Looking For You All My Life Part 78

In the morning's mail she discovered an envelope,

addressed to her, from Gavin Barnes. She opened itto find a

ort but well-written letter of apology to the whole town,

a small note attached asking her if she would please

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124Melody Carlson

print this in the newspaper. His letter to the town seemed sin-

cere and remorseful and she saw no reason not to print it,

but decided to run it past Clyde first. She found him put-

tering around in the printing room. "Hey there," she called.

"Got a moment?"

He set his push broom aside and dusted his hands on the

sides of his faded black work pants. "Always got time for

you, Maggie girl. What is it?"

"I got a letter from Gavin today. Actually, it's for the town.

It's an open letter of apology for all that drug-trafficking busi-

ness. As you can see, he doesn't take personal blame for the

actual drugs, only for opening the door-and for that he

seems truly sorry, don't you think?" She handed him Gavin's

letter and waited for him to adjust his gla.s.ses and read.

Finally he folded it and handed it back. "It's up to you-

you're the editor." He sniffed. "Don't know as I'd believe

every word myself. Don't know that a snake can change his

stripes that easily."

She frowned. "But you said you were going to give him a

chance."

"It's one thing, me giving my own nephew a chance. He's

my own flesh and blood, what else can I do? But it's some-

thing else altogether in encouraging the whole town to take

the same kind of chance."

"Well, like you said, I'm the editor. And I happen to be

willing to take this chance with Gavin. If he somehow blows

it, well, then printing his letter will be on my head-right?"

Clyde grinned. "Seems to me you've got a lot riding on

your head these days."

She lifted her brows. "Meaning?"

"Meaning, I heard some good ol' boys yacking away at

the hardware store yesterday. Seems everybody's real taken

with this California developer man. And seems that some

folks think a certain newspaper editor's all wet in reporting

on him the way she did."

She exhaled in loud exasperation, and then threw up her

hands. "Well, what am I supposed to do, Clyde? Just believe Looking for You All My Life125

everything this guy says and forget about everything else I've

heard and read that's contrary to that?"

"Not as long as I'm around! I want you to stick to his

trail like a hound on a c.o.o.n. Don't you be taken in with all

his fine, smooth talk."

"He invited me to go down and see some of his develop-