Page 14 of In This Moment

“Okay.”

Yeah, he figured she knew all of that, but it needed to be said. “What are your terms?”

“Full time, two weeks paid vacation a year, five sick days, salary versus hourly pay, access to the archives, and permission to work on what stories I want, within reason.”

She’d come prepared. His grin widened to the point his cheeks ached. “Done.”

“If you hire me, I will help you get this paper back to something great again, but it’ll require you trusting me. Some methods may seem unorthodox.”

“Done.”

Fifteen minutes in the same room with her talking shop, and he had zero doubt she’d deliver. She had her pulse on the community and knew her way around a newsroom. It appeared her particular skill set was marketing, which was his weakest point. They’d be a good counterbalance.

“To make money, you might have to spend money.”

He jutted his chin. Gunner had given Graham an allowance, of which he had yet to use. Frankly, he’d had no clue how to go about utilizing funds in order to help the Gazette thrive. He hadn’t even written half the articles or implemented the changes he’d contrived because they had no reader base.

“I’ll agree, if you stick to a budget.”

“Okay.” She cleared her throat. “I would suggest switching Joan and Jefferson from part time to consignment. It’ll save money. There’s no reason the two of us can’t handle things. Consignment would be a happy median as opposed to laying them off. You also might want to get more specific in what stories you want from them to justify the expense, make sure you’re getting solid articles that are worth it and not fluff filler.”

He hadn’t officially hired her yet, and they were already on the same track. “What would you recommend? Story-wise?”

She set her gaze on the ceiling, lips pursed in thought. “Joan does mostly opinion pieces. I’d perhaps have her do a restaurant or product critique twice a week. It would spotlight businesses and shops while serving our purpose.”

His brows rose. “Damn good idea.”

“Thanks. As for Jefferson, he solely writes about sports, but all he really does is a condensed version of a game wrap up. We can add a section to the paper for professional Georgia team scores that’ll take zero time, eliminating his position. However, why not highlight the local middle and high school sports? Possibly a few state colleges. It’ll tie in with the community and give him something unique to write about while engaging the town.”

Nodding, he wondered where she’d been the past couple months while he’d been floundering. She’d just added two to four new sections to the paper without hiring fresh staff, ones that would engage or interest the town. Not to mention… Brains were sexy. “Excellent idea again. I’ll discuss it with both of them this afternoon. They can finish out the week, and I’ll move them to consignment.”

She politely nodded, but in her eyes, hope bloomed.

“What else?” he prompted.

“Lots of things, but they’re fluid ideas.”

Evasive little minx. “Such as?”

She studied his features as if searching for a chink in his personality. “Am I hired?”

God save him. “Absolutely. When can you start?”

She grinned slowly, and it nearly leveled his kingdom in three seconds flat. “Yesterday.”

A laugh, and he swiveled in his chair to a file cabinet. He passed her a packet of new hire paperwork. “Go ahead and fill this out, please. I’ll get a laptop set up for you while you’re working on it.”

Clicking her pen, she used the edge of his desk to write.

He went to the closet in the newsroom, grabbing one of three laptops left, and reclaimed the chair in his office. When Gunner had hired him, it was one of the few requests Graham had made of his boss was to supply new equipment. Four of the six desks up front had new computers. The other two were empty. Seemed an awful waste of space in his opinion.

“With just the two of us in the office most days, what do you think about the newsroom?”

She didn’t look up from her task. “I have ideas.”

Of course, she did. He’d bet her mind kept clacking even while asleep. They’d get into it later.

He focused on making sure programs were installed for her, created an email address under the Gazette’s account, and passed her the laptop to plug in a password.

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