Page 66 of Exclusive

“Okay. I have something to discuss.”

“Okay. We can talk about anything.”

I paused, rolled my lips in. “Remember the other night when we were wondering who they would bring in to replace you?”

“Yes. Why, did you hear something? Oh my God, is it that young blonde from San Fran? Stacey Press? Something like that.” She shook her head in an I-knew-it fashion. “I told you she visited the station a few months before you were hired. I just had this feeling about her. That they had their eye on her already.” She paused. Swallowed. “Not Stacey, huh?”

She knew. Or at least suspected.

“The station offered the anchor spot to me.” Ripped off like a Band-Aid. The words were out of my mouth, and I waited, my heart thudding hard and fast. Time felt like it had adopted a slower speed.

“They did? I wondered if they’d go that route.” Carrie went quiet. Her lips were still parted as if she was about to speak but had been pulled up short while her mind worked it all out. “When was this?”

“Today.” I exhaled and searched her eyes. “What do I do?”

She set her glass down and shook her head, clearly as surprised as I had been. “Well, first of all, Sky, that’s great. Congratulations.” She passed me a smile, and I could tell that she was choosing to focus on my success in this moment. She blinked a few times. “Wow. This is…wow. This is huge for you.” She held up a hand. “I just thought they’d go with—”

“More experience. Me, too. That’s why this feels like it came out of nowhere. It’s like when I filled in, this train left the station and hasn’t stopped since.” I was talking fast, probably to express my shared surprise. We were in this together.

She tapped her lips in thought. “But it didn’t. They brought you in for a reason. The second I saw you walk in that door, I said to myself,Now there’s a potential replacement. Then you were all over the national news. People learned who you were, paid attention, and now they love you.” She nodded. “A natural progression. It honestly makes sense. I imagine they’ve been putting you in front of test audiences behind the scenes, and when I was at the conference, it was the perfect opportunity to audition you.” The smile slid off her face. “Looking back, the writing was on the wall. I knew it, too. Just didn’t want to face it.”

“What? No. None of us did.”

“I’ll tell you what you do,” she said. “You take the job. How can you not? If I can’t have it, you’re my next choice. I’m happy for you.”

I covered my face with both hands. “It all feels all wrong. Thisisn’t how any of this was supposed to go. In fact, I hate it when I should be thrilled.”

Her arms were around me in an unexpected show of warmth and unselfish support. “Hey, hey. Stop that.” She held me and rocked sideways from one foot to the other. “You need to focus on how ridiculously exciting this is. Did you call your mom?”

“No.” It hadn’t occurred to me. None of this felt real. “I wanted to talk to you before anyone.”

“And now you have.” She pulled back and met my gaze. “You’re gonna knock this out of the park, you hear me?” Carrie was beaming, which was so incredibly big of her. She was cheerleading. For me. In the midst of what had to be a difficult moment, learning who they’d picked to replace her.

“Thank you, but how do you feel about it? You haven’t said.” That was my focus right now. Was she secretly upset, rattled, or sad and just putting on a brave face for my benefit? She had to be.

She blew out a breath. “I guess I just regret that I won’t be there with you every day. I won’t get to see you in action anymore.”

I let the sentiment linger because this really was the end of what had been a short and amazing era, working alongside each other. I wouldn’t see her daily at work. “You’re not going to be at the desk next to me. This is the worst.” It was really hitting me now. I leaned back against the counter and shook my head, my gaze on the ceiling. “I won’t be able to just turn to you and ask a question. See your gorgeous face. Tease you. Undress you with my mind.”

“I’m just a phone call away. And you’ll see me after. Just maybe not for that dinner I imagined making you. Easy come, easy go.” She tried to laugh. This was hard. We both knew it.

“Is it weird? Imagining me in your spot.”

“Yes. I’m still wrapping my mind around it, but that doesn’t change how great it is for you.”

“Still.” I bit my lip, trying to examine it from every angle.

“You’re taking it,” she said definitively. “Decided. So stop it.”

I nodded. “Only if you think it’s the right move.”

She placed a kiss on my lips and reached for her drink. “I know it is, and I’ve never been prouder of you.” She moved a strand of hair from my shoulder to my back. “You’re a rare find in this industry, and they know it. You have theitfactor. That’s not something you can teach, and Tam knows it. Hell, I saw it from the first staff meeting. I should have packed my desk then.”

Hearing those words from her in particular made me feel like I could take on the world. “I can do this if I know I have you behind me. If not, well, they should find somebody else.”

“Skyler. Look at me.” In spite of what had to be decidedly weird news, her blue eyes sparkled with pride. “You most definitely do. I’m right here.”

“That helps more than you know.” A pause. “And do I still get to have sex with you?”

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