Mystic Ridge by Lucy Lever

Author:Lucy Lever
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQ Fiction
Published: 2023-05-19T00:00:00+00:00

31

Leo

I was hungry enough to finish my lunch and Claire’s, but I ate automatically, lost in thought. I understood her point of view. She wanted me to come down on her side rather than sit on the fence. I was already there, less than impressed by what I knew of Ruby Perez and in favour of saving an ecosystem that, for all I knew, could be thousands of years old. But at the same time, I had a job to do and my job required me to seek out both sides of the story. I had to speak to Ruby, and quite a few other people as well. I wanted to interview Claire properly. I should have been up front with her about it. It was a problem to be so emotionally entangled with someone I wanted to write about.

I pulled my mobile out of my pocket to call Gaby, then thought better of it after encountering Artemis’s icy stare. She obviously regarded making a call in her establishment tantamount to lighting a cigarette. How could the business survive with so little patronage? There were now three other tables of people I recognised as locals, but there were queues outside Food every breakfast and lunch time. I made a mental note to return when I had less on my mind and offer some advertorial space to The Long Black Veil.

‘That was delicious,’ I said to Artemis as I paid the bill, handing over most of Claire’s contribution as a tip. She rewarded me with a rare smile and I felt a little lighter as I left. They were playing Nick Cave’s ‘Into My Arms’, and I had a sudden vision of Claire, breathtaking in a crimson bridal dress with masses of white lilies pinned to her hair.

I banished the image and called Gaby as soon as I was outside.

‘Can I interview you about endangered plant communities? For a story?’

‘This wouldn’t have something to do with our new friend, would it?’ she asked slyly.

‘It might. But it’s a great story, regardless.’

‘Have you seen her? Jake’s off the scene again?’ Gaby was persistent. She would have made a first-class detective.

‘I’ve just had lunch with her.’

‘And?’

‘I think I offended her.’

‘Leo! Let me guess. She thought you wanted a chance to spend time with her and then you told her you needed some quotes for your story.’

‘Something like that.’

‘Let me give you some advice, brother. Mixing work and romance is a recipe for disaster. And since Claire seems to be the woman responsible for the return of the spring in your step, I’d be treading very carefully. Sometimes the story isn’t the priority.’

‘I’d like to think I can have both. Work and romance.’

‘Good luck with prioritising your story and keeping your love life intact. Anyway, I’m supposed to be in a meeting as of ten minutes ago. Gotta go. I’ll call you when I’m back in the office. Bye.’

I’d assumed that the silver lining of all of my suffering was a greater measure of wisdom in my thirties than I had in my twenties.

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