Page 56 of Hers to Hold
“You didn’t miss a deadline or anything?”
“No. I emailed him my draft last night. I was supposed to finalize the talking points for the broadcast this morning.”
“The story wasn’t live for long. Maybe an hour before you came in.”
“Which means he was burning the midnight oil to beat me. All for clickbait,” she ended ruefully.
“Well…” Jimmy stared up at her from his chair, his eyes holding a secret.
“Well, what?” As he glanced around, Kady pulled up a chair. “Jimmy, spill.”
He leaned in close. “Rumor has it that this division is getting new leadership.”
Kady’s jaw dropped. “Where’d you hear this rumor?”
“One of the other interns heard it when they walked into Andre’s office a few days ago. Said it sounded like it’d been in the works, but the final decision hadn’t been made. I just heard about it when you walked into Yates’s office.”
“And you believe it?”
“You know us interns are practically ignored whenever we walk into rooms.”
True. Kady recalled delivering papers or coffee to executives during shouting matches and no one seemed bothered about a witness to their behavior. Sometimes, no matter how secretive the top brass wanted to be about change, their efforts were thwarted, thanks to an intern.
But, sometimes it was just gossip. And when rumors got out of hand, no one knew what to believe or who to trust. It turned the workplace toxic.
You’restillwell within your rights…
“He’s getting fired,” Kady whispered, Andre’s words ringing in her ears.Why did he phrase it that way unless a change was coming?
“I think writing the piece himself was his way of making a last-ditch effort to keep his job. The publicity that will create will be huge.”
Jimmy’s brows rose in silent entreaty and Kady responded, “I agree that’s definitely a possibility.”
“Sometimes the hint of scandal is more newsworthy than the truth?”
“Sadly, yes.”
“Kady, what are you going to do?”
Kady blasted a breath. She couldn’t go anywhere yet without talking to her sisters. After that, she didn’t know. Her boast about going to social media sparked an idea to freelance, but with rent due next month, she wasn’t sure if she could earn enough money right away.
Either way, she had to write the truth. “Since my article is obviously not going to be published, I’ll start there.”
Jimmy’s eyes bulged. “You’re going to publish your piece? How?”
“Maybe I’ll start a blog, or just make a really long Twitter thread. I don’t know, Jimmy, I’m still trying to get out of this building. But I’ll figure it out.”
He frowned, but nodded. “Okay. I’m really sorry, Kady.”
Kady slung the bag over her arm and gripped Jimmy’s shoulders. “Jimmy, it was great working with you.” Her gaze bore into his. “One day, you’ll have to decide what kind of a reporter you want to be and what type of boss you want to serve.”
“I know. I’m just…”
“I get it. You’re an intern and you need the experience.” She squeezed his shoulders and then patted them twice. “You’re loyal, Jimmy, and I appreciate it. If you ever need a reference, call me. I’ll be happy to write one.”
“Thanks, Kadynce. You were the best.”
She chuckled. “Don’t follow my lead and get fired. I’m sure there’s a better way I could’ve handled everything, but I don’t have time to think about it.”
