BAILEY
Chapter 1
“It doesn’t have to be this way, Lynn. I could easily offer you a promotion with all the benefits, but I’m not sure that you’re willing to take it. It will mean moving away from this no nothing town and finding a life in the big city. I want you to seriously consider my offer. I’m giving you the right of first refusal. You should not take that lightly and I’ve never been a man that was about charity.” Holden Mackie was the boss and usually whatever he wanted he would get. That was not how it was with Lynn Hawkins. She was a potential gold mine, but she was allowing her past indiscretions to get in the way of success.
“I never knew that you even saw me. I thought that I was wallpaper. I am flattered, but I’m going to have to give it some serious thought.” “I want to tell him yes, but I can’t do that with the responsibility of another to take care of. My young son Timothy is only five years old. I can’t take him away from everything that he loves including his grandparents. Having them around has been a godsend. Whenever I was at my wits end, they were always there to lend a hand. I understand that I might be losing out and that somebody else is going to benefit by my decision to say no, but I have to think of my son. It if was just me, I would jump at the opportunity for this kind of adventure.”
“I can give you, until the end of the week and then I’m gonna have to move on to another candidate. This could be the start of something huge, but it’s going to be up to you to take it. I’ve seen you get lost, but I’ve also noticed that you have the kind of work ethic that I’m looking for. I know that this is a huge step, but it’s a big opportunity that doesn’t come around all the time. Don’t squander the gift that I’m giving you on a silver platter. I don’t want you to get complacent and I want you to truly live up to your potential. This is not the place for you. I only keep this newspaper because the town needs it to stay up to date with local news.”
Lynn Hawkins had wanted to go to school to become a real international journalist. She wanted to jet set around the world seeing all those things and places that made her heart stop any time that she was thinking about traveling. She had gone to journalism school, but she had dropped out on her last year. She couldn’t juggle that kind of commitment with the terrible two’s of Timothy making her hair turn prematurely grey. Thankfully her hairdresser was able to give her something to bring back the body and luster.
“I’ll be sure to take everything that you say under consideration, Mr. Mackie. I appreciate you thinking of me.” She couldn’t come out and flat out say no and that would have been rude. She already knew that she was going to have to decline. Writing obituaries was not her idea of fun, but it was necessary to put food on her plate and a roof over her head. She made sure that Timothy had everything that he wanted regardless if she had to eat Ramen noodles for the next month.
“Miss Hawkins, I don’t do this for just any one and sometimes you have to stop looking a gift horse in the mouth. I’ve been watching you for quite some time and I think that you have what it takes. You’re just going to have to decide what you want from this life and if you’re going to allow anyone or anything to stand in your way. I have family myself and sometimes sacrifices have to be made. I’m offering you a chance to get in on the ground floor of an online publication.” Holden Mackie had many businesses, but those that he had a passion for was in the media.
“It’s not just me that I have to consider. I think you know that. Give me the week and I’m sure that I will have an answer for you by then.” Lynn knew that if she took it that it wasn’t going to give her any more money. It would essentially be a steppingstone and one that was required to really make her mark as a journalist. Having her byline under the obits was mostly ignored by her friends and her grandparents. “I do have one foot already out the door, but the other one is being held down by Timothy holding my ankle.” “I didn’t want to have a family this early in life. I had everything planned out, but any great laid plans can go awry at a moment’s notice. Holden Mackie was my idol and mentor and even working alongside him in this capacity was a dream come true. He was charismatic, but he was also a man that knew what he wanted and apparently he wanted me.”
“I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but this will disappear in a week. You never know when something like this will come up again. Don’t become stagnant and think that you have to do this. Think about your future and where you want to be in five years. Family is important, but you sometimes need to do what’s right for you.” Holden Mackie had five kids of his own and that was never more apparent than the gray hairs on his head. He had five different wives and each one was taking a bit of his soul every time that he had to pay alimony.
Lynn walked out of the office feeling like there was a shift in the air. She wanted to believe that her future was bright, but without the necessary money to go along with the position it was almost foolhardy to think about it. She would not have her grandparents to be instant babysitters. She would have to uproot her entire life. She was already living hand to mouth. This would be a risk that she wasn’t sure that she could take with her family in tow. “I think about how I got here. Bailey Welling was the one that got away. On prom night, we said our goodbyes with a soft kiss. It ended with him leaving to become a very high profile football star with the Patriots. I wanted to go with him, but I knew that he was still young and sowing his wild oats. He didn’t give any indication that he wanted to marry me and I had to believe that his feelings were not as deep as nine was for him.”
“You’ve been in there a long time. You don’t have to tell me what that was all about, but you really do look like something big has happened. You got a message and apparently an old friend of yours is getting married in the next few days.” Leslie was in competition with Lynn. She tried to ingratiate herself into Lynn’s life, but she was only doing it to keep her friend’s close and her enemies even closer. This girl had a bubbly personality and she knew how to use what god gave her. Leslie had no problem using her obvious sexuality to her advantage to get ahead. It was primarily the reason why she was writing the editorials and working with the sports side of things. “I think what we both need is a ladies night out. A few drinks and watching some young stud put the moves on us is something that we have been lacking lately. What do you say, Lynn? Are you ready to cast aside these cubicle walls and dance the night away?”
“I would really love to, but I have to get home. I have a child that I have to feed and take care of. I’ve already asked my grandparents for enough to last a lifetime. I know that they would gladly take him for the night, but I can’t do that without a damn good reason. Going out and having fun sounds great, but I just can’t do that.” “I’m not foolish to think for once that Leslie wants to be my friend. She would just as soon stab me in the back than to say anything kind to me. She wants to be noticed and the low cut tops have certainly gotten her some attention. It may not be the right kind of attention, but it has gotten her this far. I’ve seen her flirt on several occasions with those athletes that are just getting noticed. She has no problem digging into their past and finding those skeletons that are better left buried.”
“I just think that we need to find some time for ourselves. If you can’t go out tonight, then maybe you can go to lunch with me.” Leslie wanted to grill her for more information about what that meeting with Holden Mackie was all about. She’d heard rumors that Holden had acquired something of a dysfunctional online publication. He was going to do a major retooling and poach some of the best talent from various companies underneath his umbrella.
“I suppose that I could take a long lunch. There’s a cute bistro down the street that makes the most amazing ravioli that you have ever put into your mouth. I go there all the time with Timothy. I think he enjoys trying new things.” “That kid is very curious, but he lets me know in no uncertain terms what he likes and what he doesn’t. I don’t think I’ve ever had to scold him or yell at him in public. I’ve taught him to be a little gentleman. He doesn’t give me many problems and being five years old, he’s starting to wonder about a few things.”
Lynn sat down at her desk seeing that there were only three obituaries that had to be written today. She saw the message on her phone and she pressed on it to hear a familiar voice from her past.
“Lynn, I want to be my maid of honor. I’m marrying a very successful producer. I’m going to be back in town and my whole family is coming in for the big occasion. We’re actually having it at the old family homestead. I should be arriving in the next couple of days. I’m looking for to catching up. I’ll give you a call when I get in."
Lynn couldn’t even think about what this could mean. Seeing him after all this time would be the worst thing that ever happened to her. She had seen him on TV several times going down the field looking for that touchdown. She would be screaming so loud that Timothy would mimic her. It had become a nightly ritual to watch the Patriots in action. She saw how he had climbed the ranks from his high school days all the way to his NFL career with the Patriots.
“It sounds like you’re going to have some visitors. I don’t think that you’ve talked about anyone all the time that you’ve been here other than your son Timothy and your grandparents. Why is it that I have never heard of this friend of yours?” Leslie was just making small talk and really didn’t care about Lynn’s life. She would use anything that she found out to her advantage. She’d always been conniving and manipulative and was the reason why she didn’t have any close friends to speak of. “That phone call obviously affected you. I’m guessing that there is a story behind her and how you have lost touch over the years.”
“It’s a part of my past that I would like to keep to myself.” This was the worst thing that Lynn could say. It raised few red flags in Leslie’s eyes. She saw an opportunity to twist the knife and hopefully hurt the woman’s chances of getting the go ahead to leave this ho hum town in her rearview mirror. “There’s a lot of water under the bridge. I’m not sure that I can do her the honor of being her maid of honor. I do think that I owe her the courtesy of speaking about this face to face.”
Lynn remembered Mandy and most of her memories of her were ones that she’d never want to forget. Mandy had gone on to live her life and now had found the man of her dreams to settle down with. “Why is it that you have to come here of all places to get married. They grew up here, but none of them stayed any longer than was necessary. I’ve been stuck in a rut for as long as I can remember and I only have myself to blame. I think about what could’ve been and I wonder if the best thing in my life was the biggest mistake of my life. I couldn’t love Timothy anymore and my heart is so full with love that it’s hard to look at him and not see his father’s eyes.”
Lynn’s phone rang and she didn’t recognize the number. She picked it up out of instinct alone. She had the receiver up to her ear and the voice was that same blast from the past, but in an entirely different way.
“Lynn… It’s me… Bailey.” Lynn had her hand up to her mouth in total shock. The man that had left her after the championship five years ago was right now on the phone speaking to her in person. It was like a nightmare, but was one that she was never going to wake up from. “I’m sure you know that I will be coming home for my sister’s wedding. I’m hoping that we can see one another.” Lynn swallowed hard and then in a knee jerk reaction slammed the phone down. It rang incessantly for the next few minutes, before Bailey decided to give up. This was not what she wanted and now she was going to have to face him. He was famous and she was not. It would never work.