Page 63 of Exclusive

“Stop that,” Carrie said, her voice low and even. “You are not. That is not how I choose to walk out of here after over a decade. It will be with my head held high. No drama.”

I clenched and unclenched my fists, feeling helpless. This couldn’t be happening. I looked around the newsroom to see everyone in it continuing on with their days as if it was business as usual. Rory making his way to his desk with a fresh cup while tossing a quip behind him to Chase, one of the camera ops. Mila answered the phone. Kristin leaned over Carlos’s desk. Didn’t they understand?

“Well, what am I supposed to do? I can’t just sit here and work.”

She shook her head and stared at the surface of her desk, not in a position to answer, which made perfect sense. This wasn’t a moment for her to be there for me. It was the opposite. Time to shelve my own feelings and concentrate on hers. “Let’s take a walk. We need air. Come on.”

Probably because she wasn’t sure what else to do, she stood wordlessly and followed me through the newsroom and out the side door, which dumped us onto a downtown sidewalk that was less than clean. A touristy family of four, wearing shorts and carrying shopping bags, stepped around us. For a few minutes, we just walked, passing gift shops, office buildings, restaurants in the midst of lunch-to-dinner transition, and even a Segway tour of the city.

“You realize they’re idiots, right?” I finally said.

I heard her take a deep breath as she walked beside me. “I guess they’re just doing what they think is right for the station. Ratings have taken a dip.”

“That’s not your fault.”

She shrugged. “Maybe it is. I’m no longer who the viewers are interested in. It happens.” She gave her head a sad shake. “It just hurts when it happens to you.”

“No. That’s not it. We’re dealing with a few nameless executives putting pressure on Tam to solve a problem. But they know nothing about what we do.” I turned to her and squeezed her hand. “You’re the best in the business. You need to hear me on this.”

She nodded, a look of determination on her face. “Thanks. Justtrying to work through what all of this will mean. What now? I’m just still in shock. I should have known this was coming. I’m so mad that I didn’t.”

What now?That part hadn’t even occurred to me. If Carrie wanted to continue on as an anchor, she’d have to seek out another market, a concept that had my brain screaming. “You know what? Everything is going to work out. You’re going to have so many exciting opportunities now. You’re famous in this town, and the phone is going to start ringing.” I was convinced of that part. Too many people adored her. Right on cue, a couple approached.

“Love you on the five o’clock, Caroline,” the woman said. “Been watching you for years. You have dinner with us every night.”

“Thank you for watching,” she said back with a gracious smile. “And for the dinner.”

The couple continued on, beaming from having run into Caroline McNamara.

I winced. “Well, they’re not going to take this well.” That pulled a laugh, which was something.

She nodded. “I’m going to be okay. I am, right?” She was asking the cosmos.

“You are. I know that with every fiber of my being. But I’ll still scream my head off at the suits if you’ll let me. I swear to God. They will regret this.”

“Probably not the best for your career.” She gave my hand a tug and paused our walk. “But thank you for wanting to, and for getting me out of there before I imploded.”

“Anything you need.” I squeezed back. “Can I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

“You really didn’t see this coming?” Because I sure as hell didn’t.

She shook her head. “No. Can’t say I did.” I hated that answer because it meant she’d truly been blindsided, and she didn’t deserve that. Not after all the years she’d given them. My heart hurt even more. “Thank you for the walk, but we better head back. I need to be present. Let everyone know everything is fine.”

Another credit to her. She still cared about the station that just turned its back on her.

I wondered if the shake-up would continue. Would Rory be next? No. Rory had been signed for three more years and was practically dancing through the newsroom at whatever they’d offered him. Another example of the way women went underappreciated and were held tounfair standards. I seethed. Word of Carrie’s firing slowly made its way through the newsroom that afternoon. The mood dramatically shifted, and everyone kept their voices low and their heads down. They’d lost a valued leader. Morale had taken a definite hit, and just before going on air for the five, Carrie took matters into her own hands and climbed on top of her goddamned desk. My jaw hit the floor.

“Can I steal a moment of your time?” she called out to the newsroom.

The precious minutes before the broadcast were ticking by, and deadlines were looming. That didn’t stop the place from going quiet as all eyes turned to Carrie. “I know this is a weird day, and the changes coming down have us all a little on edge. But I wanted to reassure you that everything is all right. We’re still family, and we still have a ton of news to bring to the people of San Diego over the next week. So let’s set aside everything that we’re feeling and come together to make that happen.”

She was met with nods and smiles and even a shouted, “Love you, Carrie!” Her words seemed to work, and I felt the room collectively relax over the next two hours and then wake the hell up. I was amazed.

But that’s who Caroline McNamara was, a leader and the glue that held us all together. She would exit her role at the station with every ounce of respect and grace she came in with.

In the midst of my own broken heart, I couldn’t have been more proud of her.

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