Read Online A Reason to Stay by Kellie Coates Gilbert - Free Book Online Page A

station thrust a microphone in her direction. “How does it feel to be a hero?”
    Over the course of the next hours, she told the story over and over, each time recounting how she’d carefully constructed a connection with the potential jumper, how she’d communicated with him on an emotional level and ultimately saved his life. What she didn’t reveal is just how scared she’d been inside, knowing from experience how things could’ve taken a nasty turn and ended much differently.
    Back at the station, champagne was uncorked and the entire news team broke into applause. In a fortunate twist of events, Faith found herself smack-dab in the middle of the spotlight, and she wasn’t going to lie—it felt good.
    KIAM-TV had scooped the story, and word was coming into the station that everyone in Houston was talking about the young field reporter who had saved the day—literally. They’d cluster this report for days, milk every opportunity. She almost felt sorry for their competitor stations that would be forced to endure their rankings sliding into the toilet, while KIAM-TV ratings soared. This was the human interest story of the summer, and viewers would tune in to hear every detail.
    Later that evening, the station’s general manager ordered in dinner, catered by the swanky restaurant Que Huong, known for their Blue Nile cuisine. “Nothing too good for this occasion,” he bragged after promising Faith that she would be going places at the station, and very soon. No doubt he knew she was probably already getting messages from other GMs, offering the moon if she’d move and let her rising star shine over at their stations.
    Wait—her phone.
    She quickly wiped her mouth with a napkin, then turned to the video engineer she’d passed her phone to earlier. “Do you have my cell?”
    â€œOh yeah—sorry!” He set his champagne flute on the desk and headed for the control room. Seconds later, he returned with her phone in hand.
    She was laughing at one of their technical coordinators mimicking their competitor station. Like the cantankerous junkyard dealer on the syndicated television show Sanford and Son , he simulated a heart attack, accentuated by clutching his chest and crying out, “Oh, this is the big one, Elizabeth! Our ratings are plummeting and I’m coming to join you, honey!”
    Still giggling, she took the cell phone from the video engineer and thanked him, then pressed the button on top to turn the unit back on.
    Immediately, messages appeared, alerting she’d missed dozens of voice calls and texts. Her fingers scrolled briefly through the alerts. Suddenly, she stopped at a series of texts.
    Hey, I’m here.
    Don’t know what happened. Tried to call you. I’ll wait a little while longer. Call me.
    Then finally . . .
    Well, I’m heading home. Catch you later.
    Oh no! She’d completely forgotten her date with Geary Marin.
    Faith quickly made her way out of the newsroom and away from the big celebration. She could have at least texted her new friend that she’d been held up. Maybe not before the scene at the bridge. But certainly she should have made time after.
    What he must think of her now!
    Her thumb pressed the callback button.
    At the same time, she mentally formulated an explanation she hoped Geary would understand.

7
    F aith nervously tapped her thumb against the steering wheel as she exited off I-10 and merged onto the North Freeway. As she entered the outskirts of the Woodlands, her mind sifted through a dozen things she needed to say to her new blue-eyed friend when she saw him. None she hadn’t expressed at least once over the past forty-eight hours, either verbally or by text.
    She needed Geary to understand how neglecting to call him when her plans had changed could happen, to forgive her thoughtless oversight. Caught up in the aftermath of the big scoop, she’d completely pushed