you can go up in the elevator once it’s finished, Millicent,” Elizabeth said.
“I don’t think it would be quite the same as getting shots with it in this stage,” Millicent said.
“It wouldn’t,” Matt said.
John wondered if Matt was trying to irritate Millicent on purpose and then realized he often tried to get a rise out of Elizabeth in the same way. He hoped he didn’t sound quite as sharp as Matt did. What was it about a woman that made a man want to ruffle her feathers? Maybe Matt didn’t understand women any better than John did. Maybe it wasn’t just him after all.
For now, he set about enjoying his meal and the conversations going on around him. Elizabeth and Kathleen were talking about wedding plans and he could hear Ben asking Rebecca if she was looking forward to living at Heaton House.
“I am. It will be good to get settled, although we’ve loved staying with Michael and Violet. However...” She broke off and looked at her brother.
As if planned, Michael stood and clinked his goblet with a spoon.
The table quickly quieted. “If I can have your attention, I have an announcement to make.”
“Oh? What is it, son?” Mrs. Heaton asked.
Michael looked down at his wife and grasped the hand she held out to him. “Violet and I have an extra surprise for you. We’re going to start a family. Our baby is due around Christmas.”
Mrs. Heaton was on her feet in a flash as everyone clapped and congratulated Michael and Violet. With tears in her eyes, she hugged her daughter-in-law and son. “Oh, Michael, Violet, that is wonderful news.”
“I almost gave it away, didn’t I? I was about to say you’d have a full house soon,” Rebecca said, a huge smile on her face. She leaned over and gave Jenny a hug. “You’ll have a little cousin to play with before long, Jenny!”
Jenny clapped her hands as if she knew what her mother was talking about and Mrs. Heaton wiped her eyes and headed back to her seat to hug Rebecca and Jenny. “How blessed I am to be getting two grandchildren in less than a year. I don’t know what to say except thank You, Lord.”
The joy on her face had John clearing his throat as several of the women wiped their eyes. John wished he could excuse himself. All of this emotion was something he wasn’t comfortable with. He was happy for everyone, especially Mrs. Heaton. She deserved all the happiness she was experiencing now. But the talk of weddings and starting families brought thoughts to mind he wanted to forget.
* * *
The next morning, Elizabeth watched her boss look over the photos she’d brought in and waited for his reaction to the ideas she’d told him about.
Mr. Dwyer laid the last photo on top of the others and looked over at her with a smile. “I’m very impressed with all this, Elizabeth. I like your ideas about doing a series of articles, too. In fact, I wish we were a daily publication so that we could get more information out about the condition of the tenements.”
“I’m so glad you want a series. What about the photographs? Do you want to use any of them?”
“I do. I’d like to run a two-page spread, at least for this one. And I’d like you to continue to stress the need for the child-care homes in the city as you did in the first article we published about the tenements.”
“I’ll be more than happy to. I’ll get the first draft to you this week.”
Mr. Dwyer smiled. “I look forward to reading it.”
For the rest of the morning, Elizabeth worked on the article and tried hard not to watch the clock. Excited as she was about her boss’s response to her ideas, it was hard not to think about meeting John for lunch. She was ready and waiting for him in the foyer of the Delineator’s office building ten minutes early.
She looked at the clock just over the receptionist’s desk. It was 11:55 a.m. now. John should be showing up anytime. Elizabeth still wasn’t sure what to make of his suggestion that they go back to the tenements today. She was pretty sure he wasn’t any happier about working with her than she was about working with him. At first. But now she couldn’t deny that she was looking forward to spending more time with him, although she wasn’t sure why. She’d like to do some more investigating, too, and at least this way, they would both have the same information to work with.
At exactly noon, John breezed through the doors and grinned when he spotted her.
“I knew you’d be ready. Out of all the women at Heaton House, you are the most punctual one.”
“And you’re right on time, too. I truly don’t like to keep people waiting, but it was also taught to me that it was bad manners to do so from an early age.”
“Well, I’m glad. Are you ready for lunch? I’m starving.”
He crooked his arm for her to take and Elizabeth never thought much about it. He and the other men from Heaton House always did the same thing when escorting any of the women. It didn’t mean anything. Only suddenly it had her remembering how it’d felt that day she’d barreled into him and he’d reached out to steady her in such a protective way. She gave a little shake to her head to clear her mind of the thought. “Where are we going?”
“There’s a little café not far from here. I’ve eaten at it several times. It’s got a good mix of men and women who come in to eat and I thought you might be more comfortable there than some of the places I usually eat lunch at. They mostly cater to reporters.”
And obviously he didn’t consider her a real reporter. Her stuff was fluff, after all. She felt her face begin to flush. “I see. And you don’t think—”
“Elizabeth, don’t even finish the thought.” John stopped them in their tracks and turned her to look at him. “I didn’t think either of us would want other reporters to overhear what we’re working on. My boss is very enthused about doing a series of articles and, obviously, since you were able to meet me, your editor likes the idea, too.”
Elizabeth felt a flush of embarrassment flood her cheeks. Why was it she always assumed he thought the worst of her? “You’re right. Of course I don’t want any other reporters overhearing us. And yes, Mr. Dwyer likes the idea very much. He even wishes we were a daily publication.”
“That’s wonderful. Did you bring your camera with you, by any chance?” John asked. “Just in case we need more pictures?”
“I did bring it. Mr. Dwyer wants to use the photos I brought in, so that will be some income for Millicent. He was quite complimentary about her talent. I thought you might have asked her to come along today, as well.”
“She took so many good ones that I didn’t think about needing any more right away. But I’m glad you brought your camera, just in case we run into anything we feel we need a photo of.”
Elizabeth was glad she’d brought it, too. But she did feel bad that she hadn’t made a point to ask if they should bring Millicent along, too—or that she hadn’t mentioned it to the other girl on her own.
They took off again and walked the few blocks to the café John had in mind. It was busy this time of day, but they managed to find a table near the back
