Free In It to Win It by Morgan Kearns Page A

little frazzled.”
    “ My mom saw the magazine.”
    He nodded that he understood, but didn’t say anything else. He didn’t need to; he’d been witness to more than one of her rants. “You ready?”
    “ Yeah, let’s do this,” she said, donning her red KHB winter coat.
     
    THE STATION WAS BUZZING WHEN SHE AND Nate walked through the door. Nearly every face wore an innocent expression that screamed guilty . More than one person quickly shoved a magazine in their desk or under a notebook or … one idiot even threw their copy in the garbage. Only to retrieve it once she’d passed.
    Nate sat on the corner of her desk and plowed a hand through his hair. “So, um … do you think … I mean … would it be okay…?”
    She laughed and held her hand out, palm up. “Should I make it out to you or Roxy?”
    He placed three magazines in her hand. “Roxy’s fine. Unless you wanted to make one out to ‘the best photographer a girl could ever want’.”
    Jane quickly autographed the front covers, addressing them just as he’d requested. “If these show up on EBay I will kick your ass.”
    At well over six feet with shoulders that nearly brushed door jambs, she didn’t stand a chance in physical warfare, but he still had the decency to feign fear. He stood and lifted the magazines. “Thanks for these. You’re a good sport, Jane.”
    “ Ya know, this is totally ridiculous,” she told him, rolling her eyes dramatically. “Nobody cares who I am, really. They only care that I might be banging Grayson.”
    He raised a brow and the corner of his mouth quirked. She glared at him, knowing exactly where his thoughts had just taken him.
    “ No, I am not banging Grayson. And don’t want to be.”
    Liar, his look said.
    “ Go to hell, Nate … and say hello to Grayson when you get there.”

 
    6
     
     
     
    “… A ND THE LAST THING I NEED FROM YOU is a location,” Jane said to Nate.
    They were driving along in the news vehicle; him driving, her in the passenger seat with a notebook in her hand. Nate didn’t respond, although Jane knew he’d heard her. That was what Nate did when he was thinking. While his mind churned with thoughts, Jane went down her list.
    Cake, check. Food—sandwiches (made by a sandwich shop)—check. Decorations—She and Molly had gone crazy at the party store.—check.
    Finally Nate said, “Well … I really want Gracie to be there.”
    “ Of course.” It was completely appropriate to have the daughter of the birthday girl attending. “So we should probably do a Saturday afternoon, huh?”
    He nodded, but again drifted into his thoughts and fell silent. “I guess the park’s out.”
    “ Unless we want to freeze our butts off.”
    “ Yeah.” He chuckled. His glanced at her quickly out the corner of his eye before staring out the windshield again. “I don’t suppose you’d like to have it at your place.”
    She turned in her seat and gaped at him. “You’ve seen my place. It’s not near big enough for the shindig you’re planning. Or the shindig I’m planning—according to your instructions.”
    “ You’re probably right. I guess we could ask Dale if we could use Studio B.”
    “ That’d be real fun for the kids,” she said sarcastically.
    “ Why don’t we just do it at Chuck E. Cheese then,” he retorted, the muscle in his jaw jumping.
    She laughed and after a moment he did too. “It’s not that hard,” she said. “What’s wrong with your house?”
    “ That is an option, but I’d rather not have to do it there.” He slapped his forehead with his palm. “I know the perfect place.”
    “ Where?” she asked as he whipped his phone out.
    He pressed a button and the quick beeps of the speed dial rang out. With the speakerphone on, he popped his cell on the dash and waited for an answer.
    “ Hey, man,” Rich Spencer answered.
    “ Rich, I need a favor,” Nate said without preamble. “Can we use your house for Roxie’s surprise party?”
    There was a