by Marie Carnay
“Yes, thank you for coming on short notice, Harvey.” Holt stepped up and shook the man’s hand. “We need a favor.”
“Anything for the new owners.”
This was his chance to prove his idea could work. It wouldn’t be his older brother swooping in to save the day. It would be him.
Holt cleared his throat. “We'd like a bio-pic by the network. An article for the web magazine, maybe a short spot on the morning news.”
Harvey’s expression clouded. “What exactly would we say?”
He flashed his trademark grin. “Something positive.”
The older man’s forehead crinkled. “We are a serious news organization Mr. MacIntosh, we don’t do fluff pieces.”
Fuck. Why was everyone against his idea?
His brother spoke up. “This wouldn’t be a fluff piece. It would be legit with complete honesty. There are plenty of rumors out there about us and we’re aware of that. We would like to use this as an opportunity to dispel them.”
“Keep talking.” Harvey turned toward Gage, shutting Holt out as usual.
Why do I even bother? He slumped into the closest chair.
“As you’re aware, we are in the process of buying back our father’s company, MacIntosh Hotels. The shareholders are reluctant to accept our terms. Without a means to shift public opinion, I don’t know how we can manage.”
“My reporters do not lie.”
“We only want the truth. A detailed piece showing the world who we really are instead of tabloid rumors will change shareholder minds.”
Harvey craned his neck to address Holt. “You agree with this strategy?”
No. “Do you?” He kept his opinion to himself. No one wanted to hear it anyway.
“Possibly.”
Gage butted in. “Who is the top truth seeker in your department?”
“Excuse me?”
“You want guaranteed accuracy, right?”
Harvey straightened up. “Of course.”
“Then who’s the best person for the job?”
The man’s fingers drummed a beat on his chest pocket while he thought it over. “Jessica Woodson.”
“We want her.”
Harvey scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Jess is a researcher, not a reporter. She’s never been in front of the camera or even had a byline on the web. Pick someone else.”
Holt glanced at his brother. From the gleam in his eyes, he knew where Gage was headed. The man had lost his mind.
Gage didn’t miss a beat. “Is she the best?”
“Y… Yes.”
“Then it’s settled.”
Holt frowned. In a matter of minutes, Gage had taken over the entire meeting and gotten everything he’d asked for. No team effort in sight.
“Hold on a minute. Harvey has doubts.” Holt tried to get the man’s attention. “Is there someone else you recommend, Mr. Tate?”
Harvey shoved his hands in his pockets. “If what you want is honest coverage and an unbiased opinion, then Jessica is the right woman for the job. But I’ll warn you, she’s not your typical network employee.”
“What does that mean?”
Gage didn’t give Harvey a chance to respond. “I’m sure we’ll find out.” He clapped the man on the back and ushered him toward the exit. “You can send her in any time.”
As the door clicked shut, Holt let his brother have it. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
GAGE
Oh, little brother. Gage had half a mind to clock Holt upside the head like he used to when they were younger. He always came up with the craziest of ideas.
“I’m getting us the coverage we want. That’s what I’m doing.”
Holt ran a hand through his hair and sent the strands in all directions. He needed to cut off that mop and grow up.
“I should participate in the decision. Not just you. This was my idea after all.”
“Don’t remind me.”
When Holt had floated buying NNT to change shareholder opinion about them, Gage had laughed out loud. But when the board and their lawyers expressed serious doubts as to the feasibility of the hostile takeover, Gage reconsidered. If a few pieces by the network—online and on television—changed public perception, the shareholders might be swayed.
It didn’t hurt that NNT was going for a fire sale price. He always loves a good investment.
If it got them the votes, they could buy back MacIntosh Hotels and start a rebirth. Their father’s name would mean something again. The legacy of the man who launched the high-rise hotel industry in the United States would be restored. His life wouldn’t be a bitter memory.
William MacIntosh might have made more money than his sons could ever dream of spending, but without the hotel chain, their portfolio wasn’t complete.
Gage thought of his father and how disappointed he’d been in them. How he lost his faith, turned his back on them. Sold the company.
Damn it. MacIntosh Hotels would be theirs. He would make sure of it.
Holt interrupted his thoughts. “We should use the big names for this project. Like that brunette from the morning show.” He waved his hand about in the air. “Vanessa what’s her name. Or the nightly news anchor. Not some researcher.”
Gage walked over to the wall of windows and peered out at the Atlanta skyline. Such a strange place for a major network. So… pedestrian compared to New York. Not that it mattered. They wouldn’t be staying for long.
“A researcher is precisely who we need. If we want a bio-pic, she’ll be our shadow for a few weeks, right?”
“So what?”
“No beat reporter or big name will agree to that. If we’re doing this, it has to be a hundred percent legitimate.”
His brother frowned. “Weren’t you the one saying it was a terrible idea?”
“Yes. And it is. But you’ve gotten us into this mess and now we’ve got to make the most of it."
“How does bringing a so-called truth seeker into our lives accomplish that?”
Gage exhaled. Holt just didn’t understand. “If this Jessica Woodson is the best, she’ll get the full picture. She will look past the tabloid fodder to the real us. The men we are, not the caricatures the media splashes all over TV."
Holt eased down onto the edge of the desk. “Isn’t that too risky? We aren’t choir boys, Gage.”
A litany of extravagant parties and bad decisions flitted through Gage’s mind. Bianca. No, they weren’t perfect. But they weren’t the playboys everyone made them out to be. Not all the time, anyway.
“We’ve got to convince her we’re more than a pair of eligible bachelors. Prove we’re the right men to run the company.”
Holt’s posture sagged. “How do you know it will work?”
“I don’t. But it’s the truth. We are the best choice. That has to count for something."
Another knock interrupted their conversation and Gage welcomed it. “Come in.” The discussion was over.
A mail clerk handed him a manila folder. “Mr. Tate asked me to deliver this.”
“Thank you."
Gage flipped it open as the clerk left the room. Hello.
“What is it?”
“It’s the file on our researcher.”
Holt’s annoyance seeped through. “And?”
Gage smiled. “Says here she went to UCLA. That she came to Atlanta for this job straight out of college.”
“Shouldn’t she be a reporter by now?”
Gage flipped through the pages. “Looks like she’s turned down every chance at promotion since she landed the research position.”
His brother snorted. “Who wants to be stuck behind the scenes?”
“Jessica Woodson.”
“She’ll have to get used to being the center of attention ”
Gage frowned. “Why’s that?”
Holt looked at him like he was joking. “Because she’ll be spending every minute with the two of us. The tabloids will have a field day until this piece is done.”
S
hit. Gage hadn’t considered that angle. How could I have missed it? A woman living with them for a few weeks? It would be all over the gossip rags.
He hoped she wasn’t his type. “We need to come out ahead of them. Explain the setup.”
“I’ll send out a press release.”
“Good. Now we have to hope she says yes.”
Holt laughed. “She doesn’t have a choice. We own the company, remember?”
Chapter 3
JESS
“No way.” Jess shook her head against the phone. “I’m not doing it. No.”
“Give me a chance to explain.”
“I don’t need one. I’m a researcher, Harvey. Not a reporter. The answer is no.”
From the silence on the line, Jess could tell this wasn’t the end of it. Not by a long shot.
“Jess, you—”
Another voice cut off her boss. “Harvey, there’s a crisis in sports! David says the piece for this afternoon needs fact checking, can you—”
“Shit. I’ve got to deal with this. Be in my office in twenty. We’re not through with this discussion.”
The line went dead and Jess frowned as they hung up the phone.
“Trouble in researcher paradise?”
“Hey, Joe.” Jess spun in her chair and tried to smile. “Nothing I can’t handle, what’s up?”
The reporter leaned against the edge of her cubicle, propping his arm up on the lip. “Just wanted to thank you for backing me up on that water story last week. The mayor’s office picked it up and started an investigation.”
“You’re welcome.”
Joe scooted closer, his sport coat looming over her chair. Jess slid back.
She didn’t want his attention. She wouldn’t be another notch on his NNT belt. One-night stands might be her MO, but it didn’t mean she lacked standards.
“I don’t normally say things like this, God knows I don’t want the competition, but—” His tongue darted out and ran across his lower lip. Jess crossed her arms.
“But what?”
“You should apply for a reporter gig. Research is a waste of your talents.”
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’m fine just where I am.”
“Makes no sense if you ask me. You’re pretty and smart. You can come up with the right things to say on the fly—shit, the way you handle Harvey every time he gets in your face. What are you so afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid of anything.”
Joe snorted. “Then why always turn me down for a date?”
And we’re done. “That charming personality, it’s just holding me back. Have a nice day, Joe.” Jess spun around and pretended to work. His stare bored into her skull, but she wasn’t moving.
Joe Tratters was one of the most egotistical, smarmy reporters at the network. Encouraging him was the last thing she needed.
He rapped on the metal cubicle edging. “One of these days, Woodson. You’ll take a chance on something.”
“In your dreams, Tratters. In your dreams.”
Joe laughed as he walked away, his voice carrying over the cubicle walls as he made his way across the floor.
God, if he only knew. Jess leaned back and closed her eyes. Taking a chance was exactly what her boss wanted her to do. In a major way.
With a groan, she stood up and headed toward his office. One thing for sure about Harvey Tate: he didn’t take no for an answer.
No one got to be the head of U.S. News at a major network by backing down. Harvey was no exception. At over six feet with shoulders still built from rugby in college, the man might be middle aged, but he came with some serious presence.
Add in his stern expression and that perfect condescending stare and he had the most seasoned reporters saying yes, Sir, and backing out of his office. If he wanted Jess on the MacIntosh story, he wouldn’t stop until she said yes or gave him a better option.
Heels click-clacked her way and Jess smiled. Bingo.
“Tell me I’m not dreaming.” Wendy slid up next to her with a grin.
“Not dreaming. I even pinched myself to check.”
“You are the luckiest girl in the world.”
“About that.” Jess paused as she neared Harvey’s office. “What if I offer you to take my place?”
Wendy’s pink painted lips fell open. “What?”
“You heard me. I don’t want the job. You would be so much better at it than me. Hell, you like them, Wendy.”
Her best friend’s face contorted into a scowl. “No way. Here you get offered an amazing opportunity and you’re passing it to someone else again?” She shook her head until her curls frizzed. “Not going to happen.”
“Please? I’ll go shopping with you. Twice. I’ll even let you set me up on a date.”
Wendy pursed her lips. “No. You’re the best researcher in this whole office. The way you go after stories? You were born to be a front-line reporter, Jess, not trapped in the back in your cubicle handing off the glory to someone else. I’m not taking this away from you.”
Damn it. This wasn’t going the way she’d hoped. At all. “You’re not taking anything. I’m giving it to you on a shiny platter.”
Wendy reached out and squeezed her arm. “It’s sweet, Jess, really. But Harvey picked you for a reason. If I go in there instead, he’ll fire us both.”
“I’m not going through with it.”
“Listen to what the man has to say. Get the details before you rush into a snap decision. It could be the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“Right. And I’m the next Vanessa Hawkins.”
Wendy’s whole face lit up. “You never know, you just might be.” She gave Jess a quick hug before scurrying away.
Damn it. Jess didn’t have a choice. She had to confront her boss. Probably get fired. She squared her shoulders and walked up to his office before rapping on the door.
“Come in.”
Slinking inside, Jess refused to meet Harvey’s stare.
“It’s about time you showed up. Any longer and you’d have been collecting your things in a cardboard box.”
“Sorry, Harvey.” Jess fell into the chair like a sullen teenager.
“Still not interested, huh?”
“No.”
“Care to tell me why not?”
“Not really.” She picked at a scrap of nail and focused on the linoleum floor. Harvey didn’t need to know about her past. Pity parties over the dead reporter’s daughter never ended well.
“Well, whatever your reasons, it’s out of both of our hands.”
Jess bolted upright. “What do you mean?”
“The brand-new owners of News Network Today requested you specifically. Neither of us can refuse.”
Jess swallowed. The MacIntosh brothers had requested her? By name? How did they even know her?
“I don’t understand. Why would they want me?”
“They want an honest, truthful piece prepared on their lives. You will be their shadow for three weeks, learn all you can, and show the whole world who they are.”
Jess frowned. “They should get Vanessa or Joe or someone with experience. Not me. I’m not qualified to do that.”
Harvey leaned back in his chair. “Yes, you are. You’re one of the best researchers I’ve ever seen. Who else can sniff out bullshit a mile away? You’re the perfect person for the job.”
Jess blinked. Harvey never sang her praises. If anything, he was harder on her than anyone else in the research department. Compliments weren’t his style. She stared at him for a moment. “Are you buttering me up so I’ll say yes?”
His hand slammed down on the desk. “Damn it, Jessica!”
She shrank back in the chair as his voice bellowed out.
“You. Don’t. Have. A. Choice.”
“Will I be fired if I turn it down?”
“We’ll both be fired, Jessica.” Harvey ran a hand over his short graying hair and exhaled like he’d just finished a marathon. “Plea
se, for once, just take an assignment.”
She’d never noticed how tired he looked until that moment. The dark circles under his eyes and the pallor in his cheeks spoke of long nights and a stress beyond that of his normal job.
For all the grief they gave each other, Jess liked Harvey. He was the closest to a father figure she’d had in years. Hurting him wasn't an option. “I’m sorry, Harvey. I didn’t realize.”
“Now you do.”
She might hate being in the spotlight, but she would help Harvey. She owed him that much. “Tell me about the assignment.”
Harvey glanced at his notes. “You’ll eat, sleep, breathe the MacIntosh brothers for three weeks. Go where they go, do what they do, be their shadows.”
“And when it's over?”
“You’ll write up a bio-pic for the web magazine and mockup a segment for the morning news and nightly news show. An anchor will run with it.”
“What about photos, video, that sort of thing?”
“The MacIntosh brothers will provide any such information requested. All you have to do is ask.”
When Harvey laid it out, it sounded so… reasonable. Unlike any of the stories she’d read about them before. “Why now?”
He shook his head. “Something about a takeover. You’ll have to ask them.”
Jess exhaled. I can do this. For Harvey. “When do I start?”
Harvey checked his watch. “Twenty minutes ago. There should be a town car waiting outside.”
Oh my God. She glanced at her T-shirt and cringed. “I don’t have time to change?”
“Boss’s orders. Wish I could say they were mine.”
Jess stood up and grabbed her bag. “The MacIntoshes know what they’re getting, don’t they?”
Harvey smiled for the first time since she walked in the room. “Jessica, they have no idea. Knock ’em dead, okay?”
“Will do.” She made her way out of Harvey’s office and straight to the elevators before the doubts set in.
That morning had been like any other. She got up late, stumbled around, made coffee. Three cups in, she’d woken up enough to turn on her computer and lose track of time.
Now she was headed out to a waiting car and a whole world she had spent years avoiding. Every time opportunity presented itself, she had done the sensible thing and said no. The mantra she lived with every day repeated in her head as the elevator doors opened.