Brooklyn slyly elbowed him in the ribs. “We’re not pregnant, if that’s what you’re asking. No little plus sign on the stick for us.”
“But you’re trying.” Georgia sat back in her chair, crossed her legs, and folded her hands in her lap. The skepticism she’d voiced on the phone was now painted all over her face as her eyes shrank to tiny slits and she pursed her lips.Thiswas why she’d called the meeting. She didn’t buy Alec’s excuse. And why should she? It wasn’t really true.
“We’re taking things one step at a time,” he said in an endeavor to be as honest as possible.
Brooklyn pivoted slightly in her seat, looking directly at Alec as if she wanted to make sure they were on the same page. “Alec and I care about each other a lot.”
From where Alec was sitting, it sounded a bit too much like a question. “We do care about each other.”I still love you.The realization could’ve hit him hard, but there was a part of him that had known it all along.
“There are a few things from our past that we need to work through. No relationship is simple,” Brooklyn said, tamping down expectations.
“Don’t I know it. It’s taken my husband and I years and years to figure out how to compromise. Neither of us likes to give up any ground, ever.” Georgia’s expression finally relaxed as she perused Brooklyn and Alec one more time. “Well, this is all good to hear. I normally don’t like to get so personal with employees, especially on-air talent, but the higher-ups are all over me about this. And Jason Adams’ team is not happy. It’s been a difficult few days. I just wanted to make sure that the thing that I was claiming was actually real. Wouldn’t want to end up with egg on my face, so to speak.”
Alec now appreciated that Georgia had stuck her neck out for him. “I appreciate you going to bat for me. And I can reach out to Jason. Make sure there aren’t any hard feelings.”
“That would be helpful. Thank you,” Georgia said. “So I guess we’re full speed ahead with your Barry Millner interview next week.”
“Oh. Fantastic. That’s great news.” Alec felt as though a five-hundred-pound gorilla had just climbed off his shoulders. But he also felt weighed down by something else—every step ahead with his professional aspirations meant less of a chance with Brooklyn.
“I was on the fence about moving forward, but Robin Ortiz is incredibly impressed with you. She says you’re the only man who’s ever walked into her office without an enormous chip on his shoulder.”
Alec wondered if Robin had picked up on his insecurity about starting a new job in his forties, and read that as Alec being humble. Because he did have a chip on his shoulder—he desperately wanted to prove himself. This felt like his final chance. “That’s great to hear. Robin is a rock star. I’m excited to work with her.”
“As long as we stay the course and there are no more problems, I’m optimistic this is going to work out. Thanks for coming in this morning.” Georgia rose from her seat, cuing Alec and Brooklyn to do the same. “I do have one more request. It would be a big help to me if you two could be seen in public. Somewhere where there’s a good chance you might be photographed. I think that would help the brass forget that this happened at all.”
“Uh, sure. We can do that.” Alec eyed Brooklyn, unsure what to suggest. “Any ideas, Brook? We’re both working so much. And our schedules don’t always line up.”
She hesitated, seeming deep in thought. “Umm… I’m supposed to take my nephew Dallas trick-or-treating in Brooklyn Heights. A lot of celebrities live in that neighborhood, so there are usually photographers lurking, trying to catch shots of famous people with their kids.”
“Yes. I love it,” Georgia blurted. “Being with a kid will make it seem even more serious. I’ll get my assistant to tip off a photographer. Just as an insurance policy.” She was in on the fix now, too.
“I’ll need to okay it with my sister,” Brooklyn said. “But it should be fine.”
“That’s that, then. Halloween it is.” Georgia showed them to the door.
Alec and Brooklyn walked away, hand in hand, but he was getting distinctly different vibes from her now than he’d gotten before they’d strolled into Georgia’s office. Once they stepped on board the elevator, Brooklyn let go of his hand.
“Thank you for doing that,” Alec said, desperate to not only express his gratitude, but also find out if she was upset or merely distracted. “Especially since you had to take time out of your workday to do it.”
Brooklyn sucked a deep breath in through her nose, looking up at the numbers as they descended, floor by floor. “No problem.”
The elevator dinged and Alec held the door for Brooklyn, then followed her out into the hall. “Everything okay?”
“Sure.”
First, a two syllable answer. Now, one. This was not a good sign. “I can see it in your face. Something’s wrong. If there’s something you need to say, Brooklyn, please say it.”
She pressed her lips together tightly, which usually meant she was having a hard time keeping words from leaking out of her mouth. “I’m not okay,” she muttered.
“Come on. My dressing room.” They made the quick trip down the corridor. Once inside, he closed the door. “Talk to me.”
Brooklyn tossed her purse onto the couch and started pacing. “Sitting in that room. With that woman,” she sputtered. “It sucked.”
Alec hated himself for putting Brooklyn in that situation. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was going to get so personal. And talk about trying to get pregnant. I’m sure that was hard to listen to. And even worse, hard to answer.”
She came to an abrupt halt. “Okay, yeah. That part was not fun. But that’s not what made it hard.”
“Then what?”
