“Nothing’s wrong with my memory, Mom. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“I’d think you’d be nice and relaxed, coming home from a long vacation and all.”
“Well, that’s the problem. I just got back from vacation yesterday and have a big meeting at work tomorrow morning.”
“You’ll be fine, you’ve been planning this for months. Which project do you think you’ll start with?”
“The literacy initiative.” Cassie had spent some time on the plane ride home debating her options and had decided, since ChiChat would start filming their new season in September, she could take advantage of the increased focus on education during back-to-school time and boost her project’s interest and visibility in the media.
“That’s such a fabulous concept. I’m so proud of you for thinking of it.” Her mother paused and added, “You know, I have some ideas that might help, if you’re interested.”
“That’s great, Mom. And I totally want to hear about them later, okay? But first I need to land the new position.”
“I’d wish you luck, but you don’t need it,” her mother insisted. “You got this.”
* * *
“You got this,” Cassie whispered to herself the next day as she straightened the lapels of her most polished and professional suit jacket. On her morning commute, her mom’s parting words became Cassie’s mantra. “You got this,” she repeated at each stop on the “L,” channeling all the love and confidence that had been in her mother’s voice as she rode up the elevator and strode through the halls of the television station’s offices.
“You got this,” she said again, under her breath, as she approached the receptionist for ChiChat’s executive producer.
“Morning, Cassie.”
“You got this!” Cassie said, wincing when she realized what had come out of her mouth. “Ah, hi, Maria.”
The receptionist grinned. “Suffering from vacation brain?”
“I’ve been told I need more vitamin B.” Cassie pasted a smile on her face. “I have a meeting with Ms. Rey?”
Maria clicked away on her computer for a moment. “Yes, you do.” She put a call through to confirm, then nodded at Cassie. “Go on, she’s expecting you.”
“Great.” Cassie started to turn away, but Maria called her back.
“Oh, Cassie?”
“Yeah?”
“You got this.”
“Thanks,” Cassie said, the receptionist’s chortles of laughter following her down the hallway. The wall outside Therese’s office was lined with plaques and awards. Cassie took a moment to smooth her palms down her neatly pressed linen skirt. She hadn’t managed to unpack her suitcase or do a single load of laundry yet. Instead, she spent most of Sunday agonizing over what to wear for this meeting. She’d probably regret the decision in a few days when she had nothing clean left to wear, but at least she looked good today. “You got this,” she promised herself one final time.
“Cassie, how was your trip?” Therese Rey stood when Cassie entered and shook her hand. Cassie’s boss was a striking woman, tall, with elegant cheek bones and great lipstick. Under her guidance, ChiChat had gone from being a poorly rated afterthought, something people only watched if they forgot to turn off the TV after the morning news ended, to an award-winning talk show that everyone, from politicians to celebrities, artists to scientists, jumped at the chance to appear on.
If Cassie could convince Therese to give her idea a try, she’d be golden. Nobody said no to Therese.
The problem was, she first had to get Therese to say yes.
“Amazing,” Cassie said, taking the seat Therese gestured toward.
“I’m sure it was.” Therese leaned back in her chair. “The summer replays wrap up in a few weeks. Are you ready for the new season?”
“Actually, that’s what I’d like to talk to you about.” Cassie resisted the urge to twirl the charm bracelet on her wrist.
“Oh?”
“Yes.” Cassie cleared her throat, refusing to buckle under Therese’s sudden intense stare. “I’ve been covering Chicago’s social scene and the pop culture beat for a few years now, and while I enjoy it and am grateful for the opportunities the position has afforded me—”
“You’re ready for something new,” Therese concluded.
“Well … yes.”
“I had a feeling that’s what this was about.” The barest hint of a smile crossed her boss’s face. Therese steepled her long dark fingers and considered Cassie. “Did you have something in mind?”
This was it. Cassie straightened her shoulders and sat taller in her seat. You got this.
* * *
Several hours later, Cassie shuffled toward her cubicle, exhausted, elated, and starving. Therese had said yes—a provisional yes—but a yes. With her boss’s greenlight, Cassie could move forward with making the transition from pop culture princess to respected reporter. An agent of change, covering stories involving social activism and cultural improvement projects. First up, drawing attention to the city’s abysmal youth literacy rates.
After leaving Therese’s office, she’d spent the rest of the morning ironing out a production schedule, then skipped lunch to research urban reading programs and set up interviews with local school officials. Now, it was after two. She slumped into her chair.
Her cubicle looked pretty much the same as it had before she’d left for vacation. Sticky notes on every surface, and stacks of paper and books everywhere. Cassie yanked the July page off her desk calendar. In a few days it would be time to pull August too. There was much to do during the few weeks until the new season launched mid-September.
“Guess what, Charlie, I got it!”
Cassie pulled her potted plant, Charlie, to the center of her desk, running her fingers over his velvety leaves and healthy green tendrils. “You’re looking good. Someone must have taken care of you while I was gone.”
“You’re welcome.”
Cassie glanced up. Tiffany Hunt, her office nemesis, was hovering in the entry to her cube. “You? You watered Charlie?” Whenever she saw Tiffany, Cassie half expected to hear a clap of thunder or the opening notes of an ominous dirge.
Tiffany tossed her curtain of smooth, dark hair over one shoulder. “I didn’t want it to die and start rotting and getting all smelly.”
“Oh. Well, thank you?” She gave Charlie a final pat, then pushed him back into his patch of sunlight on the corner of her desk. Tiffany was the last person she’d expected help from, which meant there was something Tiffany wanted. Sure enough, when Cassie turned around, Tiffany was still standing there.
“Did you need something?” Cassie asked, doing her best to be pleasant, for Charlie’s sake. The fact of the matter was, Tiffany hated her. It hadn’t always been that way, though. She and Tiffany had started their internship at the station around the same time. And for the first year or so, they’d gotten along relatively well, climbing the ladder together as they passed through the early stages of gofer grunt work, often collaborating on assignments.
Then Cassie had happened to be in the right place at the right time, tasked with covering the wedding of a Bears player to a famous actress. The interview earned her an on-camera segment. Before long, she had a regular spot on the morning talk show, covering all the local celebrity gossip, weaving in food and fashion trends as well. If it was hip and happening in Chi-town, Cassie was on it.
Meanwhile, Tiffany was still behind the scenes, hardly ever appearing on-air, instead prepping material for the show’s two lead talking heads. Cassie figured Tiffany felt betrayed—like Cassie had stolen an opportunity from her or something.
“I heard you’re starting a new segment.” Tiffany sidled closer. “A project with books or reading or something?” She dropped her gaze and rummaged through the romance novels stacked on the side of Cassie’s desk. “Hmm. I didn’t realize it was going to be pornographic.”
“Those aren’t pornographic.” Cassie pulled open a drawer and slid the books in. Geez, word traveled aroun
d the office fast.
“Oh really?” Tiffany smirked, holding up a book with naked man-chest splashed across the cover.
“Really.” Cassie grabbed the book out of Tiffany’s manicured hand and crammed it in with the others. She slammed the drawer closed. “Cut to the chase, Tiffany. What do you want?”
“I want your spot.”
“Huh?” Cassie’s brain felt fuzzy. Maybe her mom was right, she needed more vitamins.
“If you’re going to be busy doing this new book segment or whatever, someone needs to cover the pop culture scene.” Tiffany leaned toward Cassie, aggressively plucked eyebrows narrowing. “That someone should be me.”
“Ah, okay, sure.” Cassie nodded, too tired and busy to care. “You want the job, it’s yours.”
“Perfect.” Tiffany popped up, white teeth flashing. “I already talked to Therese, she said it was up to you.”
Could have told me that in the first place you little … Cassie gritted her teeth. “Great. So we’re done here?”
“Sure, I’ll let you get back to your plant…” The acid in Tiffany’s smile could peel paint. “And your porn.”
* * *
Cassie spotted Bonnie’s red curls at their usual booth and hurried forward. “I got it!”
Bonnie jumped up and screamed, loud enough to be heard over the mariachi band. “Yes!” She grabbed Cassie’s hands, hopping around in a quick, happy jig.
“Margaritas on me tonight,” Ana said, beaming as she held up four fingers to the waitress.
Cassie laughed and dug into the basket of house-made tortilla chips.
“Delaney would be here too, but she’s running a new parent open house tonight,” Sadie said, dipping a celery stick in the salsa. “Now, tell us everything.”
“Therese loved it, said my idea had a lot of potential.”
“Potential?” Ana frowned. “I thought you said you got it.”
Cassie swallowed, her appetite curbing slightly. Ana was never one to pull punches. “I did … but on a trial basis.”
“Which means?” Sadie asked.
“It means that she’s willing to let me try my idea. In my new role as ChiChat’s reporter for social change, I get to launch one project, and she’ll see how it goes.” Cassie swirled a chip through the salsa bowl. “Therese said if the response from viewers is positive, I could run the segment permanently.”
“What happens if the response isn’t positive?” Bonnie asked after the waitress set their drinks on the table.
Cassie popped a straw in her glass and took a deep pull on her margarita before answering. “Then I might be out of a job.”
“Wait—what?” Bonnie dropped the chip she’d been about to eat. “Like fired?”
“I’m not sure.” Cassie ran her finger along the rim of her glass. “Maybe.” She shrugged and licked the salt from her finger.
“But why? Couldn’t you just go back to doing what you did before?” Sadie asked.
Cassie shook her head and took another sip of her drink.
“Why not?” Sadie asked.
“One, I don’t want to be the pop culture princess anymore. And two, even if I did, I couldn’t. They’re giving the job to someone else.”
“Who?” Bonnie twirled her straw, making the ice in her glass tinkle. ’Ritas on the rocks with salt. Never frozen. Their standard order.
Cassie drained the rest of her own ’rita. “Tiffany.”
“No,” Bonnie gasped.
Cassie nodded.
“Why would they give it to her?”
“Because I sort of suggested it.” Cassie opened her menu, even though she already knew what she was going to order. She was surprised the waitresses still bothered to ask.
Bonnie didn’t bother with her menu. Instead, she kept her eyes trained on Cassie. “Why would you do that? She hates you.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Was the b-witch grateful, at least?” Bonnie asked after they’d placed their order. “I never liked her, you know.”
“Yeah, we know,” Sadie said.
“You’re jealous of her,” Ana agreed.
“Am not,” Bonnie protested.
Ana chuckled. “Of course you are, Bon. You guard your status as Cassie’s best friend doggedly and Tiffany was like, Cassie’s work wife.”
“Whatever,” Bonnie grumbled.
Cassie hid a smile and started in on her second drink. Ana was right, Bonnie had never been a fan of all the time Cassie and Tiffany used to spend together, even if it was for work. Sometimes her bosom friend could be more jealous than a boyfriend. Thinking of boyfriends, Cassie glanced up at Bonnie. “Gabe must be glad to have you home, huh?”
“I guess.” Bonnie stared down at the melting ice cubes in the bottom of her glass.
Cassie leaned closer to Bonnie as the waitress set their plates in front of them. “Are things okay between you and Gabe?” she asked quietly.
“Of course, why wouldn’t they be?” Bonnie stabbed her fork into her food.
Ouch. She’d have to tread lightly here. “I don’t know Bon, I just get the sense that’s something’s up with you, that’s all.” She bit into her fajita, not wanting to say more.
Bonnie continued to poke at her meal, but with less violence. “It’s just, we were apart for most of the summer, you know? Gabe and I have never been away from each other so long.”
“Okay…” Cassie said, taking another bite and hoping Bonnie would continue.
“And now, things feel kind of weird between us.”
“What kind of weird?” Sadie asked, picking olives off her salad.
Bonnie dropped her gaze to her plate. “Just … different, I guess.” She set the fork down. “I’m sure it’s nothing. We just need to spend some time together, and everything will be back to normal.”
“Exactly. You and Gabe will be able rekindle the flame,” Cassie teased.
“There you go, sounding like one of your romance novels.” Bonnie rolled her eyes, but Cassie was glad to see her friend pick up her fork and dig into her meal.
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a happy ending.” Cassie smiled, unoffended.
“Are there any stories where the heroine is stuck waiting in limbo for her happily ever after to finally begin?” Bonnie asked. Her voice was light, but Cassie could sense the weight behind her friend’s remark.
“Still no date for the wedding?” Ana guessed.
Bonnie shook her head and pulled Cassie’s drink toward her.
Cassie patted Bonnie’s hand, the one with the engagement ring. “Like you said, you just got home. Give it some time, I’m sure he’ll come around.”
“You’re right.” Bonnie sighed. “I know he’s focused on his doctorate right now. But he graduates in May. I wanted the wedding to be in June. He knows that. He knows how much I want a wedding on Midsummer Day. I don’t think it’s a big deal to go ahead and set the date now.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Ana agreed. “These things take time to plan. What’s he waiting for?”
“Maybe he’s waiting until Christmas,” Sadie suggested. “You know, since he proposed on Christmas too?”
“If this were one of Cassie’s romance novels, maybe.” Bonnie shrugged.
“Oh, come on Anne of Green Gables, your story is textbook romance,” Cassie argued. “You have your whole life with Gabe planned out.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being prepared.” Bonnie straightened in her seat, chin set.
“Agreed,” Cassie said. “But sometimes it’s hard to prepare yourself when you don’t know what life is going to throw at you.”
“Like a Sexy Scot popping up unexpectedly?” Bonnie asked coyly.
Cassie eyed her friend across the booth, lips pursed at the low blow. “Indeed.”
CHAPTER 20
ON MONDAY AFTERNOON, Logan entered the offices of Second Studios prepared for battle. Unsure what would happen when he got to Chicago, he’d told Janet to upload “The Hidden Highl
ander” (as she’d so snarkily informed him she’d named the clip) to the Shenanigans webpage, but asked her to keep the file marked private. Logan wasn’t ready to release Cassie’s video to the world, but he wasn’t ready to forfeit the opportunity either. Depending on what the producers had to say, he needed to keep that ace in the hole.
Turns out he didn’t have to play a hand at all. The interview had gone well, better than he could have hoped for. Minutes after he’d walked into the conference room, shook hands with the producers—both of whom, it turned out, were named Bob—and exchanged the briefest of pleasantries, Logan found himself brainstorming a twelve-episode mini-season. He’d been ready to fight, but rather than rake him over the coals for not providing new content targeted at his weakest demographic, the production team conducted the meeting as if they’d already hired him.
“I don’t get it,” he told the Bobs, “not that I’m complaining, but what changed?”
Over a celebratory meal of thick gooey slabs one of the Bobs proudly declared was “Chicago-style pizza,” Logan learned why things had gone so smoothly. Turns out Second Studios had decided to hire both Logan and the twit with the cat. That’s what they’d been calling about while he’d been in London, chasing after Cassie.
By the time he’d finished his second pint of 312, another Chicago staple the Bobs insisted on, Logan had outlined sketches for all twelve episodes. He’d meet again with Bob and Bob tomorrow to nail down logistics, deciding on interview guests. Filming would start by the end of the week. The timeline was tight. They’d have less than a month to film most of the pre-taped sketches before the fall season launched. After much backslapping made heartier by a third round of beers, Logan bid his new bosses a good night, waving off offers of a ride back to the hotel.
His first mission accomplished, Logan was itching to get started on the second. He’d considered staking out the floor ChiChat studios was on and arranging an “accidental” run-in with Cassie, but too many of their meetings had been based on subterfuge already. The fact she lived in the same city as his new job, worked for the same channel as his new show, was a real, mind-blowing coincidence.
Getting Hot with the Scot--A Sometimes in Love Novel Page 20