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Andrea turned a corner, leading him around the newsroom’s perimeter and into what appeared to be a combination conference and storage room. She turned on the light.
Troy looked around at the room’s stained walls and scarred furniture. “Maybe you should turn the lights back off.”
Her eyes sparkled with humor, but her manner remained cool. “What’s on your mind, Troy?”
She shut the door, closing them into the musty space. Troy quashed the urge to step closer and inhale her soft scent instead. He’d better get this over with before he became even more distracted.
He rested a hip against the conference table and slipped his hands into the pockets of his suit pants. “Let’s talk about the article you wrote on Barron.”
She remained near the door. “What about it?”
“You weren’t fair to him, were you?” Troy tossed the words as a friendly question. But he was here to demand a retraction.
Andrea’s eyes widened. “What makes you say that?”
“You accused him of being on drugs without giving him a chance to respond.”
Andrea’s smooth brow wrinkled. “I never mentioned drugs.”
Troy shrugged. He hoped his smile would mask the frustration roiling in his gut. “The accusation was implied.”
“Only if the idea of Barron using drugs is already on your mind.” She tilted her head, causing her thick brown hair to sway behind her. “Is it?”
The muscles in Troy’s shoulders bunched even as he strained to keep his tone light. “Come on, Andy. You know as well as I do that your article put that idea in readers’ minds.”
“I quoted people who know Barron. They’re concerned about his increasingly irresponsible behavior. And don’t call me Andy, Slick. You know I don’t like it.”
“Why didn’t you interview Barron?”
She shrugged. “He refused to speak with me.”
“Can you blame him? He knew your article could ruin his reputation. What gives you the right to do that?” He hadn’t meant to ask that question.
Color dusted Andrea’s high cheekbones. “I speak for the sports fans who want to see a competitive play-off series. I represent the ticket holders who want their money’s worth. That gives me the right.”
Troy met the challenge in her electric eyes. “Your media credentials allow you into the press section with the other reporters for free. We all know reporters will write any sensational piece—fact or fiction—to get a headline.”
Andrea’s full red lips tightened. “You know the truth matters to me. That’s why I came to you first when Gerry was planting lies about Marc’s supposed drug addiction.”
Her hard gaze forced Troy to face the facts. He remembered when Jaclyn Jones’s franchise partner, Gerald Bimm, had tried to smear DeMarcus Guinn in the media. Gerald would have succeeded if Andrea hadn’t warned him and Jaclyn of Gerald’s plan. By her actions, Andrea had proven the truth did matter to her. Then what was behind her damaging story about Barron?
Troy leaned more heavily on the conference table and crossed his ankles. “We can’t have negative stories about the team, Andy. They’re a distraction. Instead of focusing on beating the Cleveland Cavaliers when the series starts Saturday, the players are wondering whether their captain has a drug problem. How does that help anyone?”
“If Barron’s on drugs, you can’t sweep that under the rug.” Her voice was urgent.
“He’s passed his drug tests. He’s clean.”
“Then what’s causing his destructive behavior?”
He wished he knew. “That’s Barron. That’s just the way he is.”
“But why?”
Troy dropped his arms to his sides and tried another persuasive smile. “Frankly, Andy, I’m not here to be interviewed. I want you to stop writing negative stories about the Monarchs.”
2
Andrea considered the Monarchs’ vice president of media and marketing. Was he serious? Should she be offended or amused?
