Page 35 of Love on the Byline

His brows drew down and he nodded for her to come to hisoffice.

Once inside, she closed the door and sat down. “Is it me, ordoes Sonja have a hard-on for Bran?”

“Bran?”

“Brandon Cody, sorry.”

“We’re on a nickname basis already?” He seemed impressed.

Blake opened her mouth to tell him exactly how she knewBran, but the words wouldn’t come.

What if he thought she was too close to the story? While sheand Bran had never been more than casual acquaintances and maybe mutualantagonists, it might have been enough to cause concern. And then there’sOliver.

She made a split-second decision.

“It’s what his people call him.”

“Cute.” Gideon pulled the foil off the cup of yogurt on hisdesk. “What’s he like?”

“Arrogant.”

He paused, the plastic spoon sticking out of his mouth.Speaking around it, he asked, “And?”

“He’s...pretty much what you’d expect. Confident,hyper-masculine... He loves what he does and has a team of people who make hislife easy.”

“Hunh, well, I’m sure you’ll pick up on more as you getstuck in.”

Unlike Sonja’s office, which offered tons of natural lightthanks to a wall of windows overlooking the downtown area, Gideon’s space wasthe kind of beige-y gray she remembered from her granddad’s days at theBulletin.

Even Gideon’s hat, jacket and messenger bag—all thrown overthe back of his rolling chair—were drab.

“I’ll go as far as I’m allowed.”

“You think they’ll restrict access to certain areas of hislife?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

“What did Sonja want to talk to you about?”

“Brandon.” Blake opened her notepad and started to write.“She called him a ‘hot property.’” Blake hesitated before asking the questionthat had been niggling at her for the last few minutes. “She seems inordinatelyinvested in this. In him.”

“You think so?” Sliding a bit closer to the desk, Gideonlooked from his yogurt to Blake as if deciding how much to say.

Interesting.

“It could be that she sees the potential in getting inearly.”

“Is that what this is?”

He made a non-committal sound. Pushing the cup aside, he satforward. “You’re back at it tomorrow?” She nodded. “Good, good. Let me knowwhen you have some roughs I can look at.”

“Will do.” Blake rose and started to turn for the door butstopped. “We’ve run a lot of stories on Cody. More than Pratt, the Hemsworths,and Chalamet combined. Is there...something I should know?”

Gideon met her eyes. “If there is, I haven’t figured it outmyself,” he said. “Let me know when you’re ready to compare notes.”

8

The sound of screeching tires cut through the din of theshouted questions and clicking shutters. As soon as the imposing black SUVpulled up, Ollie yanked the door open and shoved his charge inside.

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