Fade to Black

by Unknown

  She recognized both of them, had worked alongside them in the field for two years while she was their competition. Kate hadn’t cared then to even learn their names, and this moment was the first time she’d taken the time to notice more than just the cameras they carried around.

  One of them looked like a body builder, his sleeve straining against the muscle of his bicep, with blond hair, cut short in the back with longer curly locks on top. He smiled and his dimples nearly swallowed his cheeks.

  The second man had light brown hair that looked as though he’d just stepped out of a windstorm. He had a toned physique, under his cream sweater and loose-fitting jeans—much more Kate’s type than was his muscled friend. And his eyes…. Kate swallowed hard. His eyes were the color of the Caribbean Ocean sparkling in the bright sun. She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the sudden urge to go skinny-dipping in the salty water.

  The tropical waters focused on Kate’s face for only a moment before roaming slowly over her body as though she stood before the group without a stitch on. His lips pulled at the corners, forming a sexy, knowing smile.

  Jesse was right about the bra, she thought wryly. Embarrassed, she brought her arms up and crossed them in front of her chest, successfully covering any hint of what he was doing to her.

  “Rich,” Dale said, and Rich’s eyes moved to their boss’s face, allowing her to finally breathe again, “Nate, I’d like to introduce our new reporter, Kate Callahan.”

  “Welcome to the family,” Nate said, holding his hand out.

  The redhead hung up the phone. “Yeah, boss.”

  Dale groaned. “Please don’t call me that, Jordan.”

  “Sorry,” Jordan laughed unapologetically, and then turned to Kate. “Who do we have here?”

  “This is Kate Callahan, our new reporter,” Rich informed him, turning to smile at her.

  “These SOB’s ever get out of hand, you just let me know.” Jordan slapped Rich in the back of the head.

  “Thanks.” Kate raised an eyebrow at Rich. “I’ll remember that.” There was something about the tingling in the pit of her stomach that came from his simple eye contact that made her nervous to be around this Rich guy.

  “Who are you going to send her out with today?” Dale asked.

  “Um…” Jordan looked between Rich and Nate. “I guess…”

  “I don’t have an assignment yet,” Rich offered, a little too eager for Kate’s comfort.

  Kate glanced down at her left ring finger and cursed the fact that Jesse hadn’t put a token of his love on it—yet. Jesse had been right about the attention she’d get from her new co-workers. But it wasn’t the way Rich looked at her that had red flags waving in her head; it was her traitorous body’s reaction to him.

  “Sounds like she’ll be with Rich, boss,” Jordan said.

  Dale ignored the use of his title, patted her shoulder. “You’re in good hands, Kate. Rich’s one of the best.”

  Kate’s eyes drifted to the man standing next to her. He smiled, and the tingles returned to her stomach. That’s what I’m afraid of. “Thanks, Dale.”

  “News meeting in fifteen minutes. Jordan will show you to your desk.” He looked at Jordan, who nodded. “She’ll be next to Clayton Tate.” Nate and Rich groaned while Jordan laughed. “Stop it, you guys,” Dale warned through a chuckle of his own as he walked away.

  Clayton Tate was one of their main reporters and Kate had seen him on TV. He was a decent reporter, although, his snow white, blonde hair and pasty complexion weren’t exactly Kate’s taste. She adored tall, dark, and handsome.

  Her thoughts flashed to Jesse, standing in all his glory this morning, bathed in golden sunlight as it cascaded through the window. Kate’s breath caught in her lungs at the sight in her mind’s eye.

  Another round of snickers brought Kate out of her thoughts, and she hoped they hadn’t noticed that she’d zoned out on them. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “Clayton isn’t his real name,” Nate said through his laughter.

  “Really?” She shouldn’t have been surprised. It was common practice in the industry to change or embellish your name to make it more marketable or reputable.

  “Yeah, his real name is Greg Jeffers.”

  “But he thinks Clayton Tate is a better ‘anchor name’,” Rich explained, using his fingers to make air quotations.

  “Kate, don’t call him anything but Greg. It pisses him off,” Nate insisted.

  “I’m not really into pissing people off,” she said in a miniscule voice that annoyed the hell out of her.

  “What’s the matter, Kate? You afraid of rockin’ the boat?” Nate tipped his head to the side, his gaze a question mark.

  Kate gulped as she realized that she’d more or less defended the guy everyone thought was an idiot. “No, I…”

  “Nate, don’t,” Rich said as he reached out and slammed his fist into Nate’s shoulder.

  “What?” Nate asked, his brow furrowed as his face questioned Rich’s knight-in-shining-armor act.

  Rich ignored Nate and smiled at Kate, which didn’t do much to ease the nervousness in her gut. “We wouldn’t want to make her do anything she’s uncomfortable with, would we?”

  “Nope,” Jordan said as the scanner started buzzing with a car fire downtown. “Can you guys take this somewhere else? I’ve got to get crews moving. Nate, get ready to roll. I’ll text you the address.”

  Rich waved his hand toward the center of the newsroom. “Your desk is this way.”

  Kate followed him and Nate matched her pace. “Hey, I’m really sorry.”

  “It’s okay. The new girl gets a truck load of crap until she proves herself, I get that.” Kate didn’t turn to acknowledge him further.

  “No.” He shook his head. “We have one rule around this place; we tease because we love. If we don’t like you, we ignore you or we make it painfully obvious you’re a pain in our ass. It’s easier for everybody that way. I think that we’re gonna like you just fine.”

  “Yeah,” Rich looked over his shoulder and winked, “we like you already.”

  Kate felt that there was an undertone of something more in his statement, and should have been mortified by his flirtations, but instead her heart pounded wildly in her chest as those sapphires twinkled at her.

  “I’m off to the barbecue. Have a great first day, Kate,” Nate said before heading to the photographer’s lounge to grab his equipment.

  The photog’s belongings were kept in a room that had cabinets on the bottom and windows on the top. It kind of resembled a giant fishbowl, with no privacy to the people within its walls.

  “Here we are,” Rich said, “your desk.” The faux burgundy walls would barely come up to her head while she was sitting down, but it was still hers alone. “Ladies room, coffee machine, and microwave are over there. Editing is through that opening.” He pointed to the back wall, to a doorway that was large enough to drive a truck through.

  “News meeting in the conference room in five,” Dale’s voice boomed over the loud speaker.

  “Come on. Let’s get you a notebook and a pen.” Rich then led her to the supply closet and helped her retrieve a white reporter’s notebook and a couple of blue pens before he weaved through the cubicles to the conference room.

  Through the bank of glass that made up the front of the conference room, Kate could see her new colleagues waiting for the meeting to start. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, and turned to glance at Rich, who once again smiled at her.

  Damn, that smile!

  He winked. “Now, get in there and get us a great story.” He gently shoved her in the back, which she was grateful for since her feet seemed to have been stuck to the floor.

  “Ah, Kate,” Dale said, “let me introduce you to everybody.”

  One-by-one he named each person seated around the long, rectangular table. Kate took an empty seat next to Olivia, a tiny woman in her late twenties. Her hair was the color of ink, flipping out at
the ends where it rested just above her shoulders.

  After Kate received her assignment—turning an old woman with nine cats into a piece that resembled hard news—she half listened to the rest of the meeting while tracing the grains in the mahogany table with her finger.

  “Okay, people, let’s cover the black,” Dale said, clapping his hands together once.

  The room erupted in chatter and the shuffling of papers. Kate stood and turned to see Rich sitting on her desk, talking on his cell phone. His brows were furrowed, his eyes narrowed. It appeared that his teeth were clenched, but it was obvious that his fists were. Kate’s curiosity was piqued and she wondered who could bring so much negative emotion out of that man.

  “Hi, I’m Olivia,” a voice said from next to her. “I hope you’ll like it here.”

  Lost in her thoughts, and not really paying attention to Olivia, who barely came to her shoulder, Kate muttered, “That’s interesting.”

  “What’s interesting?” Long lashes fluttered while Olivia’s brow formed a V.

  Kate couldn’t exactly voice that she was intrigued by the guy deep in conversation at her desk, so she resorted to the last bit of talk she knew they’d both heard. “Let’s cover the black.”

  Olivia laughed, a friendly, high-pitched sound. “Oh, that’s just Dale’s way of saying that without us, there would be nothing for people to watch…except black,” she added with a shrug.

  “I figured that’s what it meant. I’d just never heard it used as a pep talk.” It was hard to concentrate on the conversation unfolding in front of her as she continued to watch Rich’s fiery exchange.

  “You’ll learn that Dale is a great boss. He’s a hardass when he has to be, but he’s usually quite easygoing,” Olivia explained.

  “So you’re a producer, huh?” Kate asked as they began the short journey across the newsroom to her cubicle.

  “Yes, 5:00 and 6:00,” she answered from right on Kate’s heels. “So who are you going out with?”

  “Jesse.”

  “No.” Olivia laughed. “Which photographer is assigned to you today?”

  “Oh.” Heat rose in Kate’s cheeks. “Rich.”

  Olivia nodded, satisfied, pleased. “Listen to him. He’s very good at what he does. He won’t lead you astray.”

  “Thanks, Olivia.”

  “Anytime.” They reached Kate’s desk, and Rich was just closing his phone. He forced a smile that didn’t relieve any of the frustration in his intoxicating blue eyes. “Be good to her, Rich,” Olivia warned.

  “Of course,” he said to her before turning his attention to Kate, “Well, what’s our story?”

  “Hundred-year-old woman with nine cats,” Kate groaned, already feeling defeated.

  “When we’re done, it’ll be so good, they’ll want to lead with it.”

  Kate wished she could be as confident as her photographer. She raised an eyebrow. “Not even you’re that good, Rich.”

  “Good luck, Kate,” Olivia said as she started to walk away, then she stopped and smiled over her shoulder. “I can’t wait to hear about Jesse,” she said before walking off toward her desk.

  Olivia’s mention of Kate’s best friend and lover, hung in the air like a dud grenade. The mood was awkward as she searched her brain for something to say, just letting the seconds tick by in silence.

  Rich saved her when he cleared his throat. “We need to swing by HR and get your press pass and key card, and then we’re off to make nine cats, breaking news.”

  His humor broke the tension, and Kate couldn’t help but laugh as she grabbed her bag, ready for any adventure that the day held.

  Chapter Two

  The only sounds in the vehicle were the clicking of the keys on Kate’s laptop and the soft thump of the music coming from the radio. After picking a few soundbites, the story would be good to go. It wasn’t going to be as bad as she’d originally thought, thanks to Mrs. Watts and her interesting family. Kate saved her work and closed the computer.

  Rich cleared his throat, concentrating a little too hard on the road as he spoke, “So, who’s Jesse?”

  “My boyfriend,” she answered without any hesitation.

  He paused for a long moment then asked with lots of hesitation, “How long have you been going out?”

  “We’ve been dating off and on since high school.” Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. She hadn’t expected to be discussing Jesse on her first day, with another guy. Especially with a guy who did funny things to her body, made her feel things she shouldn’t.

  “Off and on?” he asked as one corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk. His cell phone rang, and he groaned when he looked at the caller id. “Hey, Shea.” His full lips flattened out into a line as his eyes closed for a long second then he said, “Just heading back to the station.” The voice on the other end was high-pitched and didn’t sound happy. “Um hum.” He paused while the woman continued to shriek. “I know. I’m sorry…Okay, we’ll talk about it when I get home…No…” He closed his eyes, rubbing at them with the hand that wasn’t steering, and sighed, “Kate.”

  Sitting next to a man that was getting his butt handed to him on a platter made Kate beyond uncomfortable. She shifted toward the window and concentrated on the passing scenery.

  “Who’s Kate?” came the piercing question through the phone, clear as day.

  Kate cringed, and out of the corner of her eye she watched Rich pull the phone away from his ear in an attempt to avoid permanent hearing loss. “I can’t do this right now, Shea.”

  “No because you’re doing her right now,” she screamed before the line went dead.

  There was a loud snap as Rich closed his phone. “Dammit.”

  The silence that followed was excruciating. Whoever this Shea person was, there was little doubt she was a tad nuts. Who speaks that way to someone they love? Kate had never screamed at Jesse that way—no matter how angry she’d been at him. And to insinuate that she and Rich…

  “I’m sorry you had to hear that,” Rich’s voice was quiet.

  Kate was embarrassed enough for the two of them. And she couldn’t bring herself to look at him, even though he was doing his best to avoid her gaze. “It’s not your fault,” she told him, meaning every word.

  Neither of them said any more until they pulled into the parking lot, then Rich cleared his voice and whispered, “Shea’s my…wife.”

  “Wow, sounds like she really loves you.” There was a heavy dose of sarcasm to the phrase and as soon as the words left her mouth, Kate regretted putting a voice to her thoughts. They were callused and just flat out mean. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, you’re right.” He cut the ignition and the topic of conversation in one fluid motion. “Go show ‘em what you’ve got, Barbara Walters.” He gently put his knuckles into her shoulder, bumping her lightly. “Make me proud.”

  Rich had proved to be everything she’d been told. He was a great photographer, capturing the essence of the little old woman and her intriguing story. Because he was so talented, it made the job of writing to the video an easy one. The pictures by themselves could have told the tale without her.

  “You ready?” Rich asked from outside the editing bay door. “It’s time to get you ready for the live shot.”

  Kate glanced at him before asking her editor, Ivy, “Are you okay if I leave?”

  Ivy looked up. “Yeah, I’m just going to drop in the last two shots and then you’re all set.”

  “Thanks.” Kate plucked her bag from the floor by the door.

  “You bet,” Ivy responded, sending the tape zipping into rewind.

  “Let’s go,” Rich hurried Kate toward the lobby. “I’ve got us set up in a great spot.”

  The difference in their height quickly became apparent as Kate found that she had to almost run in order to keep up with Rich’s long strides. Kate’s phone beeped, signaling a text message and Kate pulled it out of her jacket pocket.

  Kate

  I’m watching. Knock ‘em dead
.

  Jesse

  A smile crept onto her face and she punched in her response as Rich glanced over his shoulder, trying to hide a scowl.

  Be home soon…hope you’re ready.

  Kate

  “Jesse?” Rich asked in a tone that sounded bitter.

  “Yeah,” she couldn’t help that it came out as a sigh. The phone beeped again.

  I’m STILL ready.

  She laughed and slid the phone back into her pocket, put the IFB into her ear, and rehearsed the intro that would soon be on live television. She paced along the wall in the foyer, the heels of her shoes making soft clicking noises as she moved.

  “Two minutes, Kate,” Rich cued.

  She took her place in front of the camera and the butterflies began to assault her stomach. Closing her eyes, she thought of Jesse. It was his support that got her over the fear of being in front of people.

  “The camera is me,” he’d said in the very beginning of her short career. “You aren’t talking to anyone but me. And there’s nothing you can say that will stop me from loving you.”

  “In five, four, three…”

  In her ear Kate heard the voice of Leslie Williams, the main anchor, “And we’d like to welcome Kate Callahan to the News17 family.”

  Kate smiled and nodded, seeing only her reflection in the lens of the camera. “Thanks, Leslie. I’m happy to be here.”

  “Kate’s here with a story about a grandma, nine cats, and a huge heart. Kate?”

  “Emma Watts is a woman who is not only nearing the century mark, but also has a heart as big as they come.”

  The audio from her package flowed through her earpiece, and Rich gave her a thumbs-up. The producers gave cues for the next few minutes while Kate waited for her turn to speak again.

  Rich pointed his finger at her and smiled. “Go.”