She waited impatiently, ringing the bell and knocking, before Grant opened the door. She didn't know what she had expected but the stone cold look on his face as he said hello was definitely not it.
"Hi," she said tentatively. "Is something wrong, Grant?"
He impatiently stepped aside, allowing her to come in. "You tell me, Mattie."
"I, uh, came by to tell you that I won't be covering the Storm any more."
"Uh-huh. And?"
Bewilderment settled in the pit of her stomach, making it hard to breathe, hard to concentrate. She searched her memory for something, anything that would explain why he was acting this way.
"Grant..." she pleaded.
"And?" he hissed through gritted teeth.
Mattie shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "And I'll be going back to Colorado tomorrow night after the game."
Tears sprang to her eyes.
"Good."
"Good?" It came out in almost a whisper. She took a step back, tears now coursing down her cheeks. "Grant?"
"Save the tears for the next sucker you need information from, sweetheart. I thought I knew you, but I didn't. And now I don't want to. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, well, you undoubtedly know the saying. At least maybe now the Storm has sent you back where you belong, we won't see our nightmares splashed across the front pages. Been there, done that."
Mattie's shoulders slumped in defeat. She knew this scene, intimately. Defending herself would be a waste of breath. And right now, she had none to spare.
)
