Jack took one step forward and placed his hands over hers. “I will.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
Audra shifted their hands so she could hold his. “The celebration is in twelve days. When are you going to tell her?”
Jack dragged one hand over his close-cropped hair. “I’ll tell her tomorrow.”
Audra’s smile soothed him. “You’ll feel better once that’s behind you.”
Jack started to say he’d feel better once Founders Day was over, then remembered Audra would be leaving the next day. He’d never longed for something yet dreaded it so much at the same time.
CHAPTER 18
Darius tugged his office telephone toward him Tuesday morning. He tapped in Quincy’s old Trinity Falls University phone number from memory. It now belonged to the new history professor. He couldn’t think of her as Quincy’s replacement. No one could replace his childhood friend. As he waited for her to answer, Darius reviewed his Microsoft Outlook calendar for dates on which he could interview the faculty member for a feature article for the Monitor.
“Peyton Harris.”
Darius’s hand froze on his computer mouse. Dr. Harris’s warm, rich voice entered his blood like pure alcohol.
“Hello?” she prompted when Darius didn’t respond. Her voice was sharp.
He pulled himself together. “Dr. Harris, I’m Darius Knight. I’m a reporter with The Trinity Falls Monitor. Welcome to—”
“I’m not doing interviews.”
Darius had heard that line before. Ean had tried it about nine months ago when Darius wanted to do a story on his childhood friend returning to Trinity Falls and opening a solo law practice.
He looked away from his computer monitor to give the phone conversation his full attention. “I understand your reluctance to be interviewed—”
“No, you don’t.” Her voice cooled.
Darius hesitated. Her attitude took him by surprise. “I know a lot of people are uncomfortable being in the spotlight.”
“Then you’ll respect my decision not to be interviewed—”
“I won’t take much of your time, Dr. Harris.” Darius’s mind moved quickly. She sounded like she was going to hang up on him.
“This isn’t about time, Mr. Knight.”
“I can bring the photographer with me. We can do the interview and take the photo at the same time.” Darius brought Quincy’s old office to mind. It wasn’t exactly photogenic, but they could make something work.
“No. No photos.” Her response was fast and firm.
Darius’s brows knitted. Why was she so opposed to a simple interview? What was behind her aversion to having her picture taken? “I was hoping to do a feature on you. We’d need a photo to go with the article.”
“You won’t need a photo. There will be no article.”
“Dr. Harris, what’s this about?”
“It’s about the need for you to respect my wishes not to appear in your newspaper or any newspaper.” She spoke in a precise, measured voice. “I won’t grant any interviews to you or anyone else. There’s no need for publicity.”
Perhaps Darius should give up. For some reason, he couldn’t. Was it the reporter in him, refusing to let go of a story, or the man in him, responding to the sound of her voice?
“Dr. Harris, you’re new to Trinity Falls. We don’t often have people move into our community.” Usually, people moved out. “That alone makes you newsworthy. Add to that, you’re the newest addition to our local university’s faculty. Your neighbors will want to get to know you.”
“I’m sure I’ll meet them. They don’t need to read about me in your paper.”