Page 42 of The Grumpy Billionaire
Mara
One week. Seven days. I could do this.
I stood in my closet, searching for something appropriate to wear to my first “summons.”
Naturally, Rob had eagerly agreed to Reid’s demands when I’d called and told him what my high-maintenance interview subject had required.
“We’ve got a full staff on this week—we can make do without you,” Rob had said.
Then perhaps sensing my reluctance he added, “Ratings, national feed exposure, network potential… it’s a small price to pay for such a big story, Mara.”
“Of courseyousay that—you’re not the one paying the price,” I muttered.
“Yes, I’m sure it’ll be torture for you to spend a week with the world’s most eligible bachelor. The other girls at the station aresothrilled they didn’t get stuck with this terrible story.”
His sarcasm came through loud and clear on the phone.
“I know, I know.” Any reporter at my station, especially the single female ones, would’ve given up every pair of shoes in their closets for this assignment.
“And Mara? Don’t let this fall through, okay kiddo? Do whatever it takes, handholding, flattery, promise him whatever he wants—just get the job done.”
Whatever he wants?
I flipped through garment after garment in my closet, rejecting everything I came across. I still wasn’t surewhatReid wanted.
He’d said it was about feeling prepared for the interview. But the Reid I’d known, while a little shy, had never been that nervous about anything.
He’d always seemed so calm before tennis matches, and his teammates on the robotics and Science Olympiad teams praised him for being “clutch” under pressure.
When he’d delivered his Valedictorian speech at graduation, there hadn’t been so much as a tremor in his voice. Could he really be that frightened about speaking on camera?
I crossed the room to my dresser and reviewed the itinerary Reid had given me.
Date: Sunday, October 9th
Time: 2pm
Dress: Casual
Note: Please prepare for an afternoon outdoors near the water. It will be sunny with temps in the 70’s, but breezy. A jacket may be a good idea.
Did he have his own meteorological service on-call?Probably.I smirked. Maybe he’d convinced Rob to give him one of our weathermen as his indentured servant as well.
I finally settled on a pair of navy cropped pants with a navy-and-white-striped boat neck top and my bright yellow lightweight jacket.
My first impulse had been to show up in sweats with no makeup, just to spite him, but then personal pride won out. If Reid’s intention was to show me what I’d missed out on by breaking up with him, then I was going to give him a dose of his own bitter medicine.
I carefully applied my makeup, and instead of straightening my hair as I did for work, styled it in the tousled waves he used to prefer when we were younger. Back in high school, Reid had always wondered aloud why I bothered to use a straightening iron when, in his opinion, my natural hair was prettier.
Anyway, if our “meeting” really was outdoors and breezy, this was more practical.
“Hi sweetheart,” Mom said when I came downstairs. “You look nice. Do you have a date?”
“No. Not a date, a work thing.”
“On Sunday?”
“Yeah. It’s sort of a special assignment. For sweeps.” At her questioning look, I confessed. “I’m meeting Reid. I’m going to do the story. I pretty much have to, or I could lose my job.”
