“You’re so good for my brother,” she says, and the words instantly bring tears of joy to my eyes. “I’ve seen so much of him come alive since you came into his life, Izzy. He’s happier. So, thanks for that.”

“Well, it’s mutual. I love him very much.”

Maggie squeals and wraps her arms around me in a big hug. “Do you need anything?”

“I need to stop throwing up.”

“Crackers,” she says. “Stasia was this way. You need crackers, and maybe some chicken broth. And you should suck on hard ginger candies. Ginger is good for nausea. We have ginger ale at the bar, we’ll get you set up.”

“If I’d known I would get so much good advice, I would have said something earlier. Keegan knows nothing about this stuff. And neither do I. I’ve never really been around a pregnant woman.”

“Don’t worry, we know what to do.”

I’ve been sucking on ginger candies and eating crackers for twenty-four hours, and I already feel better. Maybe it was a mistake to not say anything to at least the other girls. I didn’t consider that they’d have so much good advice for me.

“Great job this morning, Izzy,” my boss, Roger, says as he approaches my desk. “I have to say, you’ve exceeded our expectations these past few weeks. Congratulations.”

I sit back in my chair and smile at the man I’ve come to respect since I started working for the news program. “Thank you. I’m so happy to hear that you’re pleased with my work.”

“We are. Listen, you just reported about the ice storm that’s likely to hit Portland tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s right. If the models are correct, and they usually are, it should rain heavily all morning, and then start to freeze in the early afternoon. It’s one of those odd storms that rolls in during the fall sometimes.”

“I’m sending you down to cover it remotely for the evening news.”

I sit back and stare at the man. This is amazing. “Really?”

“Yes. Really. You’ll be on location, reporting back live to the anchors in the studio for the five o’clock and six o’clock news.”

“Okay.” I tap my chin, thinking of everything I have to get ready.

“Is there a problem?”

“Not at all. I’m making a mental list of everything I have to do. When will we leave? Will we be gone overnight?”

“I would plan for that in case the weather is so bad that you get stuck there. You’ll be just a team of two, you and Phil, who will drive and man the camera. He’s a veteran at this. Been here for twenty years.”

“I met Phil, he’s very nice. Okay, so what time will we leave?”

“Eleven in the morning to make sure you get there safely before the ice hits.”