Page 75 of Fumble

“It came to light that my previous manager was acting inappropriately toward a member of my staff. In this day and age, there’s no place for that kind of behavior, and I wasn’t willing to tolerate any member of my staff being made to feel uncomfortable.”

“Which member of staff?”

“If they choose to speak up, that will be their decision and theirs’ alone. I’ll not divulge any further details on this matter, and please respect my staff members’ right to privacy.” It makes me think. Would I want the public to know? Would I be vilified, or even believed following recent details of my sex life? There’s a reason why women don’t speak out. Even in the age of the Me Too movement, women aren’t always given the benefit of the doubt.

“Back to your budding relationship. Does the age difference between you bother you at all?”

“Not at all. I have the emotional maturity of a teenage boy. It’s well documented in your newspaper articles. Faith is definitely the mature one in this relationship.” If I didn’t love him already, I would after that answer. He’s so freaking cute.

“Are you and Ms. Fairchild officially dating?”

“Yes. Next question.”

“Is Miss Fairchild here with you today?”

His eyes find mine in the crowd. He knew where I was the entire time, I can see it in his stare. He’s asking my permission. With an almost imperceptible nod, I make myself visible.

“She is. Come on up, love.” There’s a collective sigh from every female reporter at his term of endearment. Weaving through a sea of people, I find my way to him, my heart thundering in my chest as I step to his side. Wrapping his arm around my waist, he presses a chaste kiss to my cheek. I lean forward, my voice reverberating through the microphone.

“Hey, everyone. Y’all know more about me than anyone ever should, but here’s what matters.” Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I try to calm my trembling speech. The flash of cameras obscures the faces of most of the crowd, the shutter snaps rising into the air like a melody.

“I’m madly in love with Hunter Vaughn.”

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