By Monday, I was pissed off. Joel hadn't wanted to listen to me. He wasn't worth the shit feelings I was carrying around. Lunch with my girlfriends was out of the question. I couldn't speak about what happened over the weekend. Van was sending me text messages left and right. I didn't read them past the first line that showed up on my phone. Delete was my friend. Stub's message was quick and to the point.

Stub: Just tell me which brother to kill

I didn't reply. I couldn't. She didn't contact me again. I walked to a corner café on Monday and buried my face in a book. Tuesday, I wore an old uncomfortable sports bra and my loose clothes that made me look dumpy. Trett and JJ tried to get me to open up, but I politely told them I was fine.

Fine, that was me. Modest, non-sexy, fine Cami. I could live with it.

I was at my desk on Friday, finishing a piece on the need for donors at the local blood bank when I heard a noise behind me. I turned and Charlie stood at the door to my office.

Charlie.

I shook my head thinking my lack of sleep had me hallucinating.

"You're not going to say hello?" He sat a briefcase down on the floor and held out his arms.

All the tears I'd held back came pouring out as I threw myself against him. It was worse than the night I'd cried against Van's chest. I couldn't speak, could barely breathe. His hands rubbed my back as he held me tight. I have no idea how much time passed before Charlie gently pulled back.

"We need to talk." He walked over, grabbed a tissue from my desk, and waited while I blew my nose. "May I shut your door?"

I could only nod. If I said a word, I would crumple to the floor in tears. I had no control over my emotions. He pulled his briefcase farther into the room and shut the door as I pulled out a chair for him. My office was so small the only other chair was my desk one. I managed to get it around my desk before collapsing into it. My legs were beyond shaky. I kept thinking Charlie would disappear and I'd wake up from a dream. I waited for him to tell me why he had come to see me.

"You know I've wanted a bi-weekly newspaper?"

This was the last thing I expected and it explained nothing. "You mentioned it." My throat was gruff from crying, but at least my lips were no longer quivering.

"What you don't know is that Stub and I have also dreamed of traveling and seeing the world before our old bones won't carry us comfortably around."

"Ooookay." I wiped my eyes again.

"A solution was offered and it meets our goals perfectly." Charlie gave me a soft smile. "We've sold the paper. We should still be involved with day-to-day operations and will hopefully expand distribution with a bi-weekly edition."

"I don't understand." I had no idea what he was talking about or why he was telling me this. There was still a chance I was dreaming. Funny that this was the first one without Joel.

"I have a letter for you that might explain things a little better." He reached for his briefcase, laid it on my desk, and opened it. He handed me a plain white legal-sized envelope. It was not sealed. I opened it and took out a single typed sheet of paper.

Cami,

I know this makes no sense at the moment, but I need you to keep an open mind. My brother loves you. Losing you is just as bad as losing him. You need to come back here and make a life for the two of you.

The Colt Sentinel is now in your name. You own it free and clear. My brother will probably be a bonehead about you working, but you need to follow your dream. This gives you every opportunity to do it. Not on as grand a scale, but our community needs you. Rugby needs you.

More than anything, I want you and my brother happy. I can't lose you both.

Joel

This made no sense at all. I reread the short letter before looking at Charlie for clarification. "Have you read this?"

He shook his head and said, "No, but I know basically what it says."

"Van doesn't love me and I don't love Van. We're friends- or at least we were. I haven't returned any of his text messages, so that might not even be true."

Charlie rubbed his chin. "Well, that's interesting."

"Interesting? Joel's insane. Why would he push me at his brother when it's Joel I love?"

"Hmm, a little more than interesting now, boss."

Horror washed over me. "Don't you dare call me boss. I can't own a newspaper. You can't sell the paper. It's in your blood, just like rugby."

"Actually, given this opportunity changed our thinking- mine and Stub's," he clarified. "With you at the helmsomeone we trust and much younger bloodwe can work and travel. That gives us the best of both worlds. If you don't accept this gift, you'll need to find a buyer, and we may not like that person as much as we like you."

"No." I practically shouted. "No, no, no." Fit-throwing Cami was making an appearance. "This can't be happening."

"It can. It is. And we need you. Like Joel said, rugby needs you. Your articles have thrown The Slam on its ear. There are investors, advertisers, and a hot fire burning under the team."

I stopped him before he could go on. "No, they won the championship. That's why all that is happening."

"You're smarter than that. I can't believe people haven't inundated you with emails and letters to your editor. The entire league needs to thank you."

Well, in one way he was right. Rugby fans were coming out of the woodwork. The letters to the editor were demanding airtime on local television and more than one team to choose from representing the U.S. in the world rugby arena. Crap.

"I can't run a paper."

"And you think I could? I poured my life savings into The Sentinel and struggled for years with a learning curve. You have me and Stub to hold your hand and teach you everything we know. We have homelessness, crime, and domestic violence. Hell, there are activist college students that want a voice. We're like bigger cities, just on a smaller scale. We can share responsibilities so Stub and I can travel and you can put your investigative journalist instincts to work. If you can write with the heart you showed in the rugby series, I can only imagine what you can do with what you think is really important."

I swear the room was spinning. I heard everything he said, but "I don't love Van" was what came out of my mouth.

"Funny you should say that. I think Joel got more wrong than a simple typo on a name. You don't buy a newspaper for a woman you don't love. I can absolutely swear to that."

"Joel was tapped out money wise. The sponsors can't have lined his pockets so much he could afford to buy your paper."

"Hell no. Stub drives a mean bargain and he paid top dollar. Apparently he had some prime real estate that he sold."

Hell. I knew exactly what Joel sold. Fuck. Now I wanted to cry again. Too bad my anger was getting the better of me. Joel wouldn't even listen and now he was trying to hand me to his brother on a silver platter. After I wrung his neck, I wasn't letting him out of a bedroom for at least a week.

"That's the go get 'em expression I remember you having. I think you need to straighten a certain rugby player out, boss."

I shot up out of my chair and threw myself back at Charlie. "I'm docking your pay every time you call me boss."

We laughed and hugged until he made me get off his lap, claiming his knees were weak and they needed a break. I took Charlie to dinner, insisting that's what bosses did. Charlie had pre-booked me on a flight to return to Colt the following day. I had nothing pending and I'd be damned if my man was going to wallow in self-pity through the weekend. I had some major ass to kick.

Before I left my office, I typed another resignation letter and emailed it to Miller. I felt bad for not hand-delivering it, but I wanted to be sure my two-week notice started as soon as possible. There would be no rescinding this resignation. I was taking a play out of Joel's book. He was mine and I would damn well annihilate him until he knew it.

Charlie was booked into a hotel, but ended up sleeping on my couch. He refused to take the bed and since I pulled the boss card over buying dinner, I let him have his way. I also gave him moral support when he claimed his back was broken the following morning.

We arrived in Colt late in the afternoon. We met Stub for dinner. I cried again. Having her and Charlie was like having another family. They already loved Joel and my parents would too.

Now, it was time to convince Joel he loved me.