Page 11 of The Christmas Door

He watched her as she spoke. There was no forced perfection. No robotic scripting.

Just sincerity woven into every word.

Luke frowned again.

Are you this real, Amayah Harper? Or are you just that good at being fake?

He wasn’t sure. He’d gone into this assignment with a certain set of expectations.

Now everything felt as if it had been turned upside down.

His phone buzzed.

It was Linda Bartzwatz, his editor.

Linda wasn’tjusthis editor. She was a legend.

Years ago, she’d broken the corruption story that toppled two city officials and won her a Pulitzer—an investigation she’d chased for eighteen relentless months while everyone else wrote her off as obsessive.

Luke had devoured every article, every late-night phone interview she’d done afterward, awed by the way she peeled back lies until the truth had nowhere left to hide.

She was the reason he’d wanted to be a journalist in the first place, the reason he believed truth could still change something.

Landing a job with her two years ago was a dream come true.

He swiped to answer. “Cross.”

“I’ve been waiting for an update,” Linda snapped. “Did you make contact with Amayah yet?”

“Yes. I did the first part of my interview today.”

“And?” she prodded. “Any cracks in the halo?”

A pause stretched between them as he considered what to say. Finally, he said, “No. Not yet.”

She grumbled her disapproval. “Well, keep digging. We need what’s behind the glossy persona—the parts Amayah doesn’t want the world to see.”

“I understand.”

“We need to save others from another Celeste. Don’t get blindsided by the sweet exterior—not if you have any hopes of advancing here at the paper.”

She sounded so dissatisfied, Luke felt his chances of getting that promotion slipping away.

“There was one thing . . .” he blurted.

“Spill it.”

He hesitated. Should he share? In some ways, telling Linda what he saw on that kitchen table felt like a betrayal to Amayah.

Then he remembered the mission at hand. He shouldn’t feel any superficial loyalties to a woman he’d only just met. He needed to be more focused and professional than that.

“I thought I saw a real estate contract at Amayah’s house, but I wasn’t able to see any details,” Luke shared.

Regret instantly filled him. But telling Linda this was the right thing to do.

Wasn’t it?

“A real estate contract?” Her voice practically smiled.