Page 66 of Chasing Headlines
I poured more hot water into my mug as Dotty continued. “You're a beautiful young lady. I'm sorry your parents seem too preoccupied to invest much of themselves.”
“Too busy.” My heart panged as I watched the clear liquid turn a light amber color.
“Everyone is, you know. But, I'll let you in on a little secret.” She lowered her voice to loud whisper.
“Oh?”
“It's all hogwash.” She laughed.
I couldn’t help but giggle. “I think you're right. I mean, when you take a moment to just sit back and . . .”have tea with someone with a longer view of life. And really listen. “Consider the world around us. What are we chasing?”
“Oh, I'm too old to be chasing anything these days.” One eyebrow lifted. “What are you chasing?”
“Are you interviewingme, now?”
“Maybe an old lady wants to know who's really sitting across the table. Will Liv Milline listen if I tell her my story? And what will she hear? Will she learn something?” Her eyes danced. “Or will she assume it's all a bunch of?—”
“Hogwash?” I spooned the teabag from my cup, transferring it to the saucer.
She chuckled. “I really shouldn't be so dramatic.”
“You're allowed.” I sipped at my fresh mug of tea. “Be dramatic if you want.”
“But I'm not nearly so interesting, dear. Tell me more about you. Do you have a beau?”
“A boyfriend?” I swallowed hard to keep from sputtering. “No, no boyfriend. I don't . . .” The 'no time' excuse died on my lips.
“Let me guess: too busy?”
“I guess I just haven't prioritized it. I try not to focus on that so much, truthfully.”
“Broken heart?”
“Not really. Just, I dunno. It's kinda dumb. I'm being dumb.” I took another sip of tea.
“Are you really? Or are you just telling yourself that?” She placed another teabag in her mug and poured from her kettle. “Trying to minimize your feelings, with a bunch of hogwash?”
“You're good.”
“I've been around, Liv dear. So, tell Aunt Dotty all about your boy troubles.” Her voice crooned softly.
“I didn't say?—”
“Ah.” She gave me a smile that this time, it did reach her eyes. They glinted in the overhead lighting, hazel and gold. “You didn't have to, dear. You didn't have to.”
I packed up my notepad and phone into my backpack and headed for the front desk. A part of me silently willed grumpy guardian Cooper to no longer be there. Honestly, how he ended up here defied all logic in my brain. Most work-study programs were fulfilled on campus. Athletes, specifically ones of his caliber, usually received full rides, I thought?Why’s he here?
I was not born under a lucky star, apparently. The horse's ass hunched over his textbook. One hand shoved his hair from his forehead. An overhead light bathed him in its amber glow.
My heart thudded in its ribcage as I remembered words I'd told Dotty not an hour before.
“I used to have the worst kind of crush on him.”
He wore a thermal shirt under his scrubs, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. Cream colored fabric stretched taut over his triceps. The bulging extensors in his forearms—on a different guy, not Cooper—were the kind I'd dreamed of feeling?—
“You need to sign out.” His deep voice called over his shoulder.
Ugh. I trudged over to the counter. Why were we like this? “Need my ID again?”