Like that’s going to happen.
Jason arrived in a whoosh of appealing cologne, brandishing his broad shoulders while thrusting out his hand. “Brooklyn Monroe. It’s such an honor to meet you. Truly.”
She noticed how smooth his skin was. Like a baby’s butt. His eyes were so sparkly, like fancy designer crystal figurines you see in a shop and wonder who buys them. “Nice to meet you, too. Should I call you Lavaman or simply Mr. Lava?”
He laughed like he didn’t get it. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that, but I thought it would be more organic if it was a surprise. It’s going to be a really fun night. I promise.”
Brooklyn giggled nervously, remembering what Alec had said about not feeling obligated to do anything the network asked of her. Had this really been Jason’s idea? Or someone else’s? “It’s okay. I like movies. As long as there’s free popcorn. And candy. And soda. There will be all of those things, won’t there?”
“You can have whatever you want.” He took a step closer and this time, their eyes really locked on each other. His were like sexy magnets, if magnets were capable of being sexy.
Annoyingly,I Wanna Be Your Loverpopped into her head.Too soon, brain. Too soon.Brooklyn swallowed hard. “Milk Duds?”
“They’re terrible for your teeth. But sure. I’ll have my people get in touch with your people.”
“I only have one people. I mean, person. Her name is Laurel.”
“I’ll find you.” He leaned closer and kissed Brooklyn’s cheek, leaving behind a lasting tingle. “I’m looking forward to our date, Brooklyn. If it goes down the way I’d like it to, you’ll be talking about the night for the rest of your life.”
The rest of her life? What did that mean? She didn’t get a chance to ask her questions, standing frozen as Jason Adams and his objectively spectacular ass walked away. Today was the weirdest day ever. No other day was close, including the day the Posh Male letter went viral.
But there was a part of her that said she needed to keep an open mind about Jason Adams and his invitation. Maybe Lela was right. It could be a love connection. And maybe Maddie had been right, too. Perhaps Brooklyn’s perfect guy had just popped into her life. In a way she never expected.
Chapter Twelve
Alec’sfirst meeting in the news department wasn’t quite what he’d hoped for. Robin Ortiz ran the hour-long session, showing at all times that she was vibrant, smart, and incredibly driven. She was everything you could want in a colleague. She also didn’t seem to like being saddled with the middle-aged dude from the talk show. “I hope you know that things are very different in our department. The work is both slow and fast, which can be a real challenge for some people.”
Some people.“I can handle whatever you throw my way.”
“You have to act and react quickly, but you also need the stamina for long hours, and a sharp attention to detail.”
Stamina. Nice one.“I worked in a newsroom in college and some in my early twenties. I’m familiar with the pace.”
“Oh, right. Of course. When was that, again?”
Alec cleared his throat. “Twenty years ago.”
She arched both eyebrows and smiled wide at him. “So things have changed a bit since then, I’m guessing.”
You’re guessing.“I’ll get up to speed. Don’t worry about me.” He kept an eagle eye on the clock. Brooklyn was about to be done filming her segment with Lela. “Anything else we need to go over?”
“Nope. Just keep me posted on your progress with interview prep.”
Alec gathered his things and walked out of Robin’s office. All he wanted to do was get downstairs, say hello to Brooklyn, then change into street clothes and walk home so he could dive back into his research on Barry Millner and prove to everyone, including himself, that he could still do this. But he didn’t get very far.
“Did you hear what happened onGood Day?” a woman asked another as they passed each other in the hall.
“Do you think it was a stunt? Some people will do anything to promote a movie.”
A stunt?Alec hustled to the stairs and jogged down four flights to the ground floor. As soon as he was out of the stairwell, there was more hubbub. Things were always busy after the show had wrapped, but there was a noticeable buzz today. Something had happened. Alec whizzed by the guest dressing room Lela used, but it was empty.
“Oh, Alec.” Stacia appeared out of nowhere. “Brooklyn Monroe was on the show while you were in your meeting. She wanted me to tell you hi.”
“Did she leave already?”
“She did.”
Alec was eager for more intel on what had happened, so he decided to go straight to the source of all gossip—Jerome and Maddie in security.
