Page 75 of Just One Spark

She took another sip and said, "See you soon."

"Bye."I closed the window and got to work closing down the truck.

When everything was cleaned, I stepped down from the truck.

The reporter I saw at the Illuminary was waiting for me.

I sighed, not wanting to talk to anyone."I just closed for the day.Everyone's headed over to the brewery for the grand opening."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"You're the reporter from the Illuminary," I said flatly as I locked the door.

She nodded."Jane Larson.You know I was surprised by Rowan's announcement that you were engaged, especially since no one had ever seen you together."

"Do you need something?If not, I need to get to the brewery."I made a move for the front of the truck.

"I heard something about you and Rowan.I think you'll want to hear it."

I opened the door, wanting to be rid of her.She was the reason that we were in the mess to begin with."What is it?"

"Your mother said that you're not actually engaged, that it was all for publicity for the brewery."

My heart rate increased."You talked to my mom?"

"She invited me in and offered me tea.She was happy to speak to me."

Mom was probably happy to have a visitor."You asked her about my father, didn't you?"

"She mentioned him."

"You're chasing gossip and taking advantage of a grieving woman."

"I work for a local paper, and a brewery opening is big news."

I snorted as I got into the driver's side seat.I wished I hadn't engaged her at all.I didn't want to hear any of this.Then I paused."Is my mother upset?Do I need to stop by there first?"

She shrugged."She seemed to enjoy my company."

"That's because she didn't understand who you were," I countered.

Jane continued, not even phased by my disgust."What should I tell people about your fake engagement?"

"I'm not talking to you."I wasn't even sure how to handle this.But I should talk to Rowan first.

"I'll be at the brewery tonight.People will want to know if their golden couple is real or not."Her tone was sharp.

I didn't want to do anything to mar his grand opening."So you'd ruin the grand opening for the town.Or are you just in this to make a name for yourself?"

"This is news.People will want to hear about this.You never know; the controversy might bring more people to the brewery.I suspect that people will be curious about a couple who would lie about being engaged."

"It wasn't like that.You're just twisting everything."She was fairly close to the truth, and I didn't want to make this any worse than it was.I needed to warn Rowan about the news.He'd be upset.He was so scared about one bad experience ruining customers' opinions about his brewery, and now I was the one who'd destroyed everything.If I hadn't told my mom the truth, this reporter wouldn't have been able to find it out.

Jane just smirked, her phone poised as if she had it on speaker.

I closed my door without engaging with her again.I pulled away from the curb.My face was hot, and my heart was thumping wildly.

This was all my fault.I told my mother, and Jane found a vulnerable woman who could be manipulated with a kind face.When in reality, she didn't care about what she did to my mother, me, or Rowan's business.She only cared about getting a story and spreading gossip.