Page 4 of Lucky in Love
“Um, have you seen the news?” Chloe asked. “Something just popped up about a prison break in New Hampshire.”
“Watching it now,” Brody said.
“The prison’s not far from where you’re headed,” she said. “Should we cancel?”
A map had appeared on the screen, and he pictured her watching the same broadcast on the TV she kept on, but muted, in her office.
“Nah. They’ll probably have him back in custody before I land. I’m not worried.”
“Well, all right. It’s your call.”
He got up and walked away from the crowd for a bit of privacy.
“I’m sorry I won’t be there for our anniversary,” he said. Thursday would mark one year of dating. For him, that was a record.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “We’ll celebrate when you get home next week. Beard free.”
He smiled. Her acceptance of his heavy travel schedule was just one of the things he loved about her. One of the many reasons he’d made arrangements to fly back mid-trip to surpriseher on their special day. Which he intended to make extra special with a proposal. It was time to put a ring on it.
He reached into his pocket and wrapped his hand around the little black box he’d purchased on his last assignment. In a mere few days, he could call her his fiancée.
“So, the reason I called,” she said. “We need to talk.”
“Yikes.” Why did that phrase automatically strike fear into a man’s heart? “Please tell me you’re saying that as my agent and not my girlfriend.”
“Yes.” She chuckled. “Sorry.”
“Oh, good.” Brody breathed a sigh of relief. “You had me worried for a second. What’s up?”
“You heard about Globe Trotter filing for bankruptcy?”
“I did,” he said. “Another one bites the dust, huh?”
“It’s not funny, Brody. Print mags are in big trouble. I think we should start looking at other options for you.”
“Globe Trotter going belly up will only make Wanderlust stronger,” he said. As a travel journalist, he didn’t just write for Wanderlust. He’d given the last ten years of his life to them.
“I’m not sure about that,” Chloe said in a tone that put Brody on edge. Did she know something he didn’t? “There are rumors of layoffs coming to Wanderlust too.”
“Maybe for others, but they can’t fire me.” He didn’t like to toot his own horn, but he also knew his worth. The name Brody Collins had become synonymous with luxury world travel. Heck, he even had coffee cups with his face on them. If they fired him, what would they do with all the merch? “I’m not worried. You shouldn’t either.”
“I don’t know. It’s not a good time for the industry. People can find everything on the internet for free these days. Why pay for information?”
“Hon, even if we go all digital, which is more likely than going under completely, I’ll have a place. Someone still has to travel after all. Take the pictures and write the articles.”
“I guess.”
“Why do I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me?” Was he being too cocky in his assessment?CouldWanderlust function without him?
“We’ll talk when you get back,” she said.
The statement sounded ominous, but nothing would change in the next seven days. They could rehash it later.
“This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight five-oh-three.” The agent’s subdued tone indicated she’d been clued in to the news. “We invite those passengers with small children and any passenger requiring special assistance to begin boarding at this time.”
He had a few minutes and went back to his conversation.
“I am so looking forward to coming home and staying in one place for a while,” he said. “All the ‘vacationing’ is tiring.”
