On The Job

Libby, Bill McGee, Travis, & Toni

by Atonia & Layne

Walking slowly up the street, camera and notebook in hand, Libby was a little unsure about doing this story. The new butcher shop that the McGee's were opening was something most of the Glen was happy about. Libby was happy about it too, as far as what they would be selling. She was a little unsure about talking to the McGee's, though.

Since Richie and Travis McGee had had their little altercation in Richie's office, the entire town had heard about it. It had been kind of hard to miss, what with Richie sporting a split lip and swollen jaw, and Travis McGee a cut near his eye. Most of the town didn't seem to have taken sides regarding Travis McGee and Richie's ex-wife, Toni. Of the few who had, Libby was squarely on Richie's side, given their friendship.

She'd told Cal that she wondered if she were the right person to do a story about the new butcher shop. Cal had responded that a reporter needed the ability to be impartial, especially in a town this size and that this might be a good opportunity for Libby to practice that. So, here she was on her way to the site of the new shop. Hopefully, only Bill McGee would be there. She thought she could handle him.

The framing was going up today and Bill and Travis had walked around to the back of the building discussing the size of the opening for the loading dock. Toni was across the street corner at Lucy’s picking up a few goodies and talking with her for a bit.

“I don’t see a problem with it Dad, if it don’t work tear the damn thing out.”

“All right we’ll go ahead with it then,” Bill rolled up the drawings and came around the building, at first he didn’t notice the girl with the camera. He walked over to his truck and tossed the drawings inside and saw her. He walked over.

“Hey, Miss Tyler is that right?”

Libby smiled at the older man. She'd met him briefly at the McGee's barbecue and liked him. "That's right, Mr. McGee. Please call me Libby."

"Looks like everything is going well here." She nodded toward the building.

“Yeah we’re moving along pretty good. Hope to get the framing finished today, had to wait on the concrete to set up. What brings you up here?”

"Well, we wanted to do a write-up for the Times on the new shop that's going to be in town. Get a few pictures of the construction." She raised her camera. "Maybe get some idea of when you'll be opening up. If you know that yet?"

“Oh I reckon it will be a couple of months yet before we’re ready to do business, take all the pictures you want not much to see yet,” Bill turned as Travis came around the building, “did you find it?”

“Yeah, it’s by the back door space,” Travis noticed Libby with his Dad and came over, “Hi Libby,” he smiled in greeting. “Don’t tell me you’re interviewing this old man.”

"Absolutely," Libby returned his smile, a bit uncomfortable with Travis. "It's always the older, more mature man who has the most interesting things to say." She turned her smile back to Bill McGee.

"And I'm hoping to persuade him to let me take his picture alongside the building too," she added.

“Oh he’ll eat that up,” Travis laughed and slapped his Dad on the back.

“Don’t you have something to do Travis?” Bill laughed with him, “I don’t know why you’d want my picture young lady, put people off buying the paper.”

“Ah go on, pose for her,” Travis grinned and stepped back.

"Are you kidding?" Libby winked at Bill, as she had him pose next to the framing for the building going up. " We'll put this on the front page. Every woman in the Glen will want a copy of it! They'll probably ask you to autograph it too!"

She snapped several pictures of Bill McGee in various poses around the building. "So-" she said, conversationally, trying to put him at ease for the pictures. "Will you be the one running the shop, or will you be hiring someone to do it?"

“Oh we’ll be hiring somebody, we’re looking for a couple of good butchers and somebody to run the register.” Bill felt a little awkward posing for pictures, he was glad to see Travis walk across to the bakery. Bad enough a fella had to pose for pictures in the first place he didn’t need that grinning son of his watching.

"In that case-" Libby finished with the pictures and began taking notes. "-you might want us to run a help-wanted ad for you too!" She grinned at Bill. With a small paper like the Times, Cal and Colleen had often pointed out that you needed to do a little of everything, including ad sales, to keep everything running smoothly.

She noticed the look of relief on Bill's face when Travis walked off. "Sorry," she said apologetically. "I know it's tough for some people to have their picture taken. I hate it myself!"

She was dying to ask about Travis and Toni Roberts, but she restrained herself. She wouldn't bring it up first. It sounded too much like something Mr. Jessup might do.

“Yeah we’ll run an add, good idea. Well people don’t often take my picture but it don’t bother me, not like it does Travis, he hates it but he has good reason to. You know them paparazzi people follow him around looking for something to make up a story about.”

"They do love to make things up," Libby agreed. "I could never do things like that. People need privacy. Enough talk goes around about people just here in the Glen." She was thinking about Richie and herself.

“People will always talk but we don’t listen to that kind of thing. I know Travis and Toni took a hit when they came back here but the thing to do is just keep your head up and go on, they’ll soon find somebody else to talk about.” Bill posed for what he hoped was the last picture.

"Richie took a hit himself." Libby couldn't resist saying, now that Bill had brought up Travis and Toni. "Kind of an unfair hit."

Bill didn’t know quite how to answer that, he looked at her for a moment, “I guess everybody took a hit.” He wondered what her interest was in the whole thing, nobody’s business that he could see.

Travis and Toni came out of the bakery with a couple of bags and stood at the doorway talking to Lucy for a minute, Lucy waved over at Bill and Libby.

Toni turned to see who she was waving at…Libby. Travis put his arm around her unaware of any tension in the air and walked her across the street.

Libby waved back at Lucy and smiled at Travis and Toni. She had to remember that she was working right now and she needed to be professional. She wasn't sure why she should feel so uncomfortable around Toni and Travis anyway. Just out of loyalty to Richie, she supposed. The only time she'd seen Toni before today was that day in Richie's office when Toni had been there with him, discussing their property division.

Libby hadn't known she was there, had just stopped by to see how Richie was doing with everything. When Toni had left, Libby remembered, she had brushed by Libby without so much as a glance, as though she didn't exist. That had been the night when she and Richie had gone to Coffs for dinner, had ended up spending the night in the motel there.

"Toni. Travis." She greeted them politely.

Toni of course had heard all the rumors about Richie and Libby, she didn’t care who Richie took to his bed anymore but she kind of felt sorry for Libby. Travis had heard too, guys will talk and ranch hands were the worst to carry gossip,”

“Hi, Libby.” Toni said and smiled.

“Did you get that old man to stand still long enough to take a picture?” Travis asked and walked over handing his Dad a little bag, a goody from Lucy.

"Oh, he did great." Libby smiled over at Bill. "He should've been a model."

"Hi." She returned Toni's greeting a little stiffly.

What's wrong with me anyway, she wondered to herself. Why should I resent Toni? Heck, if she hadn't left Richie, I wouldn't be sleeping with him! Or would she? This was the first time she'd ever considered that question.

Richie had admitted to her that he'd cheated on Toni and that was one of the reasons for the marriage ending. Libby had never even considered sleeping with a married man before, but now she considered that question. Would she have gone to bed with Richie if they'd become friends before Toni had left him? If she were being honest with herself, Libby had to admit that she probably would. Whatever it was about Richie that overpowered her inhibitions would have done so just as much, even if he'd still had a wife at home. That thought startled her and made her a little more uncomfortable.

"How are things going?" she asked, trying to cover that discomfort.

“Wonderfully,” Toni smiled, she’d just told Lucy the news and couldn’t contain it, “We’re going to have a baby.”

Travis was still talking to his Dad but he heard Toni’s excited response to Libby’s question and he turned and smiled at her. She was bubbling over today.

Toni had no way of knowing it, of course, but that piece of news hit Libby like a stab in the heart. It had only been a few weeks since her accident. Since the loss of the baby she hadn't even known she was carrying. She tried not to show her pain, but she knew she wasn't entirely successful at it.

"That's great news," she told Toni and Travis, biting her lip. "I'm happy for you."

She wondered if Richie had heard. Decided that he hadn't, since she'd seen him last night and he hadn't said anything.

Toni noticed the look Libby gave her and she had a questioning look in her eyes but she thanked her. Travis took her hand, “ Thanks Libby” he looked at Toni, “we’re off unless you got something else?”

“I’m ready, bye Libby good luck with the story, “ she turned with Travis slipping her arm around his waist as they walked to his vehicle.

Bill picked up his tool belt, “Well you got anything else Miss Tyler that you need to know about this project?”

Startled out of her wandering thoughts, Libby said absentmindedly, "No. No, I don't think so."

She checked her notes, but her mind was still elsewhere. Half on the accident and the baby she'd lost. The other half on Richie. Maybe she should look him up and tell him about Toni--that she and Travis wre expecting. She didn't want him to find out from town gossip and be hurt all over again.

“Well I’m gonna get back to work then, thanks for coming by and good luck. We’ll do that ad in the paper.” He smiled and went back to the building.