James turned and spoke to the director.
She sipped some water from the mug that seemed to be a staple for talk shows. This was going better than she’d expected considering his initial boorishness.
The show started again, and James fired off an unexpected question. “Sabrina, what qualifies you to be a relationship expert?”
She froze, all of her feelings of fraud coming to the surface before she ruthlessly pushed them down. “I’m a relationship counselor with a master’s degree in psychology from NYU and a thriving practice of happy committed couples.” She smiled. “At least they are when I get through with them.”
The audience laughed. Not a huge laugh but still.
James rolled with it. “So what do you do to them? Make them give each other a bunch of lovey-dovey greeting cards?” He turned to the audience and stuck out his tongue. “Ugh, aren’t they the worst?” His voice rose to a falsetto. “I love you forever and ever. I love you to the stars and back. Sickeningly sweet. What guy wants that?”
She jumped in as if he’d directed the question to her and spoke about the importance of good communication, starting with good listening on both partners’ parts.
And he actually listened intently.
She sailed through the rest of the interview, feeling like she put some good stuff out there, and then she was done.
She left the studio, flying high. Some paparazzi and reporters waited outside, snapping pictures and calling out questions, but this time she was prepared. She didn’t halt in her tracks, instead walking quickly to her car. The driver was already there, holding the door open for her. She was just about to get in when a harsh masculine voice asked, “Why is the Hollywood Love Guru single?”
She whirled to find that same photographer from New York with the long ponytail. “Who are you?”
“Logan Campbell was never your boyfriend. Why did you lie, Sabrina?”
A shiver went through her at his hostile tone. “No comment.” This time she felt within her rights to shut down the question.
She got into the car and tried desperately for a deep breath. She couldn’t get one, her chest muscles seizing tight with the effort. She breathed shallowly, dangerously close to losing it. It was hard to ignore the commotion of paparazzi outside as the car pulled away.
She wasn’t sure if she was going to scream or cry, but the pressure inside her couldn’t be contained. Not only did she hate being in the press for the wrong reasons, she hated Logan’s name being dragged along with hers. She wiped away an errant tear. It was only a matter of time before her paparazzi dad showed up. He’d have no qualms about selling her out for a big payday. That was the sad and awful truth of her dad. He’d never cared about her and hadn’t wanted to be a part of her life. She’d only met him for the first time at thirteen when he’d showed up to get some pictures of her mom with her art at the peak of her career. Hell, her mom would probably start reaching out to the press too, hoping to draw attention to her erotic paintings. Fuck my life. Could she not have just one good thing without all the complications?
She managed not to break down on the drive to the hotel. By the time she got back to the safety of her hotel room, she was thinking more clearly. She pulled out her phone, thinking of calling Claire again to see if she’d made any progress with building a case against Tara Brinkman, the woman Sabrina was beginning to think of as her nemesis. Her heart kicked hard at Logan’s name on her phone screen. He’d texted her. They hadn’t been in touch since Claire’s party three days ago.
Logan: I set up a Google alert on your name to see how you were doing out there. My name came up too. Call me.
She stared at the text, the implications slowly sinking in. First, he’d cared enough to keep up with how she was doing, even after she’d told him goodbye. She warmed at the thought. Their bond was tighter than she’d realized. But if he saw his name linked with hers, he probably wasn’t happy. He was trying to work things out with Olivia, and continued mention of Sabrina and Logan together wouldn’t help that.
Before she called him, she set up a Google alert on her name. Everything in her seized, the pressure on her chest returning with a vengeance, and she broke out in a cold sweat. It was worse than she’d thought. The good articles describing her talk-show appearances and her article on commitment-phobes were completely eclipsed by the gossip. The picture of her and Logan fighting was everywhere. Numerous articles speculated on what the real story was between the two of them and questioned her qualifications. Even more articles speculated on which famous movie-star couples were on her client list.
Speculation on Hollywood couples didn’t concern her, most of them pointed out happily married couples, but damage to her reputation from the other articles was a huge problem. All the articles questioning her qualifications quoted an anonymous source. If only she could find a way to prove it was that psycho Tara. She debated calling Tara and confronting her directly. Sabrina could assure her there were plenty of clients for both of them, no need for things to escalate. But what if their conversation made things worse? What if Tara used the conversation against her?
She called Logan.
“Hi,” he said somberly. Despite the circumstances, the pressure on her chest eased just hearing his familiar deep voice.
“Hi. I’m sorry your name keeps getting linked to mine. It’s awful. I don’t know what to do. I can’t prove who’s behind it. Maybe it’s just curiosity about me, but it feels malicious.”
“It is malicious.” He paused. “Look, I’m not sure what can be done, but this is screwing things up for me in more ways than one. It looks really bad for me to be getting all this press as some kind of, I don’t even know, like a guy who doesn’t have his head on straight, fighting in public, lying that we were together when we weren’t. I let it go when you first mentioned us as a couple so you could save face, but I don’t want to walk into those investor meetings and the first thing they think when they see me is that I’m a complete flake.”
Shit. She hadn’t even thought about that. First impressions mattered, and if they saw him through the salacious filter of gossip, it would be harder for him to be taken seriously. “I don’t even know what to say. I feel terrible.”
“Olivia’s irate every time my name comes up on some crap website, even though it’s the same story recycled over and over.”
She wished Logan had let her talk to Olivia. She was sure she could’ve explained everything. “Are you still going to try to get through to her in person?”
“Yeah. We’re supposed to have dinner Friday night after my meeting with Elias Gold. Big day for me.”
That would be big. Logan had told her before that the meeting with Elias was the most important one. “Maybe you could try some kind of romantic gesture that shows how much you care, how dedicated you are.” She was a masochist. Here she was, helping the man she wanted for herself. But she’d screwed things up for him, and, at least in relationship territory, she could be of some help.
“Yup. Flowers, jewelry, candy. I know the drill. You know what pisses me off though? Why should I have to apologize when I’ve done nothing wrong?”
“Don’t look at it as apologizing.” It was more of a classic grovel.
“But that’s what it is.”
“Think of it as an outward symbol of your love.”
“That the kind of thing you tell your clients?” His skepticism came through loud and clear.
“Yes, what’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing.”
“What?”
“Just kind of hokey.”
She huffed. It was bad enough she felt like a fraud, the gossips were stomping all over her reputation, and now Logan was questioning her abilities? “There is a love language that is meaningful to women. It’s words, yes, but also actions. And I suspect you’ve been a little defensive, maybe letting some of your anger show with Olivia, when what she needs to hear is reassurance that she is who you want.”
“If I’ve been piss
ed off, it’s only because she’s screaming at me.”
“She’s that mad?”
“That’s what I’ve been telling you. Everything is fucked up. Please just get my name out of this mess.”
“Okay, I’ll do my best.”
“Thanks. I caught your Joanne interview. You did great. You probably never needed me backstage.”
The implication was clear. He’d been there for her and had been paying for it ever since. “I bet you wish you never showed up at Sunshine America. Then none of this would’ve happened.”
“I don’t do regrets. All right, I’d better get back to work. I’m flying out tomorrow, and I want to run through the presentation with Ben before I pack up the whole show.”
She relaxed a little because now, despite everything, he sounded like the laid-back Logan she knew. He wasn’t holding a grudge against her. He just wanted her to fix the fuckup. “Good luck!”
“Thanks.”
She said a quick bye and disconnected. Then she looked up the Slater Foundation, figuring the least she could do was set the record straight with Olivia. She called her at work and left a message with her assistant.
Exhausted, she flopped on the hotel bed and threw her arm over her eyes. This would all be over soon, she reassured herself. Two more interviews tomorrow, one of them on an early morning radio show, and then a long weekend seeing some of the sights in California. She planned on renting a car and taking a drive south along the Pacific Coast Highway. This was supposed to be her vacation, after all, and she’d never been to California before. She planned to check out the beaches, the old Spanish missions, the seals in La Jolla, and spend a relaxing weekend in San Diego.
But it was hard to work up any excitement for sightseeing, knowing Logan was about to walk into the most important meeting of his life with all of this hanging over his head.
And the blame lay squarely on her shoulders.
Chapter Nine
Logan was so nervous for his meeting with Elias Gold he sweated through his dress shirt and had to change. This guy was the big kahuna, the one who could bring them to the next level. Not just because he had the big bucks. Elias had connections; he had clout. All of it would smooth the way for further growth, maybe even going public one day for the ultimate payday. That was how his brother, Jake, had become a billionaire. Logan mentally rehearsed his presentation on the drive over to Elias’s San Francisco office. He had it down cold.
His mind drifted to Olivia. They’d be meeting for dinner tonight. He had a ruby ring for her and planned to pick up some roses. Ruby was her birthstone. He thought he should get big points for remembering it. It was the kind of gesture Sabrina would probably approve of. Things weren’t going well for Sabrina. For some reason, there was continued attack coverage of her practice and personal life. The spotlight wasn’t pretty. He understood better now why she hadn’t wanted the attention in the first place.
He arrived in Elias’s office, waited half an hour in the waiting room, where he nearly lost his cool, and was finally shown into Elias’s huge corner office. Large picture windows gave a view of the city skyline and the bay beyond.
Elias didn’t bother to stand, merely gesturing for Logan to take a seat in one of the leather chairs across from his massive sleek black desk. Elias’s chair was practically a throne, wide and tall.
Logan remained standing and reached across the desk to shake his hand. “Nice to see you again, Elias.” They’d met once at a fundraiser in New York City, which was how he’d gotten this meeting.
“You too. Please have a seat.”
Logan was six feet tall, but when he sat in the offered chair, he had to look up at Elias lounging on his throne. He suspected the guest chairs were lower than Elias’s chair on purpose.
Elias folded his hands on his desk. “Logan, I agreed to this meeting, and I keep my word, but I must confess there’s been some talk.”
Logan wasn’t about to offer any information on what that might be about. Could be Ben’s false sexual harassment accusation, could be Logan in the press, or something worse he wasn’t aware of. “What kind of talk?”
“You and a woman who bills herself as some kind of Hollywood Love Guru are all over the internet. Honestly, we don’t need this kind of gossip. It does not inspire confidence to be the flavor of the day.”
Logan took a deep breath. “Sabrina has been in the news a bit, but I assure you those reporters are just speculating. She’s a friend of mine from home and is well respected for her work with couples. Must be a slow news cycle in January.”
Elias grunted. “And I’ve also heard about Ben’s sexual harassment charge.”
“That charge was baseless. He was cleared of any wrongdoing.”
Elias spread his palms wide. “Then why isn’t he here today?”
Logan’s gut churned. This was getting off to a bad start. “I agreed to take the lead on the meetings. He’s holding down the fort back home. It’s just a two-man operation.”
“But you’re the man behind software development. He’s the finance guy.”
“We share those roles.”
Elias smiled, a cool smile that put Logan on the defensive. “So Ben does software too?”
He managed to sound calm. “No. But I do both.”
Elias leaned back in his throne and crossed one ankle over his knee. “Seems inefficient.”
Logan broke out in a sweat, belatedly wishing he’d insisted Ben come along. His business partner had felt strongly the black mark against him would hold them back. Logan had thought it might be better just to confront any concerns and deflect them, but Ben was still upset about the whole thing and didn’t feel comfortable representing them in the meetings. “I can only do my job well when I understand where our financial priorities lie.”
Elias put his leg down and leaned forward. “This shit makes shareholders nervous.”
“Well, so far, we haven’t opened up to shareholders.”
“But you will one day. Isn’t that the goal? Build your business, make bank, build another business. That’s how most tech start-ups go.”
He placed his palms on Elias’s desk and leaned in. “Ben and I are dedicated to Checkin. This isn’t a stepping-stone to something else. My goal is to bring in investment to build Checkin. We want a sales force, a marketing team, and an upgrade to our software to make it compatible with the dinosaur HR systems out there. Now can we talk numbers? Because I think you’ll like the growth potential.”
Elias slapped his desk. “Show me the numbers.”
Logan breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out the report, handing it across the desk, and began to outline step by step how they’d started with checking employee backgrounds for other tech companies in the US and Canada, and slowly scaled up to other industries, but there were so many more they wanted to get into. He also had a video that demonstrated the software, but he’d save that for the team meeting if it got that far. Elias was all about the numbers. He’d already said he wouldn’t bring his team into it unless he thought it was worth their time.
Twenty minutes later, it was Elias’s turn to talk. He fired questions one after another, and Logan was able to answer most. And the one he couldn’t, about branching out to Europe, he told him they’d think it over but had no immediate plans.
Elias scribbled on a piece of paper and slid it across the desk to Logan. “That’s my offer.”
Logan’s eyes widened. Elias had offered double what they’d asked. Forty million dollars. He was momentarily speechless.
Elias spoke up. “I want a seat on the board and a vote in all business going forward.”
Logan smiled big time, the tension draining from him. Not only did he have a generous offer in hand, the other investors might get excited and raise their offers even higher. “Thank you so much for this generous offer. I have a few more meetings set up. I’ll get back to you no later than Wednesday.”
Elias frowned. “You’re taking this to other investors? Look, Logan, you know
my reputation. My offer is on the table, and it expires close of business today.”
Logan’s stomach dropped. Shit. What was he supposed to do about those other meetings? Show up knowing he’d already made a decision? Cancel them before he even got a chance to hear what they might offer?
On the other hand, forty million dollars. Ben would tell him to go for it. Logan’s instinct was to wait and see how things played out with the other investors, build some buzz, and go big.
Elias gazed at him steadily, his dark eyes gleaming. He definitely wanted in, which meant an enthusiastic partner.
Logan held out his hand. “Deal.”
Elias gave it a firm shake. “Excellent. I’m glad to hear it.”
“I’m available through Wednesday if you’d like to meet again with your team.”
“Monday morning, nine a.m. sharp.”
“Great.” He stood. “See you then.”
Elias picked up his phone and gave Logan a look like what’re you still doing here? He was all business, no time for the social niceties like saying bye. What did Logan care? They’d gotten a very generous offer from a man who would be a great asset to them. It couldn’t have gone any better.
He managed to wait until he was back on the sidewalk outside before letting out a whoop of victory, punching the air. He headed for his car, the brief moment of exultation fading to an urgent need to get started on everything he needed to do. He had to get Ben on the phone, cancel all the other investor meetings, and, oh shit, he still had to deal with Olivia.
Work first.
~ ~ ~
Sabrina finished her last interview late Thursday, which was the easiest of all. The Chat was exactly as it sounded, a cozy chat with four women hosts. She’d felt so comfortable it was almost like being with her own friends. The questions weren’t even questions, more like statements about her great work and the importance of women standing up for what they wanted in a relationship. Of course, she couldn’t have agreed more.
She headed out of the TV studio through a private back hallway, still a little stunned that she’d pulled off all the TV appearances this week. The radio show this morning had been short and sweet, no big deal at all. And tomorrow she’d start her real vacation. Pacific Coast Highway, here I come! She’d rented a Jeep for the vacation part of her trip, which seemed like it’d be fun to drive.
Chance of Romance (Happy Endings Book Club, Book 8) Page 10