“And… your job at The Wedding Report?” He leaned over and rested his elbows on the desk.
“Great,” she said.
“I said nothing before, but I heard about what happened at your last job.”
Chantelle relaxed in her chair and crossed her legs. That was the downside of social media. There was no hiding from the public. Hiding under a rock was the best way to stay unnoticed. “I only told my family the details. I hope that didn’t spread through town like wildfire.”
“I only know because Sadie follows you online. She saw your name mentioned in a story about it,” he said.
Chantelle had been grateful for the friendship she had with his daughter. “She reached out to me so I appreciate her. I hope...” She looked down at her lap, but then lifted her chin. “I hope I didn’t embarrass the town too much.”
Seemed as if Chantelle was always embarrassing the town. Her teen pregnancy. Eloping with Lance. The miscarriage. Their divorce.
Mr. Perkins cocked his head to the side. “Delta Heights knows you. I didn’t believe a word those trolls said online. Half of them wouldn’t dare say it to your face, anyway.”
Chantelle’s heart felt full. “Thank you. I’m glad you think so.”
“You have a good heart and you’re a talented writer. You know what I’m going to ask you, right?” He raised his eyebrows.
Chantelle held back her smile. “You ask me every time I come here.”
“It’s a great idea. I can’t think of a better person.”
“I don’t think so, Mr. P.” Move back to Delta Heights and run the newspaper. Chantelle had worked too hard for her life in Chicago. How could she give that up?
“You won’t know unless you come back. I’m retiring soon and I need someone I can trust. You have the heart of a writer, but you’re a leader too. You can take Delta Heights Press to a new level.”
Chantelle laughed. “That would be something.” Running her own newspaper? That would be a dream come true. “I’ll think about it. Will that work?”
He pointed to her. “You could do it.”
“I see why my father was friends with you.”
“He was… the best friend I ever had.” His gaze turned serious. “If you need anything, let me know. I’m always here for you.”
She met his stare and caught his wink at her. “Thank you.”
***
Balls dropped and rolled on the wooden floor of Delta’s Bowling Alley. Chantelle laced her shoes. Music blared through the loudspeakers while she listened to friendly trash talk between friends bowling together. She hadn’t been too keen on hanging out with Elise and her friends, but to keep her mind off Lance, she agreed to a girls’ night out with her sister-in-law.
Dimmed and neon lights for the glowing balls caught her eyes. Electronic score boards hung from the ceiling, while Elise sat at the machine entering their names for the upcoming game. Chantelle’s stomach growled as she stood to her feet, so she would visit the concession stand soon.
“Okay, I have Chantelle and me against Cheryl and Krista.” Elise announced.
“I’m not competitive,” Krista said with a wink of her eye. She pulled back her jet black curls into a ponytail.
“I am.” Cheryl’s eyes scanned the group. “No offense. I play to win, but I have good sportsmanship.”
Chantelle giggled, walking over to choose her bowling ball. She spotted a few bowling teams in matching shirts high-fiving each other. Her dad had been on one of those same teams when he was alive. He loved the game and taught it to Chantelle. She wouldn’t disclose that to Elise’s friends, but she was sure that was why her sister-in-law picked her for her own team.
Sauntering back over to their lane, Chantelle fastened her grip on her neon pink bowling ball. “Are we ready?”
“You’re up,” Elise said. She bit her bottom lip as if to hide her grin.
Chantelle inched up to the lane with her eyes lowering to the floor. Recalling the techniques her father taught her, she released her ball and watched it glide down the lane. Tilting her head to the side with her hands on her hips, she watched the perfect strike unfold as all the pins fell over. Moseying back to her seat, she caught Krista and Cheryl staring at her performance.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Cheryl said.