Cass had taken the preserved documents as well as the partial documents he’d recovered back to his office in the hope of trying to assemble the pieces like some sort of jigsaw puzzle. I had to go by the newspaper this morning to turn in a couple of human interest articles Dex had assigned to me in addition to my weekly column, but I’d promised Cass I’d stop by his office when I was done to help him try to piece everything together. It was my day to pick up Paisley from school, so I couldn’t stay long, but I did want to help where I could. I had two interviews set up for my Ms. Cupid story tomorrow as well as my volunteer shift at the animal shelter, so I knew I’d have even less time than I did today.
“I have the stories about the high school’s production of Cats and the library’s read-a-thon to turn in,” I handed Dex the hardcopies. “I sent the electronic files this morning, so they should be in your inbox.” I sat down on the chair across from the desk as he looked over the stories. “Are you sure you need me to hand in hard copies of everything I write? It seems like the electronic copy would be sufficient.”
He sat back in his chair. “I know it might be a bit old fashion to ask for a hard copy, but asking for one allows me to meet with my reporters and ask any questions I might have. I worked for a newspaper in the past where everything was filed electronically, and I felt like the human element was lost. Don’t get me wrong, in a pinch, I will run with just an electronic copy, but if there is time to sit and chat with my reporters about their stories, that is my preference every time.”
I supposed that made sense, although it seemed like we could save the paper, turn in our articles electronically, and still meet with Dex before the article was formatted. The staff at the Foxtail News was small, and I was sure that it would be easy for Dex to keep track of everyone in his employ whether he required hard copies or not, but one of the things I liked the best about my new job was the close relationships I’d begun to develop, so I really couldn’t argue with his reasoning.
“So, do you have any questions about the articles?” I asked after he’d looked them over.
“No. They look good. I’ll send them to formatting. How is the Cupid article coming along?”
I let out a breath. “It’s coming along. I guess you heard about the fire on Friday. The man who died was one of the men who’d been matched up by Ms. Cupid. I haven’t decided if I’m going to work that into my column or just skip over it altogether, but the fire should be covered one way or another.”
“Brock wrote a news article about the fire and the man who died in the blaze,” he referred to Brock Green, the lead reporter for the newspaper. “The article will run today, and we’ll do follow-ups throughout the week as new information is made available. I know you have Deputy Wylander’s ear more than most, so if you hear anything, be sure to fill Brock in.”
“If I learn something I can share, I’ll call Brock and bring him up to speed. Do you have anything for me this week other than the Ms. Cupid story?”
He nodded. “I need someone to cover the upcoming Sweetheart Dance. Lettie Harper is organizing the event this year, so you should touch base with her. I thought we’d run an article letting everyone know the when and where this week, and then we’ll do a follow-up article after the dance so we can include photos of those in attendance.”
“Okay,” I said. “I can handle that. Do you want me to take the photos at the dance?”
“I do.”
I guess that meant I would have to attend. I really hadn’t planned to, but maybe Cass would come with me. “Anything else?” I really wanted to be assigned articles with meat to them, but at this point, I handled the fluff while Brock handled the actual news. Of course, I was brand new to this and Brock had been a reporter for decades so I supposed it made sense that he’d be assigned the hard-hitting stories.
“I also need you to cover the town council meeting tomorrow afternoon and the school board meeting on Thursday evening. The town council meets at noon in the community center, and the school board meets at five in the high school gym. I like to have a reporter at all the meetings, so be sure to ask for a schedule so you can cover both these important meetings each month.”
“Okay.” I smiled. The town council meeting wasn’t exactly a murder investigation, but I knew the meetings could get heated, and there had been a lot of controversies amongst school board members as well. I felt like Dex assigning these important meetings to me was a step in the right direction. Of course, having the meetings to attend was going to make for a busy week. I had interviews set up for tomorrow morning and Wednesday afternoon, I had my volunteer shifts at the shelter in the late afternoon and early evening on Tuesday and Friday, plus I picked Paisley up from school on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and brought her back to the house, helped her with her homework, and gave her a piano lesson.
Once we’d settled on the deadlines for each piece, I said my goodbyes to Dex and headed out to say hi to Gabby. “Did you hear anything from Ms. Cupid?” I asked.
“Not yet, but I really didn’t expect to this soon.”
“The others I’ve spoken to all indicated that it was weeks before they were contacted. I hoped it would happen quicker so we could use the experience for the column, but however it works out timewise, I just hope for your sake it works out.”
She grinned. “It’s so weird. Before you asked me to do this, I hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about who in the community might make a good husband and father to my children, but now that my thoughts have turned to white picket fences and happily ever after, I find myself judging each single male I come into contact with. I’ve even started applying a rating system to single men I know. I realize that it’s Ms. Cupid’s job to find my perfect mate if she even decides to take me on as a client, but the more I think about it, the more aware I am of exactly how I view the men I know in the community.”
“Is there anyone you are particularly interested in?” I had to ask.
“Not really. Not yet. There are a few men I find myself hoping Ms. Cupid won’t choose for me.”
“You do realize that if Ms. Cupid chooses someone you don’t like or aren’t attracted to, you don’t have to enter into a relationship with them, don’t you?”
She shrugged. “I know. This is going to sound odd, but given the unprecedented success the woman has had, it really does seem that the matches are somehow predestined no matter what you might think of it beforehand.”
I actually knew what she meant by predestined. The whole reason I wanted Gabby to be our test subject rather than doing it myself was because I had this idea in my head that if you were matched by Ms. Cupid, you were good and matched no matter what you might think about it.
“I know you dated Will Southern in the past. I always thought the two of you made a good pair.”
She shrugged. “Will’s great. He’s funny, and we had a lot of fun together, but I don’t think he’d make a good husband and father. Like Gabe, he’s much too relaxed about things. Not that I want to marry an uptight guy, but raising kids is serious business. I need someone who will be a real partner. Someone who wants to be a father, knows what’s involved, and is willing to make the required sacrifices.”
“It sounds more like you are looking for an employee than a soulmate.”
“I suppose that a guy can be both a soulmate and a life partner who shares your goals and dreams and is willing to make them happen.”
“Well, I hope you find your perfect guy.”