An unlikely romance sprouts from a chance encounter between Cliff and Hannah after she spurns his good deed. ----------
Cliff tries doing a good deed for financially distressed Hannah by paying for her expensive car repairs. He expects nothing in...
The next morning, Hannah woke with sore muscles. The skin around her eye was tender to the touch, but when she looked in the mirror it didn't appear as bad as she expected. There was some puffiness, but she wasn't discolored.
Her parents met her at the breakfast table. She scolded her mother for preparing pancakes while using her walker. "You should let Dad do that, or you should've waited for me. I can make breakfast."
Her mother grinned. "Your father is next door bragging to the neighbor about his heroic daughter."
What was her mother going on about? "What did I do that was so heroic?"
She pointed toward the Sunday newspaper lying on the counter. Hannah picked it up.
On the cover, her photo from the glamor shot was displayed four columns wide along with the headline: Kidnapping Plot Foiled.
Hannah went on to read the article.
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Kayla Aguillar 22, daughter of Senator Aguillar, was leaving the annual country club social with her date. A man posing as a parking valet and wanted by the police seized the young lady, threatening her with an edged weapon and forcing her into his vehicle. Facilities manager, Hannah Blessing, interceded and convinced the attacker that she should take Ms. Aguillar's place.
The story then quoted the senator as saying: The selfless heroism of Ms. Blessing and her willingness to get involved is indicative of the love of neighbor and high morals held by my fellow Pennsylvanians. Her actions make me proud of the constituents I serve, and my entire family is in her debt.
Hannah gasped. "Mom, this is complete BS. Kayla was never James' intended target. He was only after me."
Her mother hobbled over with her walker and stood beside her. "Maybe that's not how it appeared, or maybe the senator just took advantage to spin the story to play to his voters."
Another quote below that of the senator's was from Judge Cox, the club's president heaping praise on her. "I guess this means they aren't going to fire me."
The rest of the article provided more detailed information. The last paragraph caught her eye:
In an unexpected twist, Ms. Aguillar's date, Cliff Ortega, is credited with tracking down the kidnapper and his accomplice, rescuing Ms. Blessing, and alerting law enforcement who eventually took the perpetrators into custody. At the time this story went to print we were unable to contact Mr. Ortega for details.
Her mother laid a hand on her arm. "Hannah banana, you best prepare yourself to receive calls by media outlets wanting to interview you."
She groaned. "If you get any of those calls, tell them no comment."
After breakfast, Hannah reread the article and retreated to her bedroom contemplating how the truth in news stories could so easily be manipulated to fit an agenda or encourage sales due to their sensational nature. She had to admit to herself that she also benefitted from the way the story played. A knot formed in her stomach while considering how things could have gone bad for her except for Cliff's resourcefulness and determination. He was the real hero of the story. Not her.
What further evidence did she need to be convinced how much he cared for her? Could she honestly say she cared as much for him?
She had allowed James and the way he had mistreated her to lead her to mistrust all men. That had been unfair of her and unfair to Cliff. Now that she was able to open her heart, she realized, "I'm a fool."
Hannah pulled her cellphone and made a call.
The person at the other end picked up. "Gah, Hannah, I'm so embarrassed. I had way too much to drink last night and got all gushy—"
"—Were you so drunk you forgot what you told me at the bar?"
Izzy answered meekly, "No, I haven't forgotten. Please keep what I said confidential. I shouldn't have laid all that on you."
"I'm glad you did. We're friends, Izzy, you can tell me anything."
The line went silent as if Izzy didn't know what to say.
Hannah filled the void. "I'm calling because I need a phone number from you. There's something I must do."
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Hannah already has Cliff's number. Whose number does she want from Izzy and why?
