Her grin faded as she considered Denises announcement. Brad wanted to see her immediately? What an uncommonly executive orderunless he wanted to once again try to convince her to rehash each second of their brief, passionless relationship. Did he say why he wanted me?
Nathan Hall, Denise replied, an edge to her chirpy voice.
Exasperated, Sheryl ran a hand through her shoulder-length hair. Right. Shed temporarily pushed aside Henrys comment about a new story. Im just going to make a quick stop in the breakroom and see if theres a copy of this mornings Sojourner. She personally didnt want to buy a copy and give the paper her money, but she should read the latest piece so that she knew what she was up against.
As she headed down the carpeted corridor, Sheryl thought to herself that there was at least one Hall she might like to deck.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, Sheryl unknotted the belt at her waist, then threw her overcoat onto the buttery soft sectional sofa with a vengeance that was probably unfair to both jacket and couch. Argh!
Inside the kitchen adjacent to the living room, Tameka Williams glanced up from the island countertop where she was chopping carrots. Her thin, elegant eyebrows arched over teasing hazel eyes. Bad day at the office, dear?
Despite her mood, Sheryl laughed. Her best friend often had that effect. Sheryl couldnt think of anyone in the state of Washington whod make a better roommate than Meka, but after growing up in a big family and having roommates since her freshman year of college, Sheryl was ready to be alone. Especially now that Meka and Tyler McAfee were practically engaged, often unintentionally making Sheryl a third wheel in her own apartment.
Abandoning her demiboots, Sheryl padded in stocking feet to the kitchen. I dont know which of them is driving me crazierthe Columnist who Stole Christmas, or the Boyfriend of Christmas Past whos haunting me.
Okay, the boyfriend is a certain blond software genius who gets weepy after Leonardo DiCaprio films, right? And the reporter would bewhats his name? Nate?
Nathan. Hall. My nemesis. I get paid to make the company look good, and this jerk seems determined to paint us as evil.
Evil sells papers, Meka said with a shrug of her graceful shoulders. Everything about Meka was graceful, and she looked absurdly elegant in a red-velour two-piece lounging set.
Opening the refrigerator, Sheryl hunted for a bottle of wine. After the day shed had, she could use a glass. Unfortunately the closest thing they had was the cooking sherry Meka had pulled out to use for dinner. Still, Sheryl stared hard at the fridges interior for a moment, as though she could summon a nice Chardonnay through sheer willpower.
I saw that piece he wrote today, Meka continued. He made some good points, about why does society reward wrongdoing? You guys have been accused of basically stealing Xandria Quest, yet sales are actually up for the game right now, making
Abandoning the attempted Chardonnay telepathy, Sheryl whirled around. Reward wrongdoing? We didnt do anything wrong!
And sales might be up in the short run, but Sheryl was worried about the long-term results. If this case actually went to court and they lostPeople in the industry had predicted Hammond Gaming Software would be the Next Big Thing, but the company wasnt big yet and couldnt afford any substantial financial setbacks. Or a damaged reputation.
Dropping her knife, Meka held up both hands in an I-surrender pose. Youre right, Im sorry. I am on your side. Hes just very persuasive.
I know. Sheryl narrowed her eyes. Thats what bothers me about himhis talent. He doesnt sensationalize, hes careful to use the right words like alleged, but its not those words that stick with you, its the overall impression. The impression that hes a man of integrity on the side of justice.
You sound almost admiring.
Hardly! Sheryl poured herself some apple juice, deciding to pretend it was hard cider. Its just that it would be easier to get the public to hear our side if Hall didnt seem so damned credible. Were the victims here!
Not to change the subject from the nemesis youre all fired-up about while were in a room full of sharp utensils or anything, but whats Brad doing thats making you crazy?
Two things. One, he asked me to go on a date.
Oh, no! An expression of amused horror settled across Mekas pretty mocha-colored features. Dont tell me that incompetent shrink of his convinced Brad he can win you back.
Laughing, Sheryl clarified, You dont understand, he wants me to go along on his date with another woman.
Didnt think our man Brad had it in him to be kinky.
Another laugh, this time with the unpleasant side effect of choking on apple juice. He wants me to try to spot possible trouble areas in the relationship. He says its the least I can do since I wont commit a few hours of rehashing our relationship. I told him this prospective new relationship wouldnt go anywhere if he brought along an ex to chaperone.
For a boy whos such a genius in some areas
Tell me about it.
So whats the second thing?
Sheryls fingers tightened, and she was glad the glass in her hand was actually made from shatterproof plastic. He wants us to extend an olive branch to Nathan Hall.
Reaching for a bag of russet potatoes, Meka froze, blinking. Youre the relations expert, but isnt that just begging for mercy and making yourselves look weak?
Trust me, Im not happy about it.
Gritting her teeth, Sheryl recalled her meeting that morning with Brad. Hed asked her to personally deliver the latest press release in case the Sojourner wanted to use itthough history had proven that unlikelyand, as HGSs official publicity representative, let Hall know that Brad was readily available for comment and welcomed Nathans questions. Shed tried to get Brad to reconsider or at least get their attorneys opinion, but Brad had insisted the attorney worked for him, not the other way around.
Shed suggested Brad actually send their attorney on this errand, but her boss had felt a six-five man who spoke in stern legalese didnt promote the friendly, accessible image he wanted to convey. Also, Brad had seemed to think that sending a lawyer to see the man whod been writing carefully derogatory articles about him was an implied threat of some sort.
Sheryl could usually cajole Brad into seeing her point, but he was being strangely stubborn about this. Was it just because he hated the thought of being disliked by someone? Especially someone with a loyal readership.
With a sigh, she told Meka, Im afraid Brad half believes its as simple as convincing Mr. Hall what swell folks we are, then hell stop writing those mean articles and the whole mess will go away.
First, swell folks make boring headlines. Meka enumerated her observations on her fingers. Second, even if the columns stop, Brad still has the lawsuit to deal with. Third, Nathan may view your olive branch as sucking up to get him to stop and become even more self-righteous.
Sheryl settled herself on one of the two soft-covered stools that sat at the raspberry-colored breakfast counter. Decorated in raspberry and cream with soft lighting and an almost-view of the Space Needle, the kitchen was so inviting that she and Meka had most of their conversations here even though the living room furniture was expensive and comfy, while the kitchen bar stools eventually put ones butt to sleep.
Sheryl settled herself on one of the two soft-covered stools that sat at the raspberry-colored breakfast counter. Decorated in raspberry and cream with soft lighting and an almost-view of the Space Needle, the kitchen was so inviting that she and Meka had most of their conversations here even though the living room furniture was expensive and comfy, while the kitchen bar stools eventually put ones butt to sleep.
All good points, Sheryl agreed with her roommate. Points I tried to make earlier today. Three hundred and sixty-four days a year, hes Mister Mellow, letting his savvy staff advise him on what to dowhich is what he pays us forbut then theres that one other day, out there lurking
And today was that day? When Sheryl didnt answer, Meka added, Too bad Nathan Hall isnt one of those columnists with a picture next to his byline. Then wed have something to blow up and throw darts at.
Sheryl had never thought about what the journalist looked like, but it wasnt hard to imagine him as green and hairy, à la a certain, bitter Seuss character bent on sucking the joy out of the holiday season for others. Draining her glass, she decided that pretend hard cider wasnt cutting it. What she really needed was a vacation, but since that was out of the question
Meka, what are your plans for the weekend? Its been a while since we had a really good girls night out.
Her roommate stared down, seeming oddly intent on making eye contact with the potatoes. Youre right, it has been too long, but this isnt a good weekend. Im sorry, but Tyler and I
You dont have to sound contrite. Sheryl forced a smile for her friends benefit despite a small pang of disappointment. He is your boyfriend.
I know, but youre just as important and I feel like weve barely spent any time together the last few months. Id cancel, but Tys parents are coming into town this weekend and hes asked me to meet them Saturday.
Sheryl let out a low whistle. She couldnt remember the last relationship shed been in where shed reached the meet-the-parents stage. Of course, not everyones parents lived as close to their children as hers. Meeting the parents.
Yeah. In a word, yikes. Im terrified already, and its still days away. You and I could go out Friday night, but I wouldnt be any fun.
Besides, it would probably be better not to show up hungover on Saturday, Sheryl teased, even though neither of them were hardcore party drinkers.
Well, I promise you that well do a girls night soon, Meka said, her smile grateful. In the meantime, I can at least offer dinner. Some comfort food to take the edge off your day?
Though Sheryl quickly accepted the offer of her roommates gourmet cooking, she chose to look at it not as comfort food, but as the traditional feast soldiers of old enjoyed the night before battle. Tomorrow, she faced Nathan Hall.
SHERYL STOOD in a lobby full of modern art sculptures, waiting for one of four elevators to open and take her to the floor that housed the Sojourners staff offices. She hadnt scheduled an appointment, merely called to ask what time Nathan was expected in today. Sheryl wanted to have the element of surprise, not give the journalist an opportunity to devise questions so pointed, she couldnt possibly answer them safely. And, of course, not answering a question only made a person look guilty.
With an impatient glance, she assessed her distorted reflection in the mirrored elevator doors. Meka had suggested that her navy blue cashmere sweater over a well-tailored calf-length skirt would be feminine enough to keep her from seeming combative, while the dark colors said take me seriously. Not wanting to look girly, Sheryl had neither applied much makeup nor curled her hair. Shed stuck to the basics around her green eyes, applied some lipstick and just brushed her brown hair until the natural red highlights shone. Cosmo wouldnt be calling to ask her to cover-model any time soon, but she looked good enough for this meeting.
A small beep sounded and a light glowed above the elevator to her right. She moved toward it, but a slight masculine chuckle behind her stopped her.
Turning, Sheryl located the owner of that low chucklea man much taller than she, probably even taller than Meka. He wore a brown leather jacket over a Sonics sweatshirtboth of which merely seemed like adornments for his broad shouldersand jeans of indeterminable age. The dark denim didnt look worn or faded, but the pants molded to the mans lower body well enough to give the impression that they were comfortably broken-in.
Berating herself for staring at his rather promising lower body, Sheryl jerked her head up and fell into eyes the same rich brown color as his hair. His entire appearance made her think of things hot and delicious. Chocolate, coffee, dark caramels melting
That ones broken, he said, angling his chin toward the elevator shed approached. It lights up, but only goes down. No idea why maintenance still hasnt fixed it, but the only place it will take you is underground parking.
The elevator to her left lit and opened, and she instinctively stepped aside for the people exiting. Then she entered the empty conveyance, and the man with the espresso eyes joined her, his clean, soapy scent a relief in the overly perfumed air left by the elevators last passengers.
He reached for the number panel the same time she did, and their hands brushed. Both of them stilled, but neither moved away, so the contact and the strange humming it stirred in Sheryls blood continued.
Finally, she pulled her hand back, saying softly, Five, please.
The man stared for a moment as though he were going to ask, Five what?, but then he nodded with a self-conscious laugh. Oh. Five, right.
Sheryl bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling. If it had taken him a moment to realize she was talking about which floor she wanted, then she hadnt been the only one affected by their shared, electric touch. Had she ever had such an immediate reaction to a man?
He belatedly processed her request and hit Five, but when he didnt select a button for himself, Sheryl lost her struggle with the suppressed smile. Um, dont you want to hit a button for your floor? she reminded him gently. Wow, maybe she really had rattled him.
Im headed to five myself. The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk. So I dont need another button.
Right. Idiot. Why hadnt she realized the obvious? Because her brain was still somewhat short-circuited from the brush of his fingers against hers? And here shed thought hed been flummoxed.
But thanks for looking out for me, he added, still with that sexy half grin.
Hey, its what I do, she said, thinking of times shed helped her siblings and the too-frequent occasions shed felt compelled to mother Brad, which had led to their breakup. A woman couldnt feel passion for someone who aroused mostly her maternal instincts.
Her current companion didnt look as if he needed mothering, though. Quite the contrary. He looked like the type cautious mothers warned their daughters about.
This is what you do? he asked. Look out for people in elevators?
She smiled at his gently teasing tone. Im underappreciated, but, yes, Im Sheryl, patron saint of elevators and caffeine addicts. And since you gave me such good advice down in the lobby and kept me from getting stuck in a faulty elevator, Ill put in a good word for you with The Guy Upstairs.