At Any Price

Out of the corner of her eye she glanced at her finger. She had twisted her hair around it like a wet noodle.

Jack said, “I’m getting the impression this is more than just a personal visit.”

“Okay.” She lowered her hand and leaned forward. “My newspaper, The Falls—”

“I know the name of your newspaper.”

“We’re in trouble. We need cash, badly.”

“I see.” His blue eyes darkened. She thought he looked angry, and she guessed it was because she had not told him the truth about why she wanted to see him. “And you want me to help.” It was not a question, but a statement.

“I’m hoping,” she said.

Jack met her gaze directly. “What’s going on?”

“We lost our major advertiser, Holland’s department store.”

“What happened?”

“Holland’s went bankrupt last spring.” Holland’s was the only department store in Newport Falls. It had employed hundreds of people. A lot of those people had been forced to find work in Albany, an hour and a half south. Many had already put their homes on the market. Unfortunately, none of the real estate was selling. But that news certainly wouldn’t convince Jack to invest. “But before that,” she added truthfully, “circulation was growing.”

“So your revenues have been increasing?”

Something about the way he asked the question told her he already knew the answer. “No,” she said quietly. “I’ve made some changes since Dad died. I’ve picked up some syndicated columns and brought in some experienced reporters.” She shrugged. “It all costs money.”

“Money you don’t have.”

She swallowed. “I’ve already applied for loans, Jack. I’ve been turned down all over the place. You’re my last hope. If I don’t get money soon, The Falls is going to go out of business.”

“Is that so bad? You’re a terrific reporter. You could go anywhere.”

“I don’t want to go anywhere,” she said angrily. “Newport Falls is my home. But it’s not just that. My father spent his whole life working to keep this paper afloat. I’ve had it eleven years and I, well…” She stopped talking and took a breath. Get a grip, she commanded herself. Don’t start crying. This is business. “It’s not just about me,” she said, meeting his eyes. “I employ almost three hundred people. Can you imagine what it will do to the local economy if The Falls goes out of business?”

He glanced away.

She could still read Jack Reilly like a book. And her instincts told her that coming here was a waste of time. He had no interest in investing in a small-town newspaper that would never make a lot of money.

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Devonworth,” he began. “I mean,” he said quickly, “Katie.”

“Please, Jack,” she said. “We were friends once. I need your help.”

Jack looked at her. He hesitated. As if on cue, his phone rang, giving him the distraction he no doubt wanted. From what he said, she could tell he was talking to someone at his office. Then she heard him say, “What’s on my schedule tomorrow?” He paused, looked at Katie and said, “Cancel it. I have to go out of town. Arrange a trip to Newport Falls. It’s outside of Albany, that’s where. Thanks.” He hung up the phone and said to Katie, “I want to go there and see it.”

“What?” she asked.

“Your paper, of course. The Falls.”

Jack had been inside the building a million times when they were growing up. Besides a new coat of paint, nothing had changed.

He continued, “I want to meet some of these hotshot reporters you’ve hired. I want to talk to your director of advertising and see how firm his—”

“Her,” she corrected him.

“Her commitments are for the next couple of years. See what she’s doing to increase revenues.”

“Okay,” she said.

He stood up. “I’ll be at your office at three.”

When he held out his hand, she took it and stood. But he didn’t let go immediately. She thought he held on for a split second too long as he said, “It’s good to see you again, Katie.”

Jack escorted Katie to the corner and hailed her a cab. After she was seated, she turned up her face to him and said, “Thanks, Jack.” He tried not to focus on her soft, red lips; instead, he shut the door. But he stood there, watching the cab pull away. Only after it disappeared from sight did he finally move—and then not back to his office but in the opposite direction.

He needed a chance to clear his mind. Seeing Katie again, being so close to her after all these years, made his head spin.

He’d always hoped that he had been successful in his attempt to rid her from his mind. But he had found just because he’d taken her out of his life did not mean her spirit no longer lingered. She was the standard that he challenged other women to meet, she was the ghost with whom they competed.

When she first called him, he’d told himself that it would be harmless to meet with her. She no longer had any power over him. But when she walked into his office that afternoon all hopes of being over Katie Devonworth faded. The girl of his dreams had turned into a woman, more beautiful than he could imagine. Her chestnut hair had been cut to her shoulders, framing her big brown expressive eyes. She was as slim and athletic as she had been in high school, but now with curves in all the right places. The blouse she’d worn had clung to her breasts, allowing him to see their fullness.

From the moment he saw her, he knew that he would have to make their lunch as short as possible. That he would have to endure his time with her and then do his best to forget her again. He had little choice. Katie had made it clear long ago that she no longer loved him.

Once again, he thought of that moment at the creek, the day she confessed her feelings for him. He could still remember the taste of her lips, the smell of her skin.

He had loved Katie more than life itself, and it had taken every ounce of conviction to walk away from her. But he had little choice. He knew only too well what happened when love was consummated too soon. He himself was the result of such a liaison.

When he first met Jack’s mother, his father, Robert, had been nineteen, a college freshman in the small town of Addison Park, Iowa. His mother, June, was only sixteen, still in high school. They fell in love at first sight and quickly became inseparable. They pledged their love, determined to spend the rest of their lives together. But June’s parents were not pleased with the match. They had hoped their only daughter would do better than an orphan dependent on scholarships. When June got pregnant, Robert begged her parents to allow them to marry. But her parents wouldn’t consider it. Embarrassed by their daughter’s pregnancy, they sent her away without telling his father where she’d gone. Robert had found out too late that she had been sent to live with an aunt in the country.

His father never saw his mother again. When his mother went into labor, her aunt had tried to deliver the baby herself. June had died in childbirth. His father had taken Jack and returned home to Newport Falls, but he’d never forgiven himself.

Jack was reminded of his parents’ doomed relationship every day of his life. He vowed that no matter how much he loved Katie, no matter how much he desired her, he would not allow her to suffer the same fate as his mother. He needed to become the type of man Katie deserved; then, and only then, would they have a future.

Jack left for college determined to prove himself, determined to make something of himself. And when he did, only when he did, would he be able to marry the woman he loved.

But he had misjudged the situation. He had convinced himself that he and Katie had a special connection, a connection that didn’t need to be spoken of to be real.

But he was wrong. Just when he had begun to make something of himself and felt ready to propose, she had married his best friend.

The marriage had shocked him. How could she? If she had felt for him one tenth of what he did, she would never have been able to escape into someone else’s arms.

And Matt? Matt wasn’t interested in Katie until he found out how Jack felt about her. He remembered the night in junior high when he told Matt he loved her. They were lying in Old Man Kroner’s field, arms crossed, looking up at the sky. Just the two of them. Matt had been teasing him about some girl in school when Jack told him he had it all wrong.

“What do you mean?” Matt had asked.

“I mean,” Jack said, “that I love someone else.”

Matt rolled over. Love was a big word, and being in tenth grade, neither had ever used it to describe a feeling before. “You?” Matt asked. “Who?”

“Katie,” Jack said. “I’m going to marry her one day.”

“Katie?” Matt laughed. “Oh, right!”

“What’s so funny? I have it all figured out. I even have the ring.”

“Where did you get it? A Cracker Jack box?”

“It was my grandmother’s. My father wanted to give it to my mother, but he never got a chance. It’s a diamond, with two rubies on either side—”

“Wait a minute,” Matt interrupted. “Katie is someone you play basketball with. She’s not the type of girl you fall in love with. And marry? Come on!”

“She’s who I want,” Jack said. “Who I’ve always wanted.”

Matt fell silent again. Then he said, “Does she know?”

“No. I can’t tell her yet. Not now.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’re too young. Katie and I aren’t going to end up like my parents.”

Matt was silent.

“I have to wait,” Jack said. “I have a plan. I’m going to make a million dollars and then I’ll marry her.”

“If you make a million dollars there’s gonna be a lot of women you can marry.”

“I don’t want a lot of women. I want Katie.”

Jack should’ve known that Matt would then want her, too. Matt had always competed with him. Jack never understood it. After all, his friend had such a head start in life. He came from a good family, was a natural athlete, went to all the best schools. Yet he always seemed to be looking over his shoulder at Jack.

Shortly before Jack returned from Europe, he had called Matt. He was worried about Katie. Her father’s death had been extremely hard on her, and she’d had to leave college to take over the reins of his struggling newspaper. Jack couldn’t stand to be so far from her, knowing that she was in pain and not being there to provide comfort. So even though he had not yet acquired the financial position he’d hoped, he could no longer wait to propose to Katie. He was coming home. It was time to tell Katie how much he loved her and ask for her hand in marriage.

Matt, his best friend, had betrayed him, rushing forward with his own proposal. He and Katie were married the day Jack returned. Jack had attended their wedding with his grandmother’s ring still in his pocket.

But it was not a clear victory. On the day of the wedding, right after Matt had gloated over his “win,” he had asked Jack to stay away from her. To break off contact. “You’ll only confuse her,” Matt had said.

“Confuse her?” Jack had asked. “What are you talking about? I thought you said she loves you.”

“She married me, didn’t she?” Matt had said, before walking away. But Matt needn’t have worried. Jack could no longer stand to be around Katie. Even when he heard about their divorce, he convinced himself that it was best not to call her. Still, he’d hoped she might call and tell him she’d made a mistake marrying Matt. That it was he she had loved all along, not Matt. But the call never came. And so he Jack attempted to exorcise her from his mind and his life. He had no choice. His love for her was poisoning him and his relationships with other women.

But today she reappeared, asking for help. And he realized immediately why he had never called her. He couldn’t. His love for her was every bit as strong as it had been that day down by the creek. But unlike that day, it was unrequited.

Jack found himself stopped in front of his office. Still, he thought, looking up at the towering building that bore his name, he owed Katie. Because if it were not for her, he doubted he would’ve been able to channel so much fire and energy into his work. He would never have succeeded.

And so he would try to help her. He’d give her a chance, but that was all.

He’d go to Newport Falls, as promised. It was only a day, eight hours max. He could handle being back in Newport Falls, being with Katie, for a day. Especially now. After landing an international deal, he was moving to London in several weeks to open a European branch of his company.

Once again, he thought of the day at the creek, the day that Katie had said she loved him. How intoxicating it had been.

He should’ve known that chances of a lifetime don’t come twice.

Two

“Don’t read too much into it,” Marcella warned her. Marcella was the director of advertising for The Falls, as well as Katie’s friend. “He said it was good to see you. I’m sure he meant it.”

“What makes you think I’m reading too much into it?” Katie asked. After a fitful night, she’d arrived at the office at 5:00 a.m., pulling files and getting everything ready for Jack’s visit. To make matters worse, Matt had called and she’d made the mistake of telling him about seeing Jack. Surprisingly, he had morphed into the big brother once again, warning her to be careful. But careful of what?

“Because of the look in your eyes whenever you mention his name.”

Katie thought of Matt’s admonition. Was this what he’d insinuated? That despite her marriage and the years that had passed, she was still in love with his former best friend? “What look?”

“The he’s-so-dreamy look.”

“The man every gossip columnist refers to as the Iceman?”

“I thought it was Heartbreak Kid,” Marcella retorted.

Katie nodded. Jack was a constant figure in the society columns across the country. He was a known playboy, beloved by gossips everywhere.

She shook her head and sighed. “He sure didn’t act as if he was happy to see me. He was so…distant. He didn’t even talk to me directly when I called. And he kept me waiting for forty-five minutes—”

“And then he offered to bail you out.”

“He didn’t offer. Not yet, anyway. He wants to see me jump through hoops first. And even then, there are no guarantees.”

Marcella shrugged. That was all Katie needed to keep going. She said, “It is nice of him to come all the way out here, but I had to beg him to help. And I can guarantee you he’s not excited about it. You should have seen him at lunch. It was obvious he doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore.”

“Like I said, you’re reading too much into this.”

“Am I? He made me wait and then he kept me twiddling my thumbs while he ignored me. He never even bothered to apologize. I knew he would be late today.” She pointed to her watch. “It’s four o’clock.”

“But his office said his morning meeting ran a little longer than expected.”

“It’s all part of his schtick.”

“What schtick?”

“The I’m-a-big-deal-now schtick.” Like most of the people who worked for her, Katie had known Marcella her whole life. They’d gone to school together, and Marcella had not only witnessed Katie’s crush on Jack but had seen how devastated Katie had been when Jack hadn’t reciprocated her feelings.

“He is a big deal. And he’s giving you a chance. That’s more than any of the other people would do.”

“Humph.” Katie shrugged.

“Maybe there are some unresolved feelings.”

“No way. If he still cared a hoot about me he would’ve called or written.”

“I wasn’t talking about Jack.”

Katie stared up from her desk. “I may have cared for the old Jack Reilly, the one without the fancy suits and high-rise office, but I couldn’t care less about the new version. He’s not my type.”

“He was for a very long time.”

“That was before he left town, before he stopped writing, stopped calling. Before he forgot who he was.”

“I think thou dost protest too much.”

Katie felt her cheeks heating up. “I guarantee you, whatever feelings I had for Jack Reilly are no more. Sure, he may still make me nervous,” she said, remembering the way her heart had accelerated when she first saw him again, “but that’s normal.”

Marcella raised her eyebrows.

“My interest in Jack Reilly is purely professional. I called him only as a last resort. I mean, wait till he gets here. You’ll see. It’s no accident that we’ve had to wait a gazillion minutes. Jack’s so cocky now, so arrogant, so full of himself…”

“And so behind you,” Marcella said.

Jack stood in the doorway. He’d heard almost every word of Katie’s litany against him. But it hadn’t angered him. In fact, he was flattered he could still squeak genuine emotion out of the normally reserved town sweetheart.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” he said. “My meeting ran a little long this morning.”

He pretended not to notice the look of absolute horror in Katie’s eyes. He saw her glance at Marcella. “No problem,” Katie said quickly.

“And then my pilot had some last-minute things to take care of before we took off.”

“My pilot?” asked Marcella. She shot Katie a look, impressed. “You have your own plane?”

Jack nodded. “Anyway, I can see I’m interrupting. I’d be happy to wait, though. How long do you think you’ll be? A gazillion minutes?”

“Nice to see you again, Jack,” Marcella said, rushing past him.

“Look, Jack,” Katie said. Her normally pale face was beet-red. “I’m sorry about that. You know me. I never liked to wait.”

Jack’s smile faded. “Yes,” he said. She certainly had not waited for him. “I know.”

“Well,” she said, breezing past him. Jack recognized her perfume. It was soft yet enticing, the same scent she’d worn in high school. She turned to face him. Then she flashed him the smile he had committed to memory. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

Katie had the sudden urge to throw up. How could she have been so stupid, talking about him like that when he was due any time? Whatever her history was with Jack, she had to get over it. After all, she needed him. This paper needed him. Without him, the entire town was sunk.

But still… She thought of the way he’d mentioned his pilot. It was as if he wanted her to know that he didn’t fly commercial anymore. He had his own private plane. Well, big deal! He may be a hotshot in New York, but she would always be able to cream him with a snowball.

She showed Jack around the offices. He seemed unimpressed, almost bored. He sat through the various meetings with a stone face, every now and then interrupting to ask a question.

At one point, when she and Marcella escaped to the ladies’ room, Marcella grabbed her arm and said, “Oh, my God, he’s so gorgeous…I mean, he was always gorgeous but not like that. What happened to him?”

“It’s the suit,” Katie replied, trying to convince herself. And they both laughed. For it was apparent that underneath the expensive suit, the crisp, starched shirt and the pearl cuff links, Jack was every bit the muscular hunk he had been in school.

At the end of the day, she led him back to her office. “I’d like to meet with some of those reporters you talked about,” he said.

“Right,” Katie replied. She picked up her phone and dialed Luanna Combs, her most recent coup. Luanna had worked at the Baltimore Sun for ten years before joining The Falls. But Luanna didn’t pick up her extension.

Katie hung up the phone, distressed. She checked her watch. It was almost six. Except for today she wouldn’t expect Luanna to be at the office past five-thirty. After all, that was part of the deal, part of why she was able to woo high-level staff. She promised flexible work hours and little overtime, a family-friendly environment.

She glanced at Jack. He crossed his arms.

She swallowed and tried another extension. Bobby, the assistant for the reporters, picked up. “Where’s Luanna?” she asked.

“She left. Said she was really sorry, but she got a call from school. Her kid’s got red spots all over—they think it’s chicken pox.”

“What about Brett?” she asked. Brett Wilson was her top reporter, whom she’d somehow snagged from the Los Angeles Times.

“Tanker overturned on Route 44. Brett’s covering it.”

“And Shelley?” she asked, already anticipating the answer.

“Gone. Her husband got the stomach flu so she had to pick up her kids from day care. Turned in her story, though. Damn good.”

When she hung up the phone, Jack raised his eyebrows and said, “Well?”

“They’re not here.”

“None of them? Where are they?”

“The three I wanted you to meet aren’t… Well, they’re not available right now.”

“This newspaper’s future is riding on three employees? That’s why you haven’t increased revenues? Because you’re paying top dollar to only three—”

“They’ll be in tomorrow,” she said crossly. “If you can’t stick around to talk to them, well, I guess I’ll just thank you for your time and see you out.”

He hesitated a moment. “They’ll be available tomorrow—guaranteed?”

“Guaranteed,” she said. Even if she had to watch their kids for them and cover the newsbeat.

“Okay,” he said.

“You’ll stay?” she asked, surprised.

He nodded as he flipped open his cell phone and called his office. She could hear him talking to his secretary, rearranging his schedule. “And call Carol,” he said. “See if you can reschedule her for another night.”

Jealousy stabbed her heart. Carol? He was obviously canceling a date.

She cleared her throat, as if trying to rid herself of poisonous feelings. She had no business being jealous. Instead, she should be feeling sorry for the poor woman. After all, he didn’t even have the decency to call himself, his secretary did it for him.

He shut the phone and told her, “One more day.” He looked at his watch. “Does Mrs. Crutchfield still run the inn on Main Street?”

“Yep,” Katie said. But she didn’t see this new Jack Reilly comfortable in a simple country inn. She was certain he would prefer accommodations that offered room service. “But there’s a nice Hyatt in Albany.”

“The inn will be fine. I’ll ask Greg to drive some clothes over.”

“Who’s Greg and what clothes?”

“Greg’s my pilot. He does a bunch of things besides just flying planes.”

“You mean he’s a valet, too?” She couldn’t help the sarcasm.

Once again, she saw the grin creep up his lips. “If needed. I keep an extra set of clothes on the plane, just in case.”

“Of course,” she said. After all, who didn’t?

When she stood up, Jack surprised her and said, “Do you have plans this evening?”

“I, uh, no,” she stammered.

“Good. I’d like to take you out to a nice dinner. Pick any place you want. We can catch up.”

“Sure,” she said. She had just the place in mind.

Joe’s Diner was located on the corner of Main and Howe Streets, almost directly across the street from the paper. It had been in existence ever since Joe Pecorillo first arrived in Albany from Italy in the late 1920s. Since then, it had stayed in the family, passing from Joe Sr., to Joe Jr., to Joe the third. Joe the third, otherwise known as Joey, was about sixty years old and had managed it since Katie was a kid. She, Jack and Matt had spent many hours at Joe’s sharing milkshakes and burgers. Jack even worked there his senior year before college.

If Jack was surprised by her choice, he didn’t show it. In fact, she thought he seemed relieved, almost happy that she had not chosen a more romantic and quiet place.

After Jack had shaken hands with Joe they settled into a worn, yet cozy booth by the window. Jack looked around and said, “It’s kind of quiet for Thursday night, isn’t it?”

Besides them, only three other tables were taken. “Not really,” she said. “I told you, things have changed. I’m sure you noticed the out-of-business signs. A lot of people have left town. It’s hard to find work around here. Unless something is done, Newport Falls is going to turn into a ghost town.”