Starry Night

sobs.
    “I can see you’re pleased. I’d be crying with joy, too. I don’t know what you did, but congratulations. This is one of the biggest coups this newspaper has had in a long time. How soon can you write the piece? If possible, I’d like to have it for the weekend edition.”
    “Sorry, Nash, Mr. Dalton’s publisher is going to need to find someone else.”
    “What?” Nash nearly came out of his chair. “Is this a joke? If so, I’m not laughing.”
    Now wasn’t the time to back down. Carrie had to remain strong. As badly as she ached to give in, she couldn’t do it. “I hate to disappoint you, but you’ll need to find someone else.”
    Nash shook his head. “The publisher insists you have to be the one. No one else.”
    It was exactly as she’d calculated. “Sorry.” She blinked back tears.
    The hard-core newsman glared at her. “Your job is on the line, Ms. Slayton. This newspaper can’t afford to let this opportunity slip by. I’m giving you twenty-four hours to change your mind.”
    Losing her job was an aspect of this decision that she hadn’t considered. Carrie swallowed hard and bit into her lower lip. “It won’t matter if it’s twenty-four hours or twenty-four days. I’m not going to change my mind.”
    Disgusted, Nash shook his head.
    “I’m leaving in the morning for Seattle to see my family.” It seemed her Christmas break would now be spent seeking another job. It was a steep price to pay to prove her love to Finn, but she wouldn’t back down.
    “Go have Christmas with your family,” Nash said, motioning for her to leave his office. “But take this time to think about what I said. I’m serious, Carrie. Write the article and keep your job. Otherwise, you can clear out your desk when you return.”
    “And if I write the article, what about your promise to me?”
    “What promise?”
    “Any assignment I want, any department.” He hadn’t said it quite like that; still, it wouldn’t do any harm to press her point.
    Nash hesitated and then sighed. “It’s negotiable.”
    Sophie was waiting for her at Carrie’s desk when she returned. Her friend had glittery silver tinsel wrapped around her neck like a Hawaiian lei. “So, what did Nash want?”
    When she told her about the call from the New York publicist, Sophie leaped up and gave a loud cheer. “This is exactly what you said would happen.”
    “This is the way I hoped it would play out.”
    “So?” Sophie said eagerly, shifting her arms back and forth, “what’s the next move?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “What do you mean you don’t know? I thought you had this all planned out.”
    How Carrie wished that were true. She knew what she had to do, but the rest was up to Finn.
    The next day Carrie sat at the O’Hare Airport gate, waiting to board her flight to Seattle, when her cell chirped. She didn’t recognize the number but saw that it was an Alaska prefix.
    “Hello,” she answered hesitatingly.
    “Carrie, this is Sawyer O’Halloran.”
    “Sawyer?” She couldn’t imagine why he would be calling her, unless something had happened to Finn. She gripped hold of the phone with both hands, instantly alarmed. “Is everything all right? Has Finn been hurt?”
    “Yes … He isn’t in the hospital or anything, if that’s what you’re wondering. What happened between the two of you, anyway?”
    Carrie relaxed a bit. “You’ll need to ask him about that.”
    “You’re joking, right? He hasn’t been himself since he returned from Chicago. I’ve never seen him like this. He disappeared for a couple of days, showed up drunk as a coyote, which is surprising, because he isn’t much of a drinker. He isn’t talking to anyone—well, other than me, but it’s difficult to understand what he’s saying. Furthermore, he isn’t eating or sleeping.”
    Carrie exhaled and whispered into the small receiver. “Frankly, I’m not doing much better myself.”
    “You two had a falling out?”
    “You could say that.”
    “Listen, before we go any further, Finn doesn’t know I’m contacting you. If he finds out about this, he’ll have my head.”
    “How’d you get my personal phone number?”
    “Easy. I waited until he passed out and then checked his cell.”
    “He was that drunk?” This didn’t sound anything likeFinn. It didn’t make her feel any better knowing that he was miserable. All Carrie wanted was for this foolishness to be over.
    “No, he wasn’t drunk, but practically dead on his