Page 32 of Kiss Me Forever

"It was my first bestseller," he added.

She liked that his childhood dream had turned into a reality. It seemed the best kind of justice. "Did you ever imagine you'd be this successful, this rich?"

"Yes," he said, looking her straight in the eye. "I've always believed that if you're going to dream, you should dream big. There are no barriers to the imagination, only in the real world. But you can move some of those barriers with persistence, determination and ambition."

"I really should be writing this down. Or do you mind if I tape our conversation with my phone?"

"I'd rather have you write what you remember from our conversations, what sticks in your head as important. Everything else is worthless."

"But you just gave me a great, inspiring quote. You are someone to admire, Alex. I'll admit I didn't really know that when I first got this assignment, but I'm starting to really respect you and everything you've accomplished."

"I'm glad."

She looked through the fence as the engines of the jet in front of them began to roar. It seemed to move down the runway in slow motion, although she knew it had to be hitting speeds over a hundred miles an hour. The wheels lifted and the plane tilted, for a moment caught between earth and sky. It would either go up or come down. She caught her breath, lifting the plane with her mind. And then it was up and airborne, flying off for destinations unknown.

"It is incredible that man can move so quickly from one place to another," she said.

"Do you travel much, Andrea?"

"No, but I hope to do more in the future."

"Do you want to be a foreign correspondent like your father?"

She thought about his question. "For a while I did, but as I've gotten older, I've begun to realize that I don't want to live his career; I want to make my own way in the world. Although I haven't dreamt of having my own airplane or even a million dollars, I have imagined myself making a difference in the world in some way."

"I have no doubt that you will."

"If I can just get my interviewees to talk to me," she said with a sigh.

"I'm talking to you now, and I took you to the gym earlier. I also brought you here. You're way ahead of every other reporter I've talked to."

"I appreciate that. But I wasn't just referring to you."

"Are we back to the other secret story?"

"Yes. I thought I had a really good source, but he disappeared on me, and neither I nor my investigator have been able to find him."

"What do you think happened?"

"I believe he got scared. He was in a position to share some information about his company, something they were doing wrong, and I really believe he wanted to blow the whistle, but someone scared him off."

"Or paid him off," Alex suggested.

She frowned. "I did wonder about that. It's so frustrating. I feel like I let him slip through my fingers. I should have done a better job of cornering him, but I let him call the shots. I was playing it his way, and that didn't work."

"Does this person still work for the company?"

"No, the official word is that he resigned. I called his cell phone, but his number is no longer in service. I went by his apartment, and his neighbor said he'd left for an extended vacation. She wasn't sure where he'd gone. I worry that something bad happened to him because he was trying to talk to me."

"That's a leap."

"I don't want to believe it's true, but I have to consider all the options."

"You're not going to tell me what this story is about, are you?" Alex asked.

"I really can't. Sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." She paused. "Getting back to you. Do you have a woman in your life?"

"No one serious."

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