Everything felt different between us that night. Part of it was the time we’d spent apart, but there was so much more behind it. We were moving toward something wonderful and long-lasting. We shared sustained eye contact, a slower pace, softer touches. We were expressing ourselves in a way we never had before and nothing had ever felt more ordained. I wrapped myself up in her before releasing myself to sleep, excited to see what the next day had in store for us. The both of us. Together.
Chapter Fifteen
This bed was what heaven must have felt like. I woke up the next morning naked beneath a big fluffy white duvet with four little paws on my chest. I blinked up at my enthusiastic pup who very much wanted his breakfast. “Good morning, Michelangelo,” I said and received a tiny tongue swipe on my nose. “Are you hoping for kibble?”
“He’s had breakfast. A lot of it. Don’t let him lie to you,” a voice from the kitchen advised. I grinned because Carrie was up early. I checked the window rather than the clock. The sun was on its way up, which meant I needed to abandon this warm, wonderful bed and get a move on.
“I hear you’re pulling a fast one,” I told Micky with a squint. “You have bacon breath to prove it.” He licked his lips proudly.
Carrie appeared to my right, carrying an oversized white mug full of piping-hot coffee. “For you.” She winked. “I kept you up a little late. Least I could do.”
“You’re the most wonderful human I’ve seen today.” I emerged from bed and gave the belt on her robe a gentle tug, helping the knot tumble free. Hot pink panties and nothing else. “So sexy,” I said, giving her a kiss. I slipped my hands inside the robe and around her waist to feel the warmth of her skin.
“If you greet me like this every morning, there’s more coffee to come. I kind of love it when you ogle my body.”
“Done.” I quirked my head. “But you don’t have to be up yet.”
“I have some work to do on that piece about domestic violence in teen relationships. Tam wants it to hit air by midweek, and we’re not quite there. Something is missing, and I’m not sure what.” She tapped her lips. “I’m consulting with a psychologist who specializes. I want to do this thing right.”
“I get that. It’s an important topic.” I kissed her. “Wanna shower first, or me?”
She looked behind her toward the bathroom in contemplation. “I know a way we could save time.”
“I’m always amazed at your ingenuity.”
She dropped the robe altogether and led the way. So I’d be a little late today, it turned out.
From there, the day took off and never quite slowed down. I had a million messages in my voice mail that had piled up over the weekend. Tips. Requests. Offers. I still hadn’t quite gotten used to the new faster pace, and the attention only seemed to be increasing.
“Do you think he would be willing to say so on camera?” I asked the tipster. She’d called in, claiming her husband, one of the guards from the county jail, had witnessed his superior deleting surveillance video of an inmate who’d died while in their custody. It was an interesting story, but without someone with firsthand knowledge on record, the story was incomplete. Kristin had taught me that much.
“No, he doesn’t want anything to do with the news. But it’s not right,” she exclaimed. “Someone needs to look into what’s going on at that place. It’s out of control.”
“I hear you, but without a source, things get a little more difficult.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Carrie arrive at her desk. I tossed her a smile, but it didn’t seem to register. The expression on her face was quite simply nonexistent, blank. Odd. I wrapped up the tipster with a promise to look into things and ended the call.
“You in there?” I said it lightheartedly and added another smile.
When she lifted her gaze to mine, I knew instantly that something was dead wrong. She was pale, shocked, sad. “I’m out,” she said simply.
I tilted my head, processing. “What do you mean out? The domestic violence story?” Oh no. She’d been working so hard on that one. Why would they kill it?
“Altogether. My last broadcast is next week. I was just informed.”
I looked behind me, stupefied, trying to assemble meaning. As it settled, I went still. Then I tried to undo it. “No. Did you and Tam have a disagreement?” Those things could be fixed. “Maybe he just—”
“Skyler. They fired me. It’s done. I’m sure the plan has been in the works for a while now. Luckily, my agent was smart enough to build in a golden parachute, which means they’re buying out my contract and then some. Not that any of that matters.” Her blue eyes had lost their light, and I wanted it back.
“Well, it’s the most outrageous thing I’ve ever heard. I don’t understand what they’re trying to do.” I was numb. Upset. Then angry. I stood with utter determination, ready to throw something across the room. “In fact, I’m going to walk down to those offices and tell them.” I meant it, too. My temper flared hot and ready.
“Stop that,” Carrie said, her voice low and even. “You are not. That is not how I choose to walk out of here after over a decade. It will be with my head held high. No drama.”
I clenched and unclenched my fists, feeling helpless. This couldn’t be happening. I looked around the newsroom to see everyone in it continuing on with their days as if it was business as usual. Rory making his way to his desk with a fresh cup while tossing a quip behind him to Chase, one of the camera ops. Mila answered the phone. Kristin leaned over Carlos’s desk. Didn’t they understand?
“Well, what am I supposed to do? I can’t just sit here and work.”
She shook her head and stared at the surface of her desk, not in a position to answer, which made perfect sense. This wasn’t a moment for her to be there for me. It was the opposite. Time to shelve my own feelings and concentrate on hers. “Let’s take a walk. We need air. Come on.”
Probably because she wasn’t sure what else to do, she stood wordlessly and followed me through the newsroom and out the side door, which dumped us onto a downtown sidewalk that was less than clean. A touristy family of four, wearing shorts and carrying shopping bags, stepped around us. For a few minutes, we just walked, passing gift shops, office buildings, restaurants in the midst of lunch-to-dinner transition, and even a Segway tour of the city.
“You realize they’re idiots, right?” I finally said.
I heard her take a deep breath as she walked beside me. “I guess they’re just doing what they think is right for the station. Ratings have taken a dip.”
“That’s not your fault.”