*
The following afternoon Jake was busy cleaning the house and preparing a welcome home meal for Bella when he answered a knock on the door. The local newspaper reporter, Ken Hazler stood on the porch.
“Hey, Jake. Wondered if I could do a story on you and Bella Moore?”
“What are you talking about?” He stepped out on the porch.
“Haven’t you seen it? The new show you guys are filming here in Cherry Lake.”
His father walked up behind him. “What nonsense are you talking now, Ken? Jake isn’t doing any show.”
“Hey, Woodsie. Haven’t you guys seen the promo for her new show? The one she’s doing here instead of going back to Seattle? Thought for sure you’d know all about it considering you star in it, Jake.”
His father walked over to the television and turned it on, clicked onto the cooking channel. Reporters were talking about the big news. Bella Moore was quitting her famous cooking show and taking on a more sedate role heading up a new program as befitted the love interest of Cherry Lake Fire Chief, Jake Woods.
Jake watched in disbelief as the promo for the show aired and felt all sorts of violated.
“Holy crap.” Cory’s voice reached him from the hallway. “You look like a lovesick puppy, Dad.”
“Not the most flattering side I’ve seen of you for some time, Son.” Woodsie rubbed his hand over his gray hair, shook his head. “Did you know they were going to do this?”
Jake stared at the screen, wishing he could push the stop button but he felt frozen in time. The kind of thing he wanted to unsee but also didn’t want to miss a second of.
“It’s not that bad, Dad. I mean, everyone knows you’re hot for her. Makes you look kinda soft though, you know?”
“That’s not the point. Nobody asked if I minded having my face out there, Cory.”
“So, is it a yes for the story then, Jake?” Ken shuffled his feet by the door. “I figured you’d want to support your girlfriend and all. I wouldn’t print anything you didn’t want me to.”
Jake looked at him, not believing a word he said. Reporters were notorious at printing whatever sold papers the most. Just look at what he was watching.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I had no choice. Believe me I tried to keep you out of it, Jake.” This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have over the phone.
“We all have choices. You promised me I could choose the photos you used. You never said anything about me being in a damned promotional video with my face plastered over every social media channel there is to say nothing of the national news.”
Bella closed her eyes and took a deep breath, dreading telling him that it was all over the latest magazines as well. They’d made headlines everywhere.
“I know how you must feel, Jake, but it was the only option. You know that the footage from the dinner was out of my hands. Russell had total control of what they aired.”
“Don’t give me that, Bella. You told me I had options when it came to photos of me and Cory.”
“I did and I meant it. But that was for the cookbook, which I thought I had total control over. Someone leaked the photos Jason took and everyone is picking them up. I can’t control what the press does, especially when everything’s already on the Internet. Why do you think Russell made me go to Cherry Lake in the first place? Because he wanted to keep me away from the bloodthirsty reporters that will print anything to sell a story, that’s why. I told you that before and I’m sorry I dragged that crap to your door. I never intended things to get this bad.”
She sighed and rubbed the spot between her eyes, digging her fingertips into the deepening crease. This could spell the death of what her and Jake had but it was out of her hands. She tried to concentrate on the conversation, desperately hoping she could salvage their relationship. The tone of his voice didn’t give Bella much hope but she wasn’t a quitter.
“But the show is different, you know that. I went into the meeting ready to fight for what I wanted. I’d do anything to be able to stay with you and Cory in Cherry Lake, not have to move back to Seattle.” She swallowed. “The bottom line was I had to give and take. I didn’t really have any say in it.”
“So the trade-off was you giving them permission to use the leaked photos of me and you and they’ll let you do your new show here?”
“Yeah, that’s right. The studio didn’t have to ask me but at least they had the decency to do that I guess.”
“And that was what you couldn’t tell me before you left? That you were putting this idea to them. Don’t you think I should have had a say in it, Bella?”
“I’m sorry. I wanted to come to you with it all signed and sealed. I didn’t want to give you false hope or get too excited myself and discussing it with you would have made it seem more real somehow.” She wished she could see his face right now.
When her cell rang, her heart dropped to her stomach, a sixth sense about what was happening. If only she’d been able to get a flight back that night as she’d planned. Sadly, the legal department didn’t have her new contract ready and there was no way Bella was going to leave the city without it.
Instead she’d gone to her apartment to wait for the call from her manager to come in and sign it.
“I don’t know, Bella. I just don’t know.” Jake sighed. “Let’s talk about it when you get back,
