Free Morning Glory - A Novelette by S.L. Scott Page A

into my office and shut the door. The door is a barrier that gives me a sense of peace—usually from the real ities of working at a chaotic television news station. But today, it’s protecting me. I hope my humiliation is hidden from the keen eyes of the reporters who reside on the other side.
    The hours slip by as I bury myself in my duties until there’s a soft knock at my door. Nick peeks his head in before I have time to answer. He smiles, and it’s sympathetic. I’m conflicted by how I feel seeing that emotion on him.
    “Hey there. How are you doing today?”
    “Good.” My automatic answer. “Were you in the field this morning?”
    He walks in and shuts the door behind him then takes a seat on the other side of my desk. “Yeah. Filmed two stories. You want to grab lunch?”
    I glance at my monitor and the two-hundred emails I have left to handle . Marketing for the top-rated station in the city keeps me busy. “Um, I should work.”
    “Are you mad?”
    “Why would I be mad?”
    “I don’t know.” He shrugs, obviously uncomfortable.
    We don’t normally dance around our feelings. “What’s going on?”
    “Nothing.”
    He evades, so I insist. “Tell me.”
    He stands and walks to the door. “I’m sure you’re busy. I’ll let you get back to wo—”
    “You open that door, and I’ll ban you from Wednesday night bar-hopping.”
    “You wouldn’t.” He narrows his eyes to test me.
    I lean back in my chair and cross my arms over my chest. I can play hardball, too. “I so would.”
    “You don’t play fair, Hayley Girl.”
    “And you’re keeping secrets.”
    “Fine.” He holds the doorknob, ready for a quick getaway. I might need to prepare myself for what he’s about to say. “I’m thinking about asking someone out on a date.”
    I’m not prepared for that. “What? When did you have time to meet someone?”
    “New Year’s.”
    “You met someone from the party? Before you took me home?”
    “You make it sound so sordid.” He releases the knob and leans back against the door.
    I sit forward, surprised by his little bombshell. “I don’t mean to. I’m just shocked, I guess. I don’t remember you even talking to anyone else at the party. You know, before we left.”
    Suddenly, he’s defensive, and I’m not sure why. He crosses his arms and says, “That’s because the night was about you, Hay.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “It means that as soon as Alejandro left, it was all about you. I’m not complain—”
    “It sure sounds like you are.”
    “Don’t be this way. I’m just saying I was talking to someone before I had to leave .”
    “Le ave to babysit me, you mean?”
    He opens the door. “I’m gonna go. This isn’t why I came in here.”
    “Why did you then, Nick?”
    “I need to go.” He walks out the door, but before he shuts it, he says, “I didn’t come here to fight with you. I just wanted to check on how you were doing.”
    My stubborn side makes an appearance , and I sit upright. I grab the papers in front of me and straighten them by tapping them on my desk. “Well, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
    “Okay, fine,” he replies. He closes the door behind him.
    I close my eyes and spin around in my chair, my back toward the door just in case he decides to come back. “Damn it!” I drop my head into my hands. The tears come easily these days, and roll down my cheeks. I think of my boyfri… my ex , and I think about Nick. He’s always here for me. Always, and yet I just treat ed him so poorly.
    I jump from my chair and run out the door to search the newsroom for him. When I run to the back lot, I spot him. He’s packing his camera into the back of the news van.
    “Nick!”
    Looking over his shoulder, he sees me then turns back to the reporter, Greg Grayson, who’s standing next to him. I overhear Nick say, “I’ll be right back.”
    He walks over to me. When he gets there, he doesn’t say anything, though I know he’s