Turn Over:A Secret Baby Sports Romance(70)

"I really do wish you all the best, Sydney." Alice stood.

"Thank you," I tried to make it louder than a whisper.

"Let us know where you land."

I nodded. I couldn't imagine staying in touch with her, but it felt like a necessary gesture.

Alice left the room so I could complete the with exit paperwork with  Frannie. It was embarrassing enough to be fired, it was humiliating to  lose my job because I had slept with Mason. I might as well be Hester  Prynne.

Frannie smiled lightly when I handed over my press pass and the key to  the newsroom. I told her I didn't have any personal effects in my desk  so I wouldn't need a box to pack.

She escorted me to the door and watched from the glass as I walked to my  car. My throat tightened. I could feel her eyes on my back as I moved  across the parking lot. But I couldn't turn around. I couldn't let my  shoulders slump, or the tears fall. I unlocked the driver side door and  sat behind the steering wheel.

I thought I saw Alice standing at the skinny window in her office, but I cranked the ignition and pulled onto the road.

It wasn't until I hit the next stoplight that I let the heat and the  anger of my embarrassment spill over. They were hard ugly sobs that  wracked my body. I heard the car behind me honk when the light turned  green.

I wiped at my eyes enough to see the road and sped forward. Those were  the only tears I would allow myself to have. I had to focus on whatever  future lied ahead.



He was dressed in his usual white button-up shirt, pacing on the  balcony. I let myself in, so he didn't know I was watching him. Whoever  was on the other end of that call was getting an earful.

I headed to the bedroom. I had left my phone charger plugged in next to  his bed. I wrapped the cord around my hand, and sat on the edge. Mason  slept closest to the door. The pillow smelled like him. I couldn't help  but smile when I thought about last night. As nervous and upset as I had  been, he had found a way to make me forget about it.

He was the kind of man who could draw a bath and wash my back. Refill my  wine. Hold me while I fell asleep. Listen to me say the same things  over again. Mason had turned into a completely unexpected man.

I walked back to the living room to see if he was finished with the call.

"Hey, I didn't hear you come in."

"Hey." I was on the verge of losing it again, but I stiffened my back, holding the feelings in.

"And what did Alice say?"

I shook my head. "They gave me the HR speech and let me go. You're looking at an out of work reporter."

"Come here." He moved toward me, locking his arms around my back. "They  are crazy for not finding a spot for you at that journal. They just gave  their competition an advantage. I consider that a bad business  practice." His thumb smoothed the back of my shirt.

"I don't think Alice considers business practices. She's an editor."

"It's a business. But it doesn't matter. That's done. It's over." He dropped me from the hold.

"I guess I should work on updating my resume and pulling together my work portfolio. It's going to take a little bit of time."

"I don't think that's going to be necessary."

"Of course it is. I have to get another job before word gets out why I left the Record."

Mason looked at the number on his phone when it rang and hit ignore. "I'll get that later. I have a proposal for you."

"Ok?" I sat on the couch.         

     



 

"Did you give Alice the story I mentioned the other night?"

"No. I was going to use it, but I never had a chance. Why?"

"Apparently, no one has picked up on it yet. I need that good bit of PR  to circulate. Combating environmentalists and homeless mothers is bad  for business."

I thought about Matt's desk in the development office. The application  was likely buried underneath his cheat sheet for Halo. He might get to  opening mail today.

"Anyway, I'd like you to write the article."

"I can't write it. We went over this whole thing."

"You can't write it if you work for a news establishment. You can write  it if you are on my PR team and it's your job to release the  information." He had a wide smile.

"You want me to work for you? You're going to hire me?"

"I could send the information to my media team, but they aren't here.  They don't know the details like you do. You've already interviewed  Shawna, and I'm sure she'd be happy to see you again."

"How is this not a conflict of interest?"

"This is business. I can hire whomever I want. I can release whatever  information I want. I want you to write a piece on Lachlan Corporation's  dedication to relocating a few of the displaced Cove residents. This is  what PR firms do every day. My PR firm happens to be in Dallas. You are  here."

I considered everything he was saying. I didn't want a handout. I didn't  want to be unemployed either. I had student loans due each month, not  to mention a car payment and rent for the studio apartment.

"But how would it work between us?"

"Sweetheart, work is work. And when it's five o'clock we shut that down and it's just you and me."

"What's the starting salary?"

"You'll get the same as what I pay the other two on PR."

"Do you have a number?" I prodded.

He walked over to the laptop on the dining table. "I need to pull it up.  Hold on." He opened several files before finally giving me an annual  sum.

"And benefits?"

"Yes, darlin', you get all the benefits. The whole works."

"And I'm based here in South Padre?"

He crossed the room. "You're based wherever I am."

My eyes flashed to his. I felt the tingles run to my fingertips. This no  longer felt like I was negotiating the terms of a new job. I was going  to be terrible at separating my feelings from work. I wasn't even on the  job two minutes, and all I could think about was what Mason was  implying.

"You want me to travel with you?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" He shrugged like I had asked if we could share a pizza.

"Is that a standard part of what your PR people do?"

"It's what I want to be standard with you." His eyes softened, the deep  pools of cobalt sucking me in. "I have to leave for Dallas in another  day. The idea of leaving you here while I'm up there isn't very  appealing."

I held my breath. This was different from the San Antonio trip. I could feel it, even though he wasn't saying it.

He turned when his phone rang again. "I've got to take this. It's the west coast."

I nodded. I watched as he walked onto the balcony, sliding the door  behind him. Ten minutes later he was back inside, his cell phone stuffed  in his front pocket.

"My entire day is booked with calls. I need to know if you want the  job." His eyebrows arched, and for a minute I knew he didn't see me as  the woman he shared a bed with. I was an employee holding him up.

"Yes. I'll take it."

"Good. I think you'll like working for Lachlan Corporation." He walked  to the table and jotted something on a piece of paper. "Here. This is  Mark's number. Give him a call and tell him to set you up with email.  And have a new computer shipped to you at my address. He can overnight  an HR packet too."

I took the slip of paper. "But won't they know about us if I tell him that?"

I saw the playfulness return to his eyes. He shifted the hair from my  shoulder, laying a kiss along my neck. "Syd, you're sleeping with the  boss now. And I can do whatever in the hell I want."         

     



 

He tipped my chin toward him. My heart beat faster. I could feel his  breath against my face. Smell his cologne in the air. I moaned as his  lips possessed mine, stealing the air from my body. I clung to him,  desperate to taste him.

Suddenly, I heard the ring and felt the vibration from his pocket as his  phone rang. He pressed his forehead to mine. "Back to work." He sighed  and walked out of the room. "Roger, good to hear from you."

I sat at the table. I had no idea how this was going to work.



I didn't need to wait for my fancy new computer to arrive to jump on the  first order of business for Lachlan Corporation. I drove toward Beach  Combers Cove. It was good to get out of the condo. I couldn't stay in  there all day, watching Mason pace on the phone. I shifted between  wanting to rip his clothes off and wanting to ask him a hundred  questions about the job and his company. Neither was on his agenda  today.

I parked at the end of the row of trailers. The signs were posted  marking the impending demolition of the lot. I tried to wrap my head  around the fact that I was now representing the company building the  resort, not trying to unearth dirt on it.

I knocked on Shawna's door. The plastic pool next to the beach chairs  was half full. The door swung open and Lindy started to giggle.

"Hi, Lindy. Is your mom home?"

"Lindy, I've told you not to open the door." Shawna stopped. "Oh, hey. I  didn't know who had knocked, and she has this way of running to the  door. She can even unlock it."