Blake was showing Taylor around the office, and they stopped in the newsroom first. The only other person there was a girl about Taylor’s age. She was sitting at a desk and had a long blonde ponytail and a cellphone glued to her ear.
Victoria glanced her way and nodded. “Nice to meet you,” she said quickly before turning her attention back to her phone. It looked like she’d been on hold and suddenly was chatting away, setting up a time to interview someone.
Blake chuckled as he continued leading Taylor around the office. “Victoria is a dynamo. I wish I had half her energy. She can be a little intense—don’t let her intimidate you.” He grinned, and Taylor wasn’t sure if he was serious or joking.
So, she just smiled back and said nothing. He introduced her to a few others in the office. Mary, the front desk receptionist, was a warm and friendly woman in her sixties, Taylor guessed. Bill and Ernie, in the typesetting and graphic design area, looked to be in their early forties and both welcomed her. Their last stop was the ad sales department. Emily, Jason, and Franny were all on the phone and just waved hello as Blake and Taylor walked by.
“Franny’s been here for as long as I can remember. All the clients love her. Jason and Emily have been with us for a few years and they’re doing a great job, too. Revenues are up this year, which is why I was able to hire two full-time reporters. If we have more content for the paper, there will be more space for ads,” he explained. Franny looked to be in her early fifties, and Emily and Jason looked close to Taylor’s age, give or take a few years.
Blake continued talking as they reached his office.
“You both report to me. Along with Joe, our main reporter. He’s been here for close to twenty years now. You’ll meet him at some point. He’s over at town hall right now. We use a few freelancers too on an as-needed basis. Let’s head into my office now and discuss plan for the week.”
They stepped into his office and Taylor stopped short, surprised to see a gorgeous golden retriever sleeping next to Blake’s desk. The dog looked up and Blake introduced them.
“That’s Richard. He’s friendly. Did I mention on our Zoom call that this is a dog-friendly office? Richard comes to work with me most days and Ernie in graphics usually has Lady, his black lab here. You’re welcome to bring your dog in too, if you like.”
Taylor just nodded. She didn’t have a dog yet. She didn’t think it was fair to get one if she lived alone and was going to be at work all day. But—if she was allowed to bring the animal in—it was something to think about. She’d always loved having a dog.
An hour later, Taylor walked out of Blake’s office with a stack of folders that he’d given her along with a printed sheet with local contact names and a calendar filled with due dates. She settled at her desk, which was next to Victoria’s. Victoria jumped on a call as Taylor sat down and immediately turned her back to her, which was fine with Taylor. She had a busy week ahead of her and needed to get started.
Blake had explained that she and Victoria would each have assigned organizations they’d cover regularly and divvy up everything else that needed to be covered. They’d also have leeway to propose their own stories, and as long as Blake thought their ideas sounded good, they could run with them. He said Joe kind of did his own thing and didn’t want to cover the stories they’d be working on. He mostly focused on town politics and police beats and various feature stories. Taylor was excited. This was so much better than obituaries and wedding announcements.
She was about to pick up the phone to call and schedule her first interview. Blake’s first grade teacher had retired and opened a needlepoint shop on Main Street. So Taylor would meet with her and do a profile piece about her years of teaching on the island and her new chapter with the shop. It was a perfect first story for her and she looked forward to meeting Connie Day. Just as she was about to punch in the number, Victoria whirled around and fired questions at her.
“So sorry I couldn’t talk earlier. Where are you from?”
“No problem. I just moved up here from Charleston.”
“Were you working at a newspaper there?”
“Yes.” Taylor didn’t want to give the impression, though, that she had a lot of reporting experience. “It was a junior-level role. What about you?”
Victoria sat up a little taller in her chair. “I worked at the Boston Herald for three years as a reporter. It’s a much faster pace in Boston. This is nice enough though.”
“You’re from Nantucket I hear,” Taylor said.
Victoria looked surprised. “Did Blake mention that?”
“No. My friend Abby did. She said you went to school together. She’s married now, but you might remember her as Abby Hodges.”
Victoria thought for a moment and then nodded. “She was a few years ahead of me. How do you know her?”
“College roommates.”
Victoria held up her hand to show off a huge diamond engagement ring. “This is why I came back. My boyfriend proposed. Both of our families are here and his job is too, so it made sense. It has been an adjustment though.”
Taylor imagined after working at one of the two big papers in Boston, this might be very different.
Victoria stood and Taylor was surprised by how tall she was, easily five ten. “Okay, I’m out of here. Catch you later.” She grabbed her purse and practically ran out the door.
Once she was gone, it was like all the energy had left the room. But Taylor didn’t mind. It was easier to focus, and she wasn’t as nervous to get on the phone and sound awkward since there was no one around to hear. She found the phone number Blake had provided and dialed his former teacher. She answered on the first ring.
“Mrs. Day? This is Taylor Abbott. Blake Ojala suggested I give you a call about a story for the paper…”
Blake felt the gentle nudge of Richard’s nose against his leg—the dog’s signal to be petted. He reached over and scratched behind his ears a few times until Richard flopped down and sunk his face between his front paws and fell fast asleep. He envied Richard’s ability to do that, to shift gears so quickly and let everything go. Too often, Blake found himself unable to get to sleep, his thoughts racing.
He glanced out the open door of his office to where Taylor sat at her desk, a stack of folders in front of her. The newsroom was quiet, with both Joe and Victoria out of the office. He hoped that his gut instinct had been right and that Taylor would be a good addition to the office. She was such a newbie. All starry-eyed and earnest as she’d sat in his office. He had a good feeling about her, though. He liked that she was so excited about starting her new job and building a career in journalism. He’d been like that once, all enthusiasm and drive—feeling that anything was possible. And it had been. He’d done well.
His phone rang, and he sighed when he saw that it was his mother. He debated letting it go to voice mail, then felt guilty for wanting to evade her call. Better to get it over with. At least at work, he could keep it short.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, honey. What are you doing?”
Blake smiled. “I’m working, Mom. What are you up to?” He knew she was up to something. His mother rarely called just to chat. His parents spent the winter in Florida and his mother just arrived a week ago, almost a month ahead of his father, who was in no hurry to leave the warm weather.