▲ The story isn't about me
Witch
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Mar 29, 2016 21:44:47 GMT
Post by Lexi Colt on Mar 29, 2016 21:44:47 GMT
[googlefont="La Belle Aurore:400"] [attr="class","congrats"]
Tap. Tap. Tap. Alexandra Colt looked up at the clock that sat on high above the door into the place most journalists craved - the Cloistere Police Department’s bullpen. The place all the juicy details sat waiting for a resourceful young reporter to have a look at. On getting back to her home town, and realising she needed to stay for a bit, the editor of the Cloistere Chronical had offered her a space on the team. She was both online and printed due to her past experience. A Georgetown education plus D.C. press experience made Lexi a rare find for Alfie the editor in Cloistere. She sighed as she looked at the clock again, the guy who was meeting with her was now half an hour late.
Lexi had been given the task of doing a spotlight interview profile type thing on one of the police in town. It would be a deputy no doubt. The sheriff needed someone as the face of the department and he didn’t want to be it. She guessed it would be an up and comer, or they’d just not show. She checked her watch before reading over the deputy’s jacket she’d been given, everything but the name of the guy. Lexi however had other ideas. Whilst interviewing the idiot golden boy she’d find a story from the paperwork across the desks. Lexi had been in police stations all over and she knew that it wouldn’t be missed as long as she got it back. Hence why she would leave a fake notepad, go back to get it and return the file - the perfect cover, especially in Cloistere.
The last time she’d lived in the town properly she’d been 18 and going off to college, 7 years ago. She thought about her last few months, her last night, in the town. Josh and her… Lexi shook her head removing the thoughts form her head. It wasn’t going to distract her, why the hell was he in her mind anyway? She took out her cell to distract her mind with work emails. One huge difference between here and D.C. was the lack of urgency at times, the old Southern ways clearly were alive and well in Cloistere. Old Mrs LeCroix had commented already that Lexi didn’t sound like she was born and raised in Cloistere anymore. She wasn’t really that bothered about that one.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Her high heeled boot hit the wooden floor below her, the floor was practically older than any other floor. She knew that the police station was one of the oldest buildings in town, many times she’d heard the stories of the town, heard the history, had to endure the dances and charity functions that came with living in a small but southern old town. She looked up as the door swung open, Lexi stood and brushed her hair out of the way as, in one smooth motion, she slipped her phone away and held out her hand of whichever deputy the sheriff had dubbed the ‘face’ of the PD. No doubt the next sheriff. That’s when the word stalled around her. She was face to face with a face from her own past. “Josh.” She whispered, was the world having a joke or something?
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your happiness is everything no, i wont tell a lie like that [newclass=.congrats]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s[/newclass][newclass=.congrats:hover]opacity:0.7;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff[/newclass] |
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Mar 30, 2016 17:10:57 GMT
Post by Josh Dupré on Mar 30, 2016 17:10:57 GMT
There’d been a time, Josh thought bitterly as he forced himself not to slam the door of the Sheriff’s office behind him, that the Dupré name had really meant something in this town, something more than the respect it got for being one of the founding families at least. In his dad’s time there likely hadn’t been this sort of unnecessary fuss, especially at a time like this. Josh couldn’t remember there ever having been any, anyway, but then again, there’d not been a murder like this either. Cloistere was a quiet, prosperous little town, where the worst that tended to happen was that a girl slept with you and then ran for the hills, well, Georgetown. That had all changed on the morning Leila Beaumont had been found out on the ice, her body laid open by the claw marks that had scored the flesh.
Pausing in the hallway now, Josh dragged his hands over his face, trying to rid himself again of that image. He’d seen bodies torn apart by the things most people didn’t know existed before but it had never hit this close to home. Never had he thought that he might actually have to use the blade the town had held for centuries on somebody who lived here. The thought of all those years of peace being torn apart now had left him feeling nauseous and the feeling hadn’t eased in the days since the body had found, if anything it had gotten worse. There was little outside of the job to distract him from what he and SJ had been dealing with, little to wipe the images from his mind. Every night he headed from the station to the house and practically hid himself away up in the attic bedroom that’d been his since they’d moved back in with gran. Grace and Katie didn’t need to see the photos he studied, or hear the details of the autopsy report and they didn’t need to see the way the case was weighing on him.
Maybe if the Sheriff hadn’t dropped this meet and greet with one of the local reporters on him he could’ve taken five minutes out to try and cool off but the sheriff, coward that he was, had ducked out of doing it himself. He probably didn’t want every wrinkle and wart appearing on the front page of the town paper. Nope, instead he’d dolled it out like a punishment, and he knew exactly how much it was going to be enjoyed. Josh stopped short of the door leading back into the bullpen and tried a smile that was a touch less acerbic than he actually felt on for size. A few polite words about his boss, a discussion of how peaceful things actually were in town and he’d be able to show the reporter the door, maybe. Alfie wouldn’t get his scoop of the century but right then and there Josh didn’t actually care.
Growing a pair, as his sister was likely to have put it, Josh pushed open the door into the bullpen ... and got smacked in the ass by it as he stepped through and stopped dead. Nope, the misery hadn’t stopped. Instead of sending some eighteen year old looking to get their first byline Alfie had dragged up a ghost from his past, one that could still twist his guts up after seven years. Gabe had told him that Lexi was back in town but Josh hadn’t expected their paths to cross, at least not like this. The Sheriff couldn’t have known they had a history but he wouldn’t put it past the wily old ass to have guessed. Josh stood, throat working as he stared at Lexi. She hadn’t changed much from the girl he’d charmed into his car after Alex’s party. Forcing himself to walk forward, Josh dropped into the chair behind his desk before he found his voice. ”Lexi. I should’ve guessed the misery wasn’t going to stop just at an interview.” Nope, it had to be one with her. ”I’d watch the nerves if I were you, one of these days you’re gonna drum a heel right through that floor and you’ll end up on the run from the preservation society.” The building was old but it was stronger than it looked, far stronger than his traitorous little heart. That was still shuddering in his chest at the sight of her.
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▲ The story isn't about me
Witch
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Post by Lexi Colt on Apr 1, 2016 17:20:27 GMT
[googlefont="La Belle Aurore:400"] [attr="class","congrats"]
Lexi had to remind herself to breath as she watched him, why was the world against her this much? She remembered waking up in the early morning after she and Josh had ended up back at his. She had been so warm and comfortable next to him it had taken her a moment to realise who exactly she was snuggling into. However fear suddenly sunk in, a fear like she’d never felt before, or since for that matter, so she grabbed her things and climbed out his window - too afraid of bumping into anyone in the house. She knew she should have left a note, but she didn’t… she just ran away from any feelings and moved to D.C. Lexi never told anyone, not her sisters or anyone really. She couldn’t. But now? Well now the universe had decided it was time to face the music.
The reporter followed him into the bullpen and sat at his desk, she did smile as the sight of her caused a few of the other officers to stop what they were doing and look at her. Lexi wasn’t that type of girl, her mind was too full of Josh, but still she knew that when she was dying for a lead in a story she could use her girl ways to get something out of those junior officers. “Misery? I hope that’s not because it’s me. You had to know I’m back.” She said pretending like the night that was replaying in her mind had never happened. Trying to distract herself, and him, she passed Josh the stupidly random questions she was meant to answer with him. “This is what the town want to know, for the profile.” She told him and took a minute, whilst he was reading, to look over his desk - and that’s when she saw it.
If this was a cartoon, the file would be glowing and her eyes would have grown wide and large. Lexi knew that she needed the file with Leila Beaumont’s name typed on it. Yes that case had been given to Claudia Miller, but she was a tool who had never worked a case like that before. “They aren’t nerves.” She assured him as she tore her eyes away from the file. “I was getting inpatient, this meeting should be over by now… fixing your hair for the photo?” She quipped and smirked as if baiting him into one of their little arguments. Lexi remembered one of the preservation society balls, Josh was there and was basically forced to dance with her all night after her boyfriend of the moment was absent. His girlfriend at the time wasn’t happy, but Lexi started to see him then as her crush, it was about a year before she moved.
However she wasn’t that silly 18 year old anymore and he was now a cop, and she needed that file on his desk. She smirked as she sat forward and got out her notepad, “So, Deputy Duprè, what can I say to your future adoring fans? What is it like being part of the force that keeps them safe every day? What does your day usually involve?” She asked already having memorised the questions. Lexi looked over at the guy near then, he was practically drooling in her direction, he’d be helpful later, later when she left this pad on Josh’s desk - she’d come back once he’d left to claim it, distract the puppy in the corner and take the file. "The elderly members of Cloistere and gonna love it's you in the profile."
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Post by Josh Dupré on Apr 2, 2016 21:14:24 GMT
Up until a few weeks ago Cloistere had been practically heaven on earth for most who lived there. Violence was practically non-existent, folks were happy, and other than the death of his parents, the worst that had happened for him in years had been that he’d had his heart broken. All of that had changed for Josh on the morning he’d been woken from what had been a pretty nice dream about the woman who’d gone and sat herself down at his desk by a call from the dispatcher at the station telling him that a body had been found. Leila Beaumont’s death seemed to have heralded a nasty turn in his life, one he could have quite happily gone his whole life without suffering. Although, right now, Josh mused as he tried not to let that trace of heat that had woven its way through the pit of his stomach show on his face, he might’ve preferred another call out to this.
It had been misery he’d felt when the Sheriff had called him into his office to ask him to do him a small favour and it’d sure as hell been misery he’d felt when he’d realised just who was going to do the interviewing. Of course he’d known she’d come back, her mother’s illness had drawn all found of the Colt kids back to Cloistere, but Josh hadn’t expected to see Lexi this close up, not when he’d done his utmost to absolutely avoid her for the better part of the last decade. Someone somewhere had honestly decided he wasn’t suffering enough at the moment. Setting his gaze square on his desk, Josh started adjusting the position of things, nudging his phone an inch to the left, shifting the files he typically kept squared away. ”Could’ve been Walter Cronkite himself sitting there and this still would have been miserable,” Josh said honestly as he glanced up at Lexi from under dark lashes. And that was a patent lie, it would have only been half miserable then, his heart certainly wouldn’t have ached for Cronkite like it did for her.
In all honesty Josh had known Lexi was back just a couple of days after she’d actually arrived. Gabe had been over as soon as possible, checking in like he usually did when he swung back for a visit and hearing what had happened Josh knew that Lexi was back, that she’d probably be staying. He stopped fiddling as Lexi passed him the page. Josh took it, feeling a little like his brain was leaking from his ears as he looked down at it. ”I knew,” he murmured, glancing from the page to her. ”I just didn’t know that news was so slow this week that your boss would want to stay doing local interest pieces instead of splashing colour pictures of that woman across the front page.” Glancing back down Josh gave an almost amused snort and shook his head. By the looks of things they were gonna want to know everything from his shoe size to whether he was a boxers or briefs man. ”You always were a little impatient,” Josh murmured, dragging his gaze up from the tapping heel, an almost smug smile touching his lips for a moment. ”You can blame the sheriff for making me late. If he’d caved and sent you away like I’d begged him to at the start this would’ve been over and done with five minutes after you’d walked in the door.” The comment had needled Josh though, he raised a hand, shoving it impatiently through his hair, making it stand on end. Lexi had always been able to needle him, at one time it’d been amusing, now it was just … painful.
Lexi’s stubbornness hadn’t faded while she’d been away, if anything she seemed more dogged over things now than ever. Even his comment hadn’t been enough to encourage her to put this piece of fluff aside. She had her notepad out and that smirk on her face that told him he wouldn’t get any peace until he answered her questions. Grumbling under his breath, Josh slumped back in his seat and rolled his eyes skywards. ”What’s it like to protect the town I love? I’d think that was pretty obvious, especially to you Lex. It’s my duty, has been ever since I first saw my dad strap on his belt and vest and head out to his cruiser.” The Dupré men had always been law keepers, they’d negotiated and held the peace in Cloistere for centuries. ”You mean other than fetching doughnuts for the guys and sitting outside of town waiting for old man Parker to rush by ten miles an hour over the speed limit?” Shaking his head, Josh laughed. ”I think they’re gonna love question 11 on that list more than the first one. You could probably tell them the answer to it though, if you remember that is.” He certainly hadn’t forgotten a thing about that night they’d spent together. His mind hadn’t let him, most nights it played it over and over like a movie reel, practically taunting him for being stupid enough not to just act like some hormone ridden teenager instead of a guy who’d found himself totally falling for a woman who’d treated him like a one night stand.
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▲ The story isn't about me
Witch
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Post by Lexi Colt on Apr 5, 2016 12:02:35 GMT
[googlefont="La Belle Aurore:400"] [attr="class","congrats"]
When you are an 18 year old girl you are constantly forced to believe the utter romantic crap that the movies feed you. You sleep with the boy, you run away, the boy runs after you once you realise you should have called him… that however is not what happens. What really happens is that you get to college, realise you should have stayed and spoken to said boy in the morning and left on good terms, and then spend the rest of your time in college regretting that decision and being a colder version of yourself when it came to guys. Not to say that she didn’t have fun at college, Lexi did. As Lexi thought about it she noticed Josh fixing his desk, really she was squaring away the stuff already squared away. She did see a note on his desk to call back Claudia Miller - stupid Claudia. She wouldn’t know a lead if it smacked her in the face. Lexi wasn’t like her, she was this tall, slim, seductive woman - and that’s why she had the Beaumont story. Not to say Lexi thought she was a fugly looker, she knew she was pretty, but not in a glamorous Claudia way. Stupid Claudia. “Walter Cronkite huh? You would rather he was here than me?” She smirked and sat back on the seat and brushed her hand through her hair, “Shame he’s been dead for 7 years.” She paused for a split second, lots happened 7 years ago. As her eyes met his, her breath hitched a little, why was he so - him!
Lexi had been home a lot in the last few years, however she had made sure that she and josh hadn’t really crossed paths. She watched him carefully, her eyes searching his face. She remember when his stubble was barely anything then. In fact Lexi, Gabe and Katie had been making fun of his lack of facial hair the night that she’d last seen him. Now she bet it tickled if you kissed him. Lexi rolled her eyes at herself, not that she’d be kissing or doing anything else with him. When Josh mentioned the Beaumont story she nodded, “Well Claudia Miller is on that story - not me who actually has experience of writing pieces on murder cases and everything else - Claudia, little miss perfect popular.” She sighed and let him read the other questions. “If it was up to me that story would be in every issue letting people know what’s happening, but no." Her editor needed a kick up the ass at times. “And we don’t print in colour. You should know that. It’s colour online.” She shrugged and looked about the main area a little, she recognised most of the people. She looked back at him and grinned when he said she was impatient, “Damn straight.” She remembered getting back to his place and showing how impatient she could be, “Like the time you went to get me and Katie burgers and it took you and Gabe forever? I was a hungry hippo.” She grinned trying to get rid of the other memories for the moment. Lexi pouted, “You’d send me away, but I’m so small and cute - like a puppy. And if you sent me away Mrs LeCroix and Ms. Hamilton would never get to know what you’re favourite pie filling is.” She said reading it off his list as she moved a tad closer to read the only question she could see. “It’s apple ladies.” She smirked. “Katie’s apple pie, with ice cream and a touch of cinnamon.” She rolled her eyes and sat back again in the seat as if that was something everyone knew about Josh.
When Josh mentioned his dad and that she should know Lexi nodded, “Yes Josh but it’s a question on the list. Plus things might have changed for all I know.” She said trying to keep away thoughts and memories of the last time she’d seem him and focus on other things, not that she knew what was under the uniform. ‘Lex’, only he ever really called her that. Her given name, Alexandra, annoyed her and Lexi was Gabe’s idea… but Josh had to go with Lex, or when they were all much younger, Lex Luther. To which Lexi, at 5 years old, would tell older Josh, Gabe and Alex that Superman they were not… She wondered if her obsession with Lois Lane when she was younger is why she was now a journalist. Lexi could just remember Josh’s dad, he was head of the police force and he and Mayor Fraser got along well - funny how that worked out. Shame her dad was a loser who ran off, the unknown witch wondered if he too would have been some pillar of their community. She smirked at the old man Parker thing, that old man was well known for that. Lexi remembered when she and her friends would climb into his old barn for drinking and the likes and the rumours about it being haunted just made it all more exciting. “And is it the doughnuts from Baker’s dozen? I haven’t had a bear claw from there in years.” She grinned. When she was younger the one sure fire way to guarantee a happy Lexi or to cheer her up would be a plain bear claw from Baker’s Dozen, she smiled remembering when Josh would come for Gabe if they were going off somewhere and he’d bring her one. “Those are the best still I bet.” Lexi sighed smiling still at the memory.
Lexi frowned at his words, yes she could answer that, and most of the other questions about him, however she wasn’t about to admit that out loud. She had to focus on the job and right now it wasn’t the job that was on her mind - it was a replay of that night. “Umm what? How would I know? I knew you 7 years ago… a lot can change.” She said and shrugged. She didn’t want to hurt him by saying she didn’t remember than night - but she had to focus on her work. In all her years elsewhere Lexi had never been bothered about a relationship really, maybe that was because she had closed her heart off to romance because of the man now sitting in front of her. “You know, if this is a really bad time or whatever I can come back.” She said getting annoyed that she was feeling uncomfortable around him as her mind was just replaying certain bits of that night over and over again. Plus she had her eye on the file, which was now covered with her folder she’d placed down as he spoke. “Just because I know you have the murder and stuff to deal with.” She explained and couldn’t help her own eyes drifting a little to notice he’d definitely worked out a lot since she’d last seen him.
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Post by Josh Dupré on Apr 6, 2016 13:06:01 GMT
Ghosts. A town like Cloistere, filled with the supernatural as it was, should have been full of them, but the only one Josh was certain he’d ever seen was the woman sitting at his desk today. Alexandra Colt was most certainly still looking very alive but unknowingly she’d spent the last eight years haunting him. Like some spectre, albeit one who’d only grown more stunning since she’d high tailed it out of town, Lexi had appeared in the station today, seemingly set on picking his life apart for the local paper. Josh’s mouth twitched into a momentary smile as he caught Lexi’s smirk, then he was clamping down on it as she ran a hand through her hair. He’d once down that, let those silk strands tangle around his fingers. ”It is a shame, he might’ve written some probing exposé into the Cloistere police department.” Not that there was anything really there to dig up. For a moment as Lexi paused, Josh felt himself soften a little. ”Would I really rather him than you? No.” And that was the simple answer. For years he’d hoped Lexi would come rolling back into town permanently, and now she had. It hadn’t instantly healed the heart she’d given a good kicking on the way out, but it was a start.
Knowing his sister Katie had stayed in contact with Lexi over the years. She was the one in the family who handled that sort of thing while he threw himself into work. Josh had avoided asking his sister how she was doing, refusing to make any sort of allusion to the fact that he’d slept with Lexi on her last real night in town. Josh was pretty sure that Gabe didn’t have a clue either, if he had there likely would’ve been a knock-down drag-out fight by now. It’d been their secret, just as the fact that he would’ve given his right arm to have Lexi on this story instead of the near predatory Claudia Miller. Considering how awkward he was feeling now that was really saying something. ”You can catch all my glory in black and white then,” Josh murmured. Letting out a sigh, Josh shook his head before flashing Lexi a lightning quick grin. ”Don’t let Miller’s glossy facade fool you. She’s not as perfect as she likes to let on. In fact she had to be escorted away for contaminating the Beaumont scene. Don’t you tell her I told you that though.” That was the one time he’d seen Claudia’s pristine reputation tarnished and the woman had been calling ever since, likely to beg him to keep quiet as much as to get information on the case.
Impatient, impetuous, irrepressible ... there were lots of words he’d used to describe Lexi over the years, usually in his own head. Nothing ever stopped her for long, not even Claudia Miller. For two years before Lexi had lit out of town he’d watched her run the gamut of emotions, had been entranced by the way she’d fidget, although now that same impatience was enough to leave him feeling a little like he was choking. ”I thought you were gonna bite our hands off when we got back. I got to the door, you were there and suddenly the bag was gone. That’s one of your magic tricks.” And one of his was pretending he’d be able to get through this interview just fine. He could’ve been mean, could’ve turned around and walked out as soon as he’d soon who the newspaper had sent but as Lexi had teased, she was a puppy, she would’ve come bellying back and his resolve would’ve caved. ”Not sure you need to ask me anything if you know me that well,” Josh murmured, the smile flickering around his mouth for a moment. ”It might’ve changed after all these years, could be cherry or key lime now. And maybe I’m immune to the puppy eyes.” That was a lie, a pretty obvious one too if Lexi could read him as well as she once had.
It seemed she was definitely aware that maybe things with him weren’t as they’d been when she’d crept out of his bedroom that last morning. People changed, they moved, they grew, and the unlucky few still tried to cling to the past. Dropping his gaze back to Lexi’s, Josh shook his head. ”Not as much as you’d think,” he managed solemnly. ”I still feel a duty to the town and I need to carry on the work my dad started here. People deserve to feel safe and if I can, I want to let them feel that way.” That was part of the reason why it had galled him so much when Leila Beaumont had been discovered, the town had been violated, that poor woman’s life spilled out on the ice. The anger threatened to bubble up into Josh’s throat again but he pushed it down, managing instead a nostalgic smile as Lexi grinned at him. ”They were always your kryptonite,” Josh murmured, fond remembrance in his voice. ”It’s still the only place in town to get doughnuts. It’s Jim’s son running the place now but they’re still as good.” The sappy part of him pondered ringing Mike up and getting him to send Lexi a dozen but Josh knew that would likely be crossing a line. He wasn’t just her brother’s friend any more ... and he wasn’t the man who’d handed his heart to her that night either.
Lexi was frowning as he teased but for him it wasn’t that outlandish a statement. The night he’d driven Lexi home from the party and they’d ended up in his bed had been etched on his memory. There’d been beer in his system but not so much to impair the vividly drawn scenes. Obviously it hadn’t been the same for her and that stung more than Josh wanted to admit. ”Like I said ... not that much,” Josh repeated, the laughter fading away. ”I don’t do so much of the commando thing now, it chafes when you’re chasing down the perps.” Josh’s words were a little more sarcastic than he’d intended. What had happened that night had been so unusual, and obviously, for Lexi, so forgettable. Forcing his head out of his ass, Josh tried for a smile again and straightened up. ”I’m not chasing you out. Like you said, you’re a puppy dog, you’d just find some way back in.” And it wasn’t like he had any leads to follow in the Beaumont case, there were only so many times you could read a file and not find anything in it before your head was ready to explode. ”We’ll just get the questions answered and you can head out to write your story. Anything you want to know that your editor didn’t slip on here?” That was a baited question. The editor had put practically everything on the list and could likely have figured out more just from talking to people around town. Who know, on the other hand, just what had been burning in Lexi’s mind for the last few years.
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▲ The story isn't about me
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Post by Lexi Colt on Apr 16, 2016 0:44:36 GMT
[googlefont="La Belle Aurore:400"] [attr="class","congrats"]
Lexi couldn’t help the grin that appeared as he said he would prefer her over any famous new personality that he could name. She hoped that meant any bad blood there had been wasn’t as fresh as she first thought. She often wondered if he thought about that night, what she’d done - when she left. “All your glory huh? Sorry Josh,” She smiled cheekily, “Not those type of photos.” She told him with a small, quick giggle. She knew it was cheeky, but she couldn’t help it, it was like old times. As he spoke about Miller she nodded, “I knew she’d puke. I saw a lot of crap in D.C., I’d never blow chunks, that type of thing would get you throw off not just a story but off the newspaper all together.” She explained and wondered if there was anything between him and Claudia. The way the other news reporter had spoken, it sounded like there had been flirting and touching of arms. Mind you it was Claudia so she wasn’t sure how much was real and how much in her little head.
Lexi raised an eyebrow to him and nodded, “Well that’s what you get for keeping food from me.” She couldn’t help but wonder if the bags and disappearing remark had a deeper meaning, like her leaving Cloistere without so much of a goodbye. She wondered if it was just wounded pride or something more. She’d been scared and ran, with her father and everything going on… it was too much to add him into the mix too. Too much for 18 year old Lexi. And what was she meant to do? Not go to university - no chance. Her attention was brought back to him when he said she knew him, she saw the smile and rolled her eyes, “It’s still Katie’s baking - nice try though. And you love my puppy eyes, you can’t say no.” She said before she could think, then it occurred to Lexi that had probably not been the best thing to say but it was out there now.
“You always have felt like you have had a duty to this town - or felt you had. I remember when you broke your thumb and couldn’t play with the other footballers, you stood up and did you’re whole ‘we are awesome’ speech at the rally - a win for the ‘Gaters is a win for Cloistere!” Lexi smirked and remembered how much admiration and how big a crush she had for him that day. She was there to support her brother but all she cared about was Josh. “And for what it’s worth, you do make people feel safe in town. That’s why this is on your this article.” She explained and moved a little closer so the others didn’t really hear. “People see your dad when they look at you and it makes them feel safe, like there are two sheriffs in town. They see you knowing everyone’s name and spending your time chatting with the kids from kindergarten to seniors at the local high school.” She told him and then leaned back, moving away from him to a normal distance, she tried to ignore the Josh smell that surrounded her now. “They are and I’m not shy about it. I’m sure Little Miss. ‘I have the lead story’ doesn’t do carbs.” She said and made a face like she would have in high school. “Sorry. Flash back to Tammy Keeler getting captain of track over me.” She smirked, “I heard about Cami, that’s awesome, I’ll need to go get some. I loved that place.” Lexi bit her lip as little as she smiled remembering the bear claws. She’d not found anything better in D.C.
Her lashes moved over her eyes as they spoke, she allowed her eye lids to flicker up and her eyes were back on him, “Not that much… I don’t believe that.” She smiled in spite of what she was thinking. Lexi let out a laugh that was louder than she meant to as he said about the chafing. “Josh!” She giggled and quietened down as others looked over at them. “That’s not an image the Cloistere public need, you chaffing as you run after Mr. Bad Guy.” If they were together no doubt there would have been an offer to soothe it… Lexi shook her head a little to rid her mind of the thought. When he said he wasn’t chasing her out she smiled and nodded, “Ok. And yes, like a puppy I would, and I’d need to be fed by then and we all know I get grumpy if I’m hungry.” She smirked remembering the time she threw a lego block at him when he tried to keep food from her. It may have been a lego car or ship… slightly bigger than a simple block. The worst thing about sitting there and skirting about the truth like it was something that neither wanted to talk about and yet, they both couldn’t help themselves, was that she was flooded with memories of that night. Like the feather kisses or the giggling as they just enjoyed each other. She couldn’t help the blush that flushed her face as she remembered the more intimate details of that night. Now he wanted to know if she wanted to know anything else about him? The answer was simple - she didn’t want to KNOW anything… she wanted to stuff him into the cupboard and rip his clothes off. However she knew that wasn’t an option, it probably would never be one. Even if they got over their issues she was still a journalist struggling to shine in her current paper and he was the golden boy of the police department. “It’s a pretty extensive list he’s compiled. I think I might head to the bakery and sit in to write it… or the diner.” She told him and smirked, “I have one question I suppose. What have you been doing on your down time recently?” She asked and tried her best to look innocent.
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your happiness is everything no, i wont tell a lie like that [newclass=.congrats]opacity:0;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s[/newclass][newclass=.congrats:hover]opacity:0.7;transition:all linear 1s;-webkit-transition:all linear 1s;background-color:#fff[/newclass] |
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Apr 18, 2016 17:23:45 GMT
Post by Josh Dupré on Apr 18, 2016 17:23:45 GMT
If there was one woman other than his sister who could have heat rising up his face like this it was Lexi Colt. From the minute he’d seen her as someone more than his best friend’s little sister she’d been able to unsettle him. The grin had been enough to start warming something in the pit of his stomach but that cheeky comment she added with a giggle had the heat spreading up through his chest, making it colour his neck and then his cheeks. Josh lifted a hand and tugged at a tie that was already askew. ”It’d give the old ladies something to blush about,” Josh suggested, forcing himself not to mention that she’d probably be able to picture that sort of glory without any help after what had happened. Talking about the ravenous Claudia Miller’s public disgrace was a lot easier than reminiscing. ”Considering it’s probably the worst thing she’s ever seen, you can’t really blame her,” Josh murmured. He had been pissed at the time though, the fact that it was that bad meant that the scene needed to be preserved intact and Claudia had almost blown that. ”She’s still on the story though and humiliating herself in front of me hasn’t stopped her from hounding me.” Working with Lexi might’ve torn his gut apart every single day but she would’ve been professional, she would’ve told the story as it needed to be told instead of covering it with salacious gossip.
Even as a teenager Lexi had been pretty different to every other woman or girl he’d met. She had a way of wrapping him around her little finger at the same time as giving him hell. With just one comment she could put the smirk back on his face. ”I didn’t realise then that you could eat me under the table,” he said sweetly. Pretending to frown for a moment Josh leaned forward and boldly looked Lexi up and down. ”Still can’t figure out where you put it all. Goes past your lips and ... poof!” His own ravenous appetite had been that way once but a few years later and the combination of his sister’s cooking and what came out of the kitchen at the Half Moon was enough to send him running twenty miles a week. Lexi might’ve rolled her eyes but Josh knew that what he’d said was the truth. She might’ve been able to pretend otherwise for the last decade but at one point, even before they’d slept together, they’d been close. ”Thought it was worth a go,” Josh murmured. He forced himself to look up at Lexi now, to meet the eyes that’d always had him on the brink of caving. ”I can try there too. Maybe I’ve become immune to them in the last couple of years.” Josh was amazed his voice didn’t crack. Lexi had no idea how close she’d actually gotten to the truth with that comment.
Unlike his friend Alex Josh had never wanted to escape the pressure his family name brought to him. After high school Alex had gone into the military, heading out of Cloistere at full speed to join the Marines. For him it’d never been an option. For as long as he’d known what it was his dad had done he’d wanted to walk in his footsteps. As Lexi dredged up another long buried memory Josh let out a groan and covered his eyes with his hands. ”Don’t remind me of that. Under all that team spirit I was seriously pissed off that day. I begged the coach to let me out on the field anyway.” And he’d been absolutely shot down, Josh knew now that it was for good reason but then he’d just steamed inside as he’d rallied the other guys to a win from the side lines. Josh still thought it should’ve been the sheriff out here but it appeared that he’d been the object of the article from the start. ”People honestly see that?” Josh asked, a trace of doubt in his voice. He thought he saw a touch of his dad in his face whenever he looked in the mirror but then he’d grow doubtful about the size 12 boots he had to fill. ”I’m glad I can do that, glad that they think of it me that way.” It hadn’t been a conscious effort but it looked like the Dupré attitude shone through in him anyway.
In a vacuum of decent journalists Claudia Miller had found herself at the top of the food chain. She was power hungry, vicious at times and more than willing to try and use her feminine wiles to try and hook any story that might have a paper outside of this town head hunting her. So far she’d failed on most fronts, including coming on to him whenever she walked into the station. ”She lives on fresh air and vinegar,” Josh muttered under his breath. Josh waved off the apology, then actually managed a wink at Lexi. ”You deserved that far more than she ever did, you could literally run rings around her.” Josh’d been in the bakery the first day Cami had put on her owner hat and he’d been practically groaning by the time he’d walked out the door. ”Maybe some kind soul will drop some on your doorstep,” Josh suggested, knowing he’d likely be the one doing it. ”Don’t let that put you off the idea of going and seeing Cami though, she’d be glad to see you back in town.” By now Cami had likely heard Lexi was back from Clea. She wouldn’t be quite as blindsided by the whole thing as he had been.
He’d felt bad about the sarcasm the minute it had left his mouth but it looked like what he’d said had amused rather than stung. There was a smile and then Lexi was laughing loud enough to have the other guys in the room looking in their direction. ”That’s why the boxers stay on now,” Josh explained sweetly. ”Detective Dupré has some sense of decorum these days.” Once upon a time that hadn’t been quite so true though. He’d barely had any control the night he’d driven her home. One hand dropped and fumbled in his desk drawer and suddenly he was holding up a candy bar like a shield. ”Last thing I need is to explain why I’m sporting a black eye after my interview.” And the last thing he honestly needed to be thinking about was turning up at her place with those doughnuts. From the colour that rose up Lexi’s cheeks it was obvious his mind wasn’t the only one that had wandered either. ”There’s no point in an exposé if you’re not going to probe into absolutely everything,” Josh conceded with a shrug. Green eyes narrowed for a moment at that smirk, wondering just what hook was dangling above his head with this. ”The usual,” Josh answered cautiously. ”Spending time with family, running when I can. There’s the occasional beer down at the bar with the guys from the station. If you were asking if there’s anyone sharing that time with me then the answers no Lex.” Josh knew he might’ve been reading way between the lines there but given the comments over Claudia Miller he’d started to suspect he wasn’t the only one still carrying a torch here.
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