Page 37 of Skipping Stones

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It didn’t take long for Anna to find a tenant for Linney’s house. “He’s been renting in the area for years, just from October to June. In the summers, he flies rich tourists up to fly-in fishing and hunting camps. He’s looking for something new immediately.”

“So quickly? Isn’t that a bit strange?”

“I forgot to tell you. The place he’s been renting was just sold—a quick sale—so he has to vacate. But Danny knows the guy he was renting from and he has a solid reference. If you want, we can do up a one-season lease agreement and if it doesn’t work, you don’t have to renew it. I think this is the perfect solution for you.” She covered the phone. “Girls, settle down!”

Linney smiled. “You have to bring those girls to London sometime.” She returned to the business at hand. “If you think this is the right move, Anna, then I trust you. I don’t want the house to be empty. Just send over anything I need to sign and tell him he can move in whenever he’s ready.

* * *

Derek had exciting news that fall. It was really too early to tell anyone, but he couldn’t wait any longer. The fun that he had promised Olivia after she’d returned from Singapore paid off quickly.

At first, they thought she had food poisoning when she was sick the morning after Thanksgiving. Maybe the stuffing had sat out too long. But when it happened three mornings in a row, she took a test. They hadn’t been using protection, and he knew it could take a year or more, so when she showed him the stick with a hesitant smile on her face, Derek was surprised but ecstatic.

“You’ll be a great father,” Linney congratulated him. “When is Olivia due?”

“Late June.”

“Your mother must be so thrilled.”

“We haven’t told her yet,” Derek said sheepishly. “We haven’t told anyone because it’s so new. Olivia wants to wait until three months. But I had to tell someone!”

Linney smiled—the first real smile in a long while. “I’ll keep your secret, counsellor.”

Linney was still smiling when she was told the boss wanted to see her. Gemma suggested they get out of the newsroom and grab a cup of coffee.

“I don’t know how much, if anything, you want to know about Mac’s progress,” she began as they sat down at a local café. It had been almost five months since he’d gone into rehab.

“Just the highlights, I guess.” Linney’s smile disappeared, and she sat on her hands to keep from picking at them as the urge came over her anew. She didn’t think about Mac often, but from time to time, she still beat herself up about all the signs she missed—or ignored—and how long she had stayed with him. She wasn’t sure how close to his recovery she wanted to be. These days, she was also starting to wonder whether she could stay at TCN after he was out.

Gemma stirred sugar and milk into her coffee, and Linney felt her boss taking her time. “I’m told the detox was particularly difficult. I won’t go into the details, but it wasn’t pleasant. But since then he’s been doing group therapy and individual therapy and all signs are good. He’s doing the work. It won’t be easy and it won’t be fast, but I’ve been to see him and I’m optimistic we’ll get our Mac back at the end of this.”

Linney let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “That’s good news.”

“What about you, Linney? How are you doing?”

“Me? I’m—” Linney didn’t know what to say. “My best friend called me today to tell me his wife is pregnant. And my house in Canada is rented. So good things are happening. But?—”

“But?”

Linney let out a deep sigh and decided to be honest with Gemma. “I’m not sure I can work with Mac again. I’m not sure I want to. I thought a lot about it when I was home last. I don’t know if I can look at him across the newsroom when he gets back.” She sat up a little straighter and took her best shot. “I’m ready for a foreign post. You know I’m ready. Is there any way we can make that happen?”

“I wondered when you’d ask me that. Because I will have him back in the newsroom if he stays sober. He’s too good to lose.”

Linney took that in. Was Gemma going to choose Mac over her? Her boss’ next words surprised her.

“Would you consider a different network? I’ve got connections, and lots of other networks would be thrilled to poach you.”

“I … I guess so. I’d never thought about it.” Linney’s mind calculated the situation quickly. Maybe Gemma was doing her a favour. It was an unusual suggestion, but she was ambitious and this might work for all of them.

“No promises, but let me make some calls.”

Linney felt a huge weight off her chest. Maybe she hadn’t blown up her career after all.

Just days later, she was scribbling notes after a press conference all of the networks in London had attended, when a voice broke her concentration.

“I wonder if you have a few minutes.” Linney looked up and saw Rob Smith, Gemma’s equivalent at BTN, a British network.