Page 27 of Dirty News
Artimus didn’t say anything right away, which made me a little nervous. “Well, let’s wait for Lila to join us before we discussthat.”
What the hell does thatmean?
“Oh,” was all Duke said tothat.
“And how are the two of you getting along?” Artimus asked. “I don’t want this job to cause a rift between the two of you. It’s not my intention to have you two hate eachother.”
“Hate?” Duke asked. “No, we don’t hate each other. I think she’s mature enough to accept whateverhappens.”
Okay, that’snice.
“I’m sure she is,” Artimusadded.
“But I have to ask you this, Artimus. Is she mature enough to capture and retain a New Yorkaudience?”
Okay, thatstung.
He really was out to get the job. And that made me feel like kissing him had been a terriblemistake.
I turned to leave, getting back on the elevator and leaving the building without even seeing Artimus. I just couldn’t face him. I felt betrayed for some reason, even though my rational mind told me that Duke hadn’t actually betrayed me. He wanted the job too, and he’d had every right to say the things he’d said. But it didn’t stop me from feelinghurt.
All the way back to my new home, I tried to make myself understand why I felt so bad about things. I just couldn’t put my finger on itexactly.
I bought a bottle of wine from the shop on the corner near the bed and breakfast. Taking it up to my room, I poured myself a glass before lying on mybed.
Would I really be able to stay friendly with Duke if he got the job, which I was getting more and more sure hewould?
And what about that kiss? Had it been a huge mistake? Had he just been trying to throw me off my game? Knowing how competitive he was, and having heard what he’d said to Artimus, I had to wonder if that might’ve just been part of hisstrategy.
And what if Artimus ever found out about that kiss somehow? Would he fire usboth?
Was I already making immaturemistakes?
Leaving the station without talking to Artimus had been a mistake. I knew that now. I made a call to his office to try to explain why I hadn’t shownup.
He answered my call after only one ring. “Lila, where the hell areyou?”
He was mad. His voice was sharper than I’d ever heard it before. “I’m sorry, sir. I was in the building, about to head up to your office, when my stomach started hurting. I had to leave and come home. I wasn’t in any kind of shape to make themeeting.”
What I’d told him wasn’t exactly a lie. My stomach had hurt once I’d overheard them talking. And I hadn’t been in the right frame of mind to talk to him—or Duke, for thatmatter.
“Duke told me you two shared a cab on the ride over. He didn’t mention a thing about you feeling sick,” Artimus told me. “We were worried about you. You should’ve called me much sooner,Lila.”
Another immature mistake on my part. They were really beginning to rack up. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking, sir. Would you like to reschedule a meeting for tomorrow,maybe?”
“I’ll have to talk to Mrs. Baker about that. I don’t know what’s on the agenda tomorrow. It’s important that you try your best to make any meetings that are set up. Things will depend on your ability to make meetings, Lila. I thought you would understandthat.”
I understood that just fine. But he didn’t understand why I’d had to take off. “I am very sorry, sir. I am. It won’t happen again. I can promise youthat.”
And I could, too, because as I let it all sink in, I knew I’d let myself get into the wrong frame of mind. That damn kiss—or make-out session, to be more precise—had muddied up my brain. And I wasn’t going to let that happenagain.
The one thing I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was that Duke wouldn’t push me for anything more. He couldn’t. The rules demanded thatmuch.
If I said I didn’t want any more of that kind of thing to happen between us, then it wouldn’t happen. And I knew wanting more would get in the way of my ultimate goal. My goal wasn’t to become Duke’s girl. It was to anchor the morningnews.
I had to keep my head on straight, or I’d end up losing what I was shooting for. And I had to put more heart into this, too, get myself out there in the New York scene so people would get to know me and want to see me eachmorning.
Duke did have that over me. But what he wasn’t thinking about was that New York just didn’t know me yet. I’d win them all over. I just had to be given thechance.
