Page 87 of Breaking News

Chase’s proud smile faded. “Doesn’t matter. I was recognized.”

After that exchange, the rest of them started arguing about how to spend the rest of our night. Xander suggested a rooftop bar in Hell’s Kitchen, which made Meghan groan about the overpriced drinks. Chase launched into a monologue about the best comic book stores within walking distance, until Xander pointed out they were likely closed at this hour—or would be before we could get out of here.

Meghan declared she wanted to go to Grand Central Station so she couldfeel something, which made Xander roll his eyes. “Pretty sure you can feel something at the bottom of a bottle on a rooftop bar,” he said, his arm brushing against mine on the table. I instinctively pulled away.

“How about this? We’re literally a block from Time Square,” I said, cutting through the noise. “Why don’t we start there, grab some street food, and walk around? See where the night takes us?”

There was a pause, and to my surprise, it was Xander who nodded in agreement. “That’s probably the best idea.”

I blinked. “Great. It’s a plan.”

Xander’s fingers wrapped around the neck of his beer bottle. “And we all agree we’re ditching Graham, right?”

“No,” I said quickly—maybe too quickly. “Absolutely not.”

Meghan caught on quickly, shaking her head. “Come on, that wouldn’t be right. Besides, we need an adultier adult to navigate the streets with us.”

“Nothing says ‘fun night out’ like bringing the guy who currently signs our paychecks,” Xander said.

He might not be for long, I thought.

With the argument settled and the decision made, we just needed to wait on Graham to wrap things up with hisIndyStarbuddy. He finally made his way over to our table, rolling up his sleeves. “You guys know this is a networking cocktail hour, right?” he asked with a grin. “Yet you’re over here being anti-social.”

“We’ve socialized enough,” Meghan answered. “We’re ready for you to take us to Times Square.”

“What?” Graham’s eyes found mine, and I responded with a small smile.

“Didn’t you know? You’re the dad of the group,” I said, tucking my hair behind one ear. “We might need you to hold our hands while we cross the street.”

Graham slid in between Xander and me at the table and looked at my face. “I told you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I told you weeks ago in the car that I’d feel like a chaperone on this trip.”

“I didn’t say chaperone. I saiddad,” I corrected. “There’s a difference.”

“Either way, I’m still the responsible one, aren’t I?” he asked, making me laugh as I took a final sip of my cocktail. I was fully aware of everyone’s eyes on me, and I did everything I could not to think about Meghan’s “daddy kink” comment.

Not that I was doing a very good job proving her wrong.

We finished our drinks and made our way back to the hotel to check into our rooms and change. The sun had officially set, and I stood before the window in my room for a solid three minutes just taking in all the lights. I pressed my forehead to the glass, humming Alicia Keys’ part of “Empire State of Mind,” my smile fading when I let my mind drift to the look on Isaiah’s face when he approached us that morning.

Had he told the other interns?

Did Olivia know?

I finally pulled myself away from the window and changed into something more suited for wandering around the city streets. I opted for denim shorts, a flowy white tank, and a pair of low-top canvas sneakers I knew wouldn’t stay clean for very long.

I joined the others in the lobby, and we pushed through the revolving glass door out to the street, where the city already felt alive with noise and lights. This was a far cry from even the busiest street back in Woodvale.

But the second my feet hit the sidewalk, I felt Xander’s hand on my back, stopping me in my tracks.

“Hold on a sec,” he told the others, gently pushing me back through the door. I didn’t have time to react or question it.

“Is something wrong?” I asked him when we were back in the lobby, and he guided me around the corner near the windows facing the street.

“I just want to talk to you without interruptions and without all the… noise,” he said, drawing his hand from my back.

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