“Sorry. I’m out of practice.” She slid her arm around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder. “How are you, Maddie?”
“I’m great. It’s nice to see you two like this.” Maddie’s sights narrowed on them. “You know, I just realized, Mr. Trakas, that you never brought Ms. Monroe to the studio when you were dating the first time.”
Alec hadn’t thought about it before, but looking back, he realized Maddie was right. “Huh. I guess that’s true. It must have fallen through the cracks.” It had been for the best. He’d been extra miserable at the show then, knee-deep in painful renegotiation of his contract. It hadn’t been that the network was unwilling to bend to his demands. It was more that Alec felt as if a door was closing—another years-long term withGood Day USA, no shot at news, and a girlfriend he adored who had very little time for him.
Brooklyn flattened her hand against his chest. “That’s Alec. Total workaholic. He probably just thought I was going to get in the way.”
“Well, we’re making up for it now.” He spotted the clock on the wall behind the security desk. “We’d better get upstairs for our meeting. We’ll see you later, Maddie.”
“Bye,” she said in response, waving enthusiastically.
Brooklyn and Alec took the elevator up to the executive floor and wound their way back to Georgia Carle’s corner of the network world. Unfortunately, even though they were on time, Georgia was running behind schedule, so they had to wait outside her office.
“Oh, shoot. Alec. I got lipstick on your cheek.” Brooklyn rummaged through her bag, pulling out a small packet. “These are amazing makeup remover wipes.”
“Is it going to make me look weird? I still have on my whole get-up from being on-air.”
Brooklyn twisted her lips, seeming deep in thought. “Hold on. I have an idea.” She took another deep dive into her purse. This time, she emerged with a cosmetic sponge. “I’ll blend it in. And add some extra on the other cheek. Now, sit still.”
Alec wasn’t about to question her methodology as she dabbed at his skin and scrutinized his face, but he did like having her hand on his shoulder, her face so close to his.
“Why do I feel like one of us is applying for a Green Card?” she asked, putting away the sponge and setting aside her purse.
Alec used this excuse to take her hand. “It’ll be fine. We got this.”
She rhythmically rubbed his fingers, making him a bit dizzy. “You’re right. We know how to do this much.” She smiled at him softly, leaving him under her spell. This all felt so natural. So right. And yet all like an illusion. What a cruel twist of fate.
“Ms. Carle will see you now,” her admin said, shaking Alec back to reality.
“Fantastic,” Brooklyn said.
The admin opened Georgia’s office door and waved them inside.
“Alec. Ms. Monroe. Please, come in,” Georgia rounded out from behind her desk, shaking hands with Brooklyn first.
“It’s so nice to see you,” Brooklyn said, sounding pretty convincing.
“Hi, Georgia.” Alec kept his greeting short. He still wasn’t sure what was actually going to happen in this meeting, but there was a chance it would be the beginning of the end of his shot at news.
“Let’s sit over here. Where we can be more comfortable.” Georgia gestured to the generous seating area, which had a long charcoal gray sofa and two side chairs situated near a wall of windows. Behind was an expansive view of the city. “I’m so sorry I was late. I was on the phone with my daughter. Big drama.”
Brooklyn took a seat in the center of the couch and gestured with a sly nod at the cushion next to her. Alec followed her cue and settled in. “I hope everything is okay.” Brooklyn grasped Alec’s hand, seeming perfectly comfortable with it. Was she simply an excellent actress? Or did this feel right to her, too?
“She’s in college at UNC down in North Carolina and stressed about school. Nobody tells you, but parenting a twenty-year-old is just as hard as dealing with a toddler. Maybe more difficult. Because you can’t actually solve their problems. You can only dole out advice. And money, of course. Lots and lots of money.” Georgia laughed, but it sounded truly pitiful. “I guess that’s a few years away for you two, huh?”
Alec swallowed hard. He hadn’t known they were going to get down to the nitty gritty so quickly. Even worse, he didn’t know what to say. “At least.”
“First, you need to get past sleepless nights and potty training, both of which are torture. Then you get to stuff like middle school, which is a complete nightmare. And it only gets more complicated from there,” Georgia said. She made parenthood sound impossible. Then again, his brother Nick had admitted more than once that it was a very tough job—so hard that Alec wasn’t sure he was cut out for it.
“I’m sure you’re a wonderful mother,” Brooklyn said, taking one for the team. There was no way that had been an easy thing to say.
“Where are you two with trying to get pregnant?” Georgia asked, as if that was appropriate conversation in a professional setting.
“Where are we?” Brooklyn countered, but Alec couldn’t help but notice that her voice wobbled.
“Yes. I know you want a baby, and I’m assuming you’re quite serious about each other. Since you were kissing in public. I mean, Alec doesn’t need to be told that everyone and their brother has a camera phone. That was a risky move for a celebrity. Downright reckless.”
Alec silently drew in a deep breath and made a point of sitting a little straighter since he couldn’t ignore the inference that he was an idiot. Still, she wasn’t wrong. He did know better. “You’re right. I guess I was just caught up in the moment. Being around Brooklyn can make it hard to think sometimes.”
