Reunited with the Lassiter Bride

by Barbara Dunlop

  “That’s what I told him last night.”

  “Yet somehow, you ended up sleeping with him instead? You want to walk me through that logic, Angie?”

  Angelica held her toothbrush under the faucet. “He doesn’t want it to be too sudden. For my family, mostly, especially for Marlene. He thinks we should let them down more gently. Plus, he thinks making up and breaking up in such rapid succession will make me look like a flake to the Lassiter Media brass.” She shut off the tap. “I’m not sure he’s wrong. I think I’ve already got trouble on that front.”

  Tiffany had moved to lean in the bathroom doorway, talking while Angelica brushed. “You’re the Lassiter Media brass, Angie. You can tell them to stuff it.”

  Angelica knew it wasn’t that easy. “My father handpicked those men. They’re the backbone of the company.”

  “You’re the head of the company. They have to follow you now.”

  Angelica spat and rinsed her brush. “I’m confident we’ll get there. But they have to respect me, not fear me. The faster I can make that happen, the easier my job gets. It’s true that looking like I have an erratic love life isn’t going to garner me any respect.”

  “So, what’s the long-term play here? Are you going to have to marry Evan so you don’t look like a flake in front of the vice presidents?”

  Angelica couldn’t help laughing. “That’s exactly what I said to Evan.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He told me I was being sarcastic. I was. It wasn’t helpful, but I was kind of rattled at the time.”

  “And then?”

  “And then he told me I wasn’t too objectionable, and he could tolerate hanging around with me for a while longer, for the good of the cause.”

  A smirk grew on Tiffany’s face. “Smooth talker. I can see why you jumped into bed with him.”

  “No, that happened when he said he’d once been very much in love with me, and feelings like that didn’t evaporate into thin air.”

  Tiffany sobered. “Oh. Well, yeah. I can definitely see that working.”

  Angelica wandered back into the bedroom, plunking herself down on the bed next to her jeans. “I should know what to do here. I shouldn’t feel so confused.”

  Tiffany sat down with her. “Do you want him back? Do you want to try again?”

  “Setting aside for the moment that I not only burned that bridge, I blew it sky-high and buried the ashes, I’m not as sure as I once was that I don’t want him back.”

  Tiffany blinked for a moment. “Let’s pretend I actually followed that train of logic. You’re saying you might want him back?”

  “I’m saying I no longer know that I don’t.”

  “You’ve been talking to too many reporters.”

  “I don’t know. I’m confused.” Angelica snagged a pillow and pressed it into her stomach.

  Tiffany sat next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

  Angelica’s phone rang. The display indicated it was her assistant in L.A.

  She squared her shoulders. “Hi, Becky. What’s up?” It was very early on the West Coast.

  “I just got a message from someone at the Cheyenne office.”

  “Is something wrong? Did the flood get worse overnight?”

  There hadn’t been any reports of damage yesterday in the historic section of town. But it had continued raining all night long.

  “Nothing like that,” Becky put in quickly. “It’s Noah. Apparently he’s on an early flight to L.A. this morning.”

  Angelica came to her feet. “What for?”

  “I don’t know. But it was a very sudden trip. I can’t put my finger on it, but something feels off.”

  “I’m on my way back. Thanks, Becky.” She ended the call.

  “What’s up?” asked Tiffany.

  “You better pack. I’m taking the jet home to find out.”

  “What happened?”

  “One of the hostile vice presidents, Noah, is on his way to L.A. It could be nothing. It might be nothing. But I know he’s tight with Ken and Louie, and I need to get to them first.

  Angelica crossed to the dresser. She put back the blue jeans and T-shirt and moved to the closet instead. There, she selected a white blouse and a pair of black slacks to go with a tailored black blazer.

  She felt more like herself again. She knew she’d feel even better once she got back to the L.A. office.

  * * *

  Noah beat Angelica to L.A., and when she arrived at the office, he was already meeting with Ken Black and Louie Huntley, vice presidents of drama and comedy series respectively. She was annoyed by Noah’s move, but there was nothing specific to call him on. Vice presidents met with each other all the time, with or without the CEO.

  In the newly decorated boardroom, the landscape of Big Blue hanging proudly on the wall, the men were deep in a discussion. As she walked in and made herself known, Noah was just saying that LBS should continue to create all of its own content. What’s more, he announced that her father would have wanted it that way.

  “Angelica,” said Ken in obvious surprise. “You’re back,”

  “I’m back,” said agreed.

  “You’re all right?” asked Louie.

  “I’m fine,” said Angelica. She turned to Noah. “You were saying?”

  “Welcome back,” said Noah, his tone tight.

  There was an awkward silence.

  “It’s a cornerstone of the network.” Ken voiced his agreement with Noah, saying to Angelica, “It’s how we distinguish ourselves from the competition. Lassiter Media is Lassiter programming. It’s not up to you or anyone else to change that.”

  Becky quietly took a seat at the far end of the table.

  “You have to admit, the industry is changing,” said Angelica. “Take a look at some of the innovative things happening on cable, even online.”

  Louie stepped in. “Lassiter will never stoop to the trash being played online”

  A subtle but satisfied smile played on Noah’s lips.

  “Who said anything about trash?” she asked them all. “What I’m proposing is new versions of top-rated series, most of them family-friendly. And they were created by our new affiliates, now part of the Lassiter Media family.”

  “They weren’t created by Lassiter Media,” said Louie. “Can’t you see how you compromise the brand by diluting the creative?”

  “They’re terrific shows. They’re popular shows.”

  “Since when is mass appeal our primary driver?” asked Ken.

  It was on the tip of Angelica’s tongue to ask since when vice presidents felt so free to disregard the wishes of the CEO. But she kept silent. She needed to co-opt these men, not alienate them.

  “The bottom line still counts,” said Angelica.

  “So does integrity,” said Noah.

  “I’m asking you to pull together a team. Pick a series. Do some storyboards. Let’s at least see where it goes.” She hadn’t made it a direct order, but it was close.

  The three men glanced at each other. Then Noah looked at the Big Blue landscape. It was clear he wished he could invoke J.D.

  Angelica waited.

  “Fine,” said Noah. “It’s a waste of manpower, but we’ll put something together.”

  “Thank you.” Angelica gave a sharp nod, and the men rose and left the boardroom.

  Becky shuffled some papers at her end of the table. She’d been J.D.’s executive assistant for the past several years. She’d sat silently through the entire exchange.

  Now Angelica turned to her. “What do you think?”

  Becky seemed flustered by the question. “I don’t know anything about programming decisions.”

  “You knew my father. You watched him interact with Noah, Ken and Louie, and a whole bunch of other managers.”

  “You’re nicer than he was,” said Becky. Then she seemed to catch herself. “That is...I mean...”

  “It’s okay. If I didn’t want your unvarnished opinion, I wouldn’t have asked
for it.”

  Becky hesitated a moment longer. “They never would have spoken to Mr. Lassiter like that. They would have said yes, sir, no, sir, how high, sir. And that would have been that.”

  Angelica couldn’t help but smile. “My father brought that out in people.”

  “He was a very smart man.”

  “He was. Just out of curiosity, which style do you think works better?”

  Again Becky waited a moment before answering. “Maybe somewhere in the middle. Someone has to be at the helm, but other people have good ideas too.”

  Angelica found herself intrigued by Becky’s insight. The woman had long been an observer of senior management meetings, and had been privy to J.D.’s thoughts and opinions on a regular basis.

  “What do you think of Max Truger?” Angelica asked.

  Again, there was a small hesitation. “I like him. He seems well respected. He’s always struck me as smart in meetings. And he’s polite to the staff. But then he’s younger than a lot of the senior management. I think attitudes have changed over the years. There’s not as much hierarchy as there was twenty or thirty years ago.”

  “I agree with you,” said Angelica. “Anybody else that strikes you as progressive?”

  “Lana Flynn over in marketing. She’s only a manager, but she’s bright. And Reece Ogden-Neeves in movies. He’s not that young, but he’s open-minded.”

  Angelica liked Reece as well. Though he kept mostly to himself, she’d always thought he was one of the company’s strongest assets.

  After a pause, Becky said, “I’m not sure why you’re asking me this.”

  “Because you’ve had a ringside seat to the inner workings for years now. But mostly because I think you’re progressive and bright.”

  Becky smiled at the compliment.

  “I’m trying to make something work here,” Angelica said. “I’m trying to figure out when to push and when to be patient.”

  Becky nodded her understanding. “I think you should trust your instincts. I mean, if you’re still asking for my opinion.”

  “Feel free to give your opinion anytime you like,” said Angelica. “You trust your instincts too. You’ve been doing this a long time, and you seem to have a good head on your shoulders.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Can you get me a meeting with Reece?”

  Becky grinned again. “You’re the CEO, Ms. Lassiter. He’ll drop everything and come right up.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” Angelica agreed. “Let’s give it a try and see what happens.”

  Becky reached to pick up the phone on the boardroom table and connected to Reece’s office. It took the man less than three minutes to show up.

  “Can you excuse us please, Becky?” Angelica asked as Reece entered the room.

  “Of course, Ms. Lassiter.”

  As Becky left, Reece sat down across the table.

  “Is there a problem?” he asked, lips pursed.

  “I wanted your opinion on something,” said Angelica.

  “Of course.” He gave a sharp, unsmiling nod. “Whatever you need.”

  “I’m looking into the possibility of remaking some of the popular series out of the new British and Australian affiliates.”

  “I heard.”

  “You did?”

  “I also hear you’ve hit some resistance.”

  “I have. Are you a resistor?”

  Reece gave a slight smile. “I don’t know enough about the projects to have an opinion one way or the other.”

  “In general, do you think we’re compromising Lassiter Media’s principles by commissioning content from outside that’s not original?”

  “In general, no. In specific, it depends on whether the content will be embraced by our viewers.”

  “And how do we determine that?”

  “Up front? We can’t. We have to try it, and see if it flies.”

  “Simple as that?”

  “Simple as that.”

  She considered him for a moment. “We might lose a lot of money.”

  “We might make a lot of money.”

  “We might lose viewers.”

  “Or gain them.” Reece sat back in his chair. “What are you really asking me?”

  The astute question took Angelica by surprise. “If I decide to commission remakes, what can I do that would make you comfortable with the decision?”

  “If you’re comfortable, then I’m comfortable.”

  “Are you a yes-man, Reece?”

  “In public, yes. In private, I’ll give you my opinion, as fully and freely as you want. I’ll point out all the potholes in the road. If you tell me to go around them, I will. If you tell me to drive over them, I will. If we crash, we crash. But we’ll go down giving it our best shot.”

  She liked the answer. She liked it a lot. “How’s the spring lineup coming?”

  He opened a leather folder in front of him. “I brought the draft schedule with me. I thought that’s what the meeting was about.”

  Angelic accepted the report, moving on to their day-to-day business. But she couldn’t help thinking that if Reece was working in series instead of movies, her life would be a whole lot easier.

  * * *

  Since they’d returned from Cheyenne, Evan had tried to call Angie several times. She hadn’t answered, and she hadn’t returned a single message.

  He knew he should give up. But some kind of perversity had him tracking her down in person tonight.

  He tried to tell himself it was to keep up appearances, but he knew it was because he missed her. It was bad enough before Cheyenne. But since she’d slept in his arms, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his head for a moment.

  As of five o’clock today, he was the proud, one-third owner of the Sagittarius Resort. He was pumped and excited, and he wanted to share it with her.

  He’d gone ahead with the idea of setting up a trust for J.D.’s money. The trust was receiving a guaranteed return from the investment in Sagittarius, as well as having a profit position in the company. Inspired by the Cheyenne flood, he’d chosen disaster relief as the focus of the fund. There were plenty of ordinary families deserving assistance after any number of floods and storms.

  Now, the elevator doors slid open on the twenty-eighth floor of the Lassiter Media building. He’d called Angie’s office earlier with no success. Then he’d swung by the mansion, hoping she’d be home by nine o’clock. She wasn’t, and her housekeeper confirmed that she didn’t have a social engagement tonight. The Lassiter Media offices looked like his best hope.

  The door to her temporary office was wide open, and she glanced up at the sound of his footsteps.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking past him. “And how did you get in the building?”

  “I have some news. And the security guards all know me. The world thinks we’re engaged again, remember?”

  “I remember.” She sat back in her leather chair.

  He moved around the table. “What are you working on so late?”

  “Storyboards.”

  “Reviewing them?”

  “Fixing them.”

  “You’re fixing somebody’s storyboards?” It was a surprisingly low-level task. “You’re the CEO, Angie.”

  “I’m aware of that.”

  “Why? What?” It was nine o’clock at night, for pity’s sake.

  “It’s one of the series out of Australia.”

  He peered over her shoulder. “Not to backseat drive on you, but don’t you have staff who can do this? Maybe even during regular working hours?”

  “How is that not backseat driving?”

  “You should have gone home a long time ago.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Angie,” he warned.

  “Don’t start in on the work-life balance lecture.”

  “Then tell me what’s going on.”

  “It’s Noah. And Ken and Louie for that matter.” She seemed to hesitate. “I’m not so sure my ap
proach is working.”

  Evan glanced at the panels on her computer screen, but they were out of context and didn’t make sense. “What approach?”

  “I basically ordered them to pick a series and work on a remake.”

  “Okay.” He didn’t really see a problem with that. If the VPs were going to be snarky, they deserved what they got.

  “Their hearts just aren’t in it.”

  “Their ideas aren’t working?” Evan’s suspicions were immediately aroused.

  “Not at all. I’m playing with this one. I’m thinking if I can show them what I mean, give them an example using one of the series, things will smooth out on all three.”

  Evan glanced at this watch. “So you’re working half the night because your VPs can’t get their jobs done.”

  “I’d like to have something for the morning.”

  “Not a good plan, Angie.”

  “Truly none of your business, Evan.” She rose from her chair. “You want some coffee?”

  “Not this late.”

  She moved to a side counter and grabbed the coffee pot.

  “Have you had dinner?” he asked her, wrinkling his nose at the stale smell of the coffee.

  “I had a late lunch in the café.” She sniffed at the coffee pot. “Right now, I wish it was still open.”

  “You want to go out for something?”

  She shook her head. “I have to get this done.”

  He could see arguing would get him nowhere, so he changed the subject. “I’ve tried to call you a few times since we got back.”

  She poured the remains of the coffee pot into her cup. “I’ve been busy working.”

  “Every night?”

  “Most nights, yes.”

  “You know, this is exactly what J.D. worried about.”

  She made an abrupt turn to face him. “Bully for J.D. and his perfectly balanced life. But he had me for support. He had you for support. And he had the loyalty of his entire staff. I’m operating under just a few more challenges than my father.” Then her shoulders drooped. “Can we not talk about this? I don’t have the energy to fight. Tell me why you came. You said you had news.”

  Evan wanted to keep hammering home his point. He wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her. Then he wanted to kiss her and make love to her. After that, he feared he might actually want to marry her. But the look on her face told him to keep that all to himself.