eyed him, a sly grin on her face.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Sounds like you like her.”
Casey sputtered. “What? No! No way. It’s not like that. Not at all.” He quickly turned to leave, muttering, “See you later, Sarah.”
He could hear her laughter follow him all the way out the door.
“Morning, Josiah,” Casey greeted his friend and fellow journalist.
“Good morning, Casey. You look like you just saw a ghost. Everything okay?” Josiah leaned back in his chair and waited for him to answer.
“Of course. Everything’s fine,” he mumbled.
Josiah’s eyes narrowed and he sat forward in his chair. “I don’t believe you, buddy.”
Casey shrugged. “It’s nothing, really. Just something someone said to me. It’s not important.” He sat down and turned to his friend. “Anything happening here?”
“If you’re asking if the boss is in, yes she is. And she seems to be in a good mood. Don’t ruin it,” he warned.
“Who, me? How and why would I ruin her good mood?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It seems like you upset her just by existing.”
Casey sighed. “Yeah. It seems that way, all right.”
Josiah watched him for a few minutes, then stood up. “Okay, I can tell you’re about to ruin her mood so I’m going to present my new idea first. Once she gives me the okay, you can feel free to mess things up for everyone else.”
Casey gave him a thumbs up, then ran his hand over his face. His friend didn’t know it, but he’d given him a reprieve. He now had an excuse to put off his talk with Phoebe. For a little while at least. He pulled up his scheduled and focused on work, ignoring the little voice in his head that wondered if Sarah was right.
Casey was standing, staring out the window when Josiah exited Phoebe’s office. Her laughter followed his friend out the door and he turned to see him coming towards him, a big grin on his face.
“Things went well, it seems,” he muttered as they both returned to their desks.
“Better than expected, my friend. Better than expected.”
“What does that mean?” he asked, staring as his friend continued to grin.
“Mind your business,” Josiah teased. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Casey sat watching him, arms crossed over his chest, but soon realized Josiah wasn’t going to tell him anything. It was his turn to enter the editor’s office. He was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be leaving with a secretive smile like his buddy, but there was no getting around it.
“Hey Case,” Josiah said, softly, as Casey reluctantly stood up.
“Yeah?”
“Take it easy on her. She’s got a lot on her plate.”
“When am I not easy on her?” He felt his anger rising.
Josiah raised his hands in the air and shrugged. “I’m just saying. You two seem to bring out the worst in each other. It wouldn’t hurt to get your mind straight, first.”
His anger dissipated as quickly as it had risen. “I hear you. I truly don’t know what it is about me that sets her off.” He shook his head.
Josiah’s chuckle startled him. “You set each other off, Case. There’s something between you that needs to be resolved. But neither of you seem to be willing to deal with it.”
“What do you suggest, oh wise sage? Should we hold hands and sing Kumbaya? Or maybe we should take a yoga class together. One of the ones with tiny goats that jump on you while you exercise.”
“I think being an adult and having an honest discussion would be wise, but if that doesn’t work, the goat thing sounds like it might be fun.”
Casey laughed and nodded. He picked up his notepad and pen. “Thanks, Josiah. I actually do feel better.” He took a deep breath. “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck, my friend. You’ve got this!”
When he reached Phoebe’s office, he took another deep breath before he knocked on the door.
“Come in,” she called out. He was surprised, so he carefully opened the door, worried she might be upset when she saw it was him.
“Hey Phoebe. It’s me. Casey.” He felt his face flame and kicked himself for sounding like a fool.
“I can see that, come in and have a seat,” she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement and her lips turning up at the edges.
“Um, okay.” He was confused. Very confused. So very confused that he stumbled and dropped his notepad. “Darn,” he muttered. As he bent to pick it up, something brushed against his arm, causing him to yelp in surprise.
He stood up slowly, heart pounding, wondering if he was dreaming. No, it was real. Phoebe was laughing. He plopped down in a chair, unsure what to say or do. She looked so happy, he didn’t want to risk ruining it, so he stayed silent.
Phoebe looked down at something behind her desk. She patted her lap and a small, chocolate-colored chihuahua jumped up and licked her face, getting her started on another round of giggling.
“No way,” he whispered.
Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. “What? Are you surprised I have a dog?”
He cleared his throat. “Yes. No. I mean, I’m surprised you have that dog. That’s Cocoa, from the shelter, right?”
Her mouth dropped open and she caressed the little, squirming dog while she stared at him, apparently speechless.
“It is Cocoa, isn’t it? If it’s not her, they could be twins.” This time, when he said her name, the dog yipped. She jumped down, ran around the desk and jumped into Casey’s arms. “Cocoa,’ he said, laughing as he tried to avoid getting doggy lick in his mouth. “I knew that was you.”
The ice was back in Phoebe’s voice when she asked, “How do you know Cocoa?”
“I’ve spent many an evening trying to get her to eat ever since her owner passed and the family deserted her.” He scowled as he snuggled the small dog in his arms. “Some people just don’t get it, do they, Cocoa? You’re the greatest gift in the world. It’s totally their loss that they didn’t keep you. Right, girl? Yeah.”
After a few moments he realized Phoebe hadn’t said a word. He looked up to find her staring at him, a strange look on her face. When their eyes met, they held for a moment, but then she shook her head, breaking eye contact, and started fussing with some papers on her desk.
Cocoa started to wiggle so he set her on the floor, and she ran over to a dog bed beside Phoebe’s desk. She turned in a circle three times, then turned in the other direction a couple of times. Finally, she settled down for a doggy nap.
“What was it you needed, Casey?” Her voice was soft, and surprised by everything that had just happened, it took him a moment to remember why he was there.
“Oh, um, I just wanted to let you know I read through the files you gave me. Your grandfather was really hard on P.T. Thorn, which surprised me, because that’s not the man I’m used to. But he knew what he was doing, for sure. P.T. Thorn’s writing ability skyrocketed. Apparently, Theo knew the best way to get the best out of him.”
Phoebe frowned. “Him? The best out of him?”
“Yes, him. P.T. Thorn,” Casey said, frowning. He was even more confused when she started to laugh.
“Oh, sorry. Of course,” she cleared her throat. “Him is P.T. Thorn. What else did you learn from the files?”
“Well, I went back through some of my recent stories, keeping Theo’s edits in mind, and sure enough, there were some places where I was phoning it in.” He swallowed hard before he continued. “If you have time, I’d like to rewrite some of them and have you critique them for me. This is the career I want, and I want to continue to write for the Thorsonville Tribune. But I need to earn that right. Will you help me, Phoebe?”
“I thought you’d never ask, Casey. I have a special project that I think you’d be perfect for.” She looked fondly at Cocoa who was gently snoring in her bed. “It won’t be easy and there are some rules you might not like, but I promise it will be good for your career. And good for the newspaper.” She looked up at him and his world turned upside down when she asked, “What do you say, Casey? Are you in?”
