Page 10 of No More Heartbreakers

Okay, let’s stop imagining our new co-worker wet and naked, shall we?

I detected some kind of cologne or manly soap-scent that reminded me of beach vacations and fresh, green, growing things. When was the last time I’d noticed how a guy smelled?

His thick hair looked even more touchable up close in person than it had on his reel, light golden brown with strands of lighter gold shimmering through it. I had the craziest urge to lean a few inches forward and press my face into it.

Get a grip, Heidi. He’s an inconsiderate jerk. And a terrible driver.

“So, you’ll be working at a station in Atlanta?” he asked Kenley.

“Oh, gosh no,” she answered. “I’m getting out of this screwy business. The hours, the terrible pay, being so far from home. I’m going to move in with my parents until my wedding day and look for something in P-R. I think.”

Neither Mara nor I were big fans of Kenley’s giving-it-all-up-for-true-love move. She was good at her job and always seemed so passionate about doing news.

But she said her relationship with Mark couldn’t withstand the long-distance thing any longer. He’d essentially given her an ultimatum, and she was determined to go. I really hoped she didn’t regret it later.

“You were the weekend anchor, right?” Aric asked her. “I recognize you from the sample newscast they sent me.”

“Yep. Too bad you won’t get to work with me.” She sighed dramatically. “You’ll have to settle for Heidi.” Kenley put an arm around me and laid her head on my shoulder.

Aric’s brows lifted. He shifted back and turned his attention on me. “You’rethe new weekend anchor?”

“For now. My contract’s up in four months.”

“Oh, are you looking to leave?”

I shrugged. “Not really.” But then I added, “I might send out a few reels though.”

In truth, I had no intention of leaving the area. But for some reason I was reluctant to reveal myself as a hick-town bump on a log to this worldly, well-traveled guy.

He had big city written all over him, and most likely the superior big-city snobbery to go along with it.

Not that I cared what he thought of me.

He leaned in, using a conspiratorial tone, “Well, I’m looking forward to working with you… for however long I get to have you.”

The dip in his voice and his sexy smile sent my stomach into teacup-ride-swirls that were all out of proportion to the actual words he’d said.

What the heck was going on with me? He hadn’t meant anything by it. And my stomach needed toleaveDisneyland and come back to reality-land ASAP.

The get-to-know-the-new-guy conversation continued around me. As much as I told myself I wasn’t interested, I couldn’t keep from eavesdropping. Aricwasright next to me, after all.

He asked the guys if there was a dog park nearby.

“You drove a thousand miles with a dog, man?” Brad, one of the nightside reporters, asked.

“Yep. A Golden. Took me twice as long to get here as it should have because I had to keep stopping. Thor is apparently prone to violent car-sickness.”

Aric laughed as the guys groaned in sympathy.

My eyes flicked in his direction then quickly away. I folded my arms across my chest.So what? Even a serial killer can buy a dog. It doesn’t make you a good person.

“Oh dude—that had to suck,” Tony said.

Aric nodded. “You said it. Poor guy kept it up the entire trip, right down to the last mile. Today I was driving through town, and he started heaving. I swerved all over the road trying to get the bucket under his head in time—nearly flipped my car.”

Raucous responsive laughter faded into the background as a lightbulb went on in my mind. Arichadn’tbeen texting when he’d nearly run me down.

He hadn’t even been aware of the near-miss. He’d been scrambling to take care of his nauseated dog and hadn’t even seen me.

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