About the Boy by Sharon De Vita Page A

Believe it or not, just from reading that column, people will form an opinion of you and feel as if they already know you whether they do or not.”
    He nodded. “Okay, but what kinds of things go in this ‘Police Beat’ column?”
    Katie thought about it for a moment. “Well, last spring for example, the last week of school, during finals, the police chief wrote an article explaining it was the last week of school and finals were in progress, which meant students wouldn’t be coming and going at the usual times, so drivers should be particularly aware that children could be coming out or going into the school all during the day. And possibly riding their bikes, skateboards, or even just on foot, so he wanted every driver to pay particular attention while in the school zone.”
    “That’s an excellent idea, Katie,” Lucas said, nodding his head. “I think a friendly reminder that cars and drivers have to share the road with others can’t be repeated too often.” He opened the folder. “Let me review some of the articles and let you know when I come up with an idea for next week’s column, unless you already have something in mind?” he asked, glancing up at her.
    “Please, I have enough trouble coming up with ideas for my own columns, let alone others. Feel free to write about anything you want.”
    “Will do. Now when do you need this article?”
    “I’m afraid I’ll need it no later than a week from today.” She leaned forward, then hesitated, wanting to be helpful, but not intrusive. “Lucas, sometimes if someone hasn’t had much experience writing they sort of go brain-dead when they start, especially knowing they need a certain number of words in a certain period of time.”
    “Now you are scaring me,” Lucas said with a laugh.
    “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” She paused for a moment. “I guess the best advice I can give you is to merely write in the same conversational tone you talk in. Keep it friendly and informal—informational, but not preachy.”
    “Are you sure you don’t want to write this?” he asked, and she held up her hands.
    “No, thanks. I’ve got enough on my plate right now.” She pulled one more file loose from her pile. “Now, there’s just one more thing and then I’ll let you get back to work.” She glanced up at him and felt her heart tumble over at the way he was looking at her. “I do a column every week called ‘Getting to Know You.’ It’s probably the most personal and popular column in town. Each week I interview a resident of the town and ask questions that maybe no one has ever thought of asking. It’s a way for the town to get to really know more about their citizens and a way for the citizens to sort of connect with the community.” She hesitated for a moment, gathering her courage. Considering the reaction she’d gotten the first night they’d met, when he’d learned she was a reporter and accused her of snooping, she had no idea how he’d react to an official request for an interview. “I was wondering if you’d give me an interview for next week’s column? Since you’re new in town I thought it would be a fabulous way for everyone in town to get to know you.”
    She had no idea why she was suddenly so nervous. Maybe because she had a gut feeling that Lucas wasn’t going to like this idea, wasn’t going to like the idea of her asking him questions— personal questions.
    She had a horrible feeling he was going to think she was merely snooping again when nothing could be further from the truth.
    While she’d admit to herself she was curious about his past, curious about a great many things about Lucas and his life before he came to Cooper’s Cove, that didn’t mean she wanted to start snooping or prying into his life or his business.
    She’d always felt that if any relationship, even a friendship, was to grow and prosper there had to be trust between the people involved. Without trust, there could never be any kind of relationship,