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The cynicism faded from his face. He deposited the flowers on the counter and rested his elbow on it. “You’re going to rock this tonight,” he said quietly. “Believe in yourself and do what I know you can do.”
A lump grew in her throat. He squeezed her arm and took off to shout something at one of the producers. She looked at the huge bouquet of calla lilies to distract herself. Alex was out of town. Had he remembered what tonight was and sent them? She pulled out the card, her skin going all tingly as she recognized his distinctive scrawl.
“Man’s got taste,” Macy mused.
“Man’s got everything,” Izzie muttered. “It’s a problem.”
“Only if you make it one,” Macy drawled.
Izzie slid the card out of the envelope. Game day is all about adrenaline and how you use it. Channel it. Focus it. And...break a leg. —A.
She sank her teeth into her bottom lip and stared at the flowers. Now he was showing his sensitive side. Dammit.
David Lake, the weekend producer, poked his head into the room. “You just about ready to go?”
Macy swept a neutral color over Izzie’s lips. “She’s good.”
Izzie stood up, her legs feeling like spaghetti, her stomach rolling even worse now.
It’s all about adrenaline and how you use it. Channel it. Focus it.
She nodded and swallowed hard. Sixty minutes. She could do this.
* * *
James Curry walked Alex to a back corner of the set. “Izzie’s on edge,” he murmured. “Whatever you do, don’t let her see you.”
Alex nodded. “Got it.”
Curry gave him a wary look. “Listen, Constantinou—”
“I talked to Laura,” Alex cut him off. “I owe you an apology. I was barking up the wrong tree.”
“You sure as hell were.” James dug his hands in his pockets and fixed his gaze on the monitor. “Glad we got that straight.”
The producer counted down to air. Izzie’s face was pinched and pale, her hands clasped nervously in front of her as she looked into the camera.
“Come on, Iz,” James said quietly. “Let’s nail this.”
Izzie’s cohost, Andrew Michaels, greeted the viewers and introduced Izzie. She smiled and returned the greeting, but her demeanor was stilted, completely unlike her. His stomach tightened. Come on, Izzie. Relax. Breathe...channel it.
She started reading the headlines, her voice high and rushed, her gaze fixed on the teleprompter. They rolled a clip. He watched her give herself a mental shake. That’s it. Shrug it off. She started on another story. This time she spoke slower, more evenly. She still looked tense, but a steadiness had come over her. Curry gave an audible sigh. By the time they went to break she was bantering with Michaels, her usual animated expression on display.
Alex’s lips curved. She was going to be okay. Good girl.
He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, wondering what the hell he was doing here anyway. A few hours ago, he’d been in an excruciatingly boring meeting in Boston, trying to focus on the stack of numbers the gray-haired CFO of a consumer electronics retailer was throwing at him, and failing miserably. All he could think about was Izzie and being here for her.
After all, he’d rationalized, who knew better than him what it was like to have your career hang in the balance? To have everything you’d worked for come down to four quarters that flew by in the blink of an eye? So he’d called his old friend he’d had dinner plans with, canceled and hightailed it home.
What he didn’t know was what he was actually doing. When two weeks of satisfying your lust with a woman didn’t inspire the “it’s been fun” speech, a smart man walked.
He wasn’t walking.
* * *
“And that’s a wrap. Thanks, everyone...”
Izzie sat at the anchor desk in a daze as David bounded up onto the set and unclipped her mic. “Great job,” he beamed. “It was a really good show.”
“Except for the rocky start.”
“Nothing you wouldn’t have extracted yourself from given a little more experience.” Andrew, her cohost, clapped her on the back. “Nice job, Izzie.”
Relief swept over her like a tidal wave, her hands and feet tingling under the bright lights. The sweet buzz of victory raced through her veins. It had either been channeling her fear or allowing it to consume her for the rest of her life.
She had done it.
She stood up, walked into James’s bear hug. He drew back, a grin on his face. “Lester Davies called me five minutes ago raving about you.”
The head of the network?
James grinned. “He apparently missed the first five minutes...”
Her stomach knotted. “It was bad, wasn’t it?”
“You loosened up.” He jerked his head over his shoulder. “I’d say let’s go celebrate but I’m figuring you’re gonna choose him over us.”
Him? She squinted into the darkness. A tall figure straightened away from the wall. Alex.
“We can do our drinks another night,” James said gruffly. “Get out of here.”
Izzie didn’t hesitate, her legs wobbling as she walked toward Alex, but this time for a totally different reason. She stopped in front of him, tipped her head back and looked up at him. “You’re supposed to be in Boston.”
“I managed to get home early.” His mouth tipped up at the sides. “You were great, Iz.”
“I got better as I went.”
His gaze swept over her. “You look sexy in a suit.”
Heat spread through her. “The words on the card were perfect. Thank you.”
He nodded toward the crew. “I know I’m barging in on your night, but I have some champagne in the fridge I thought we could...drink.”
Her pulse raced. “I’m getting my jacket.”
Her feet couldn’t seem to move fast enough as she sped back to her desk, switched off her computer and gathered her things. She was turning to leave when she noticed the folded tabloid on her desk. Frowning, she picked it up and flipped it open. And suddenly felt winded. A photo of Alex and a stunningly beautiful brunette coming out of a restaurant together was emblazoned on the front page.
She glanced at the date. Thursday. When he’d said he couldn’t see her.
She dragged the paper closer to read the caption.
Former football star and sexy CEO Alex Constantinou had dinner with his former fiancée at Miro’s on Thursday night. He and the soon-to-be ex-wife of Flames quarterback Gerry Thompson looked ultra-cozy together, making us wonder if things are back on.
The warm glow inside her chilled. She stood there, her heart shriveling up into a tiny ball. The sound of hushed voices penetrated her haze. She looked over at the two reporters at the entertainment desk, watching her. They’d left it for her.
She turned her back on them. And searched for an explanation. Alex wasn’t the type of guy to cheat. He was brutally honest in everything he did.
So why was he having dinner with his ex?
She took a deep breath, shoved the paper in her bag and walked toward the exit. She’d ask him. As a rational woman who wasn’t crazy with jealousy would. That was her, right?
* * *
“All right, out with it. What’s wrong?” Alex threw his keys on the hall table at his penthouse and shut the door.
“I think I’ve hit the wall,” Izzie murmured, no closer to knowing how to bring up the photo than she’d been a half hour ago.
He lifted a brow. “Now, Iz.”
She walked over to where her bag lay on the floor. “Someone left this on my desk,” she said quietly, pulling the tabloid out and handing it to him.
He scanned the story, his mouth tightening as he read. Then he tossed it down on the hall table. “She’s going through a tough time with her divorce,” he said flatly. “That’s you people blowing a simple dinner up into something it isn’t.”
She bit her lip. “Why didn’t you tell me it was her that night?”
“Because I thought you’d have the same insecure reaction you’re having right now,” he bit out. “It was nothing.”
She swallowed hard, pressed her damp palms against her thighs. If it was nothing why hadn’t he told her? Wasn’t she allowed a little insecurity over a dinner he’d deliberately kept secret from her? With his ex?
“She’s obviously still in love with you,” she said quietly. “One look at that photo and it’s as plain as day.”
“There’s nothing between Jess and me, Iz. You have to trust me or this is never going to work.”
She clenched her hands at her sides, frustration bubbling over. “You can’t blame me for asking. Alex, you almost married the woman, then you go out for dinner with her and I find out about it in the tabloids.”
He let out a harsh breath. “You of all people should know what they print in those rags is complete crap.”
“I do—I just—” She floundered helplessly. “I just wish you’d told me.”
He jammed his hands in his pockets. “This is my life, Iz. This is what you people have been doing to me my entire life, spinning lies and painting them as truth.”
“I am not you people. I’m the woman who gave up the story of a lifetime to protect you.”
Color stained his high cheekbones. “This is never going to end. It’s who I am. What you signed up for by agreeing to be with me. The press love to dish the dirt on my relationships. There’ll undoubtedly be more telling their story when the money’s right. So if you can’t handle it maybe you should get out now.”
