by Nikki Logan
She looked at his frown and wiggled into the thick quilt. Had he truly believed that Brant was a serial sleaze? Was he as much of a victim of the network’s game-playing as she was?
‘The women?’ he asked, bemused.
‘Set up by Kurtz. Brant loves Cadence.’
Dan’s mind got busy dissecting that new information. Ava snuggled closer, happy to see that he wasn’t afraid of re-evaluating. ‘And here’s something else to blow your mind. He’s smart too.’
His snort told her she’d pushed the limits of Dan’s belief too far on that one. ‘But he’s not interested in you?’
‘Only as a friend.’
‘Then how smart can he be?’
He rolled suddenly, taking Ava with him so she ended up lying on top of him, her hair swinging in thick waves around her shoulders. His gaze swept appreciatively over every part of her exposed to him from this angle. She fell forward and found his mouth with hers.
‘Dan?’
‘Mmm?’ He managed between kisses.
‘Can we not talk about Brant while we…? It’s kind of creepy.’
He smiled against her lips.
‘My pleasure.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘DIONE LEEDS, The Standard.’
The tiny woman with cropped bleached blonde curls made a beeline straight for Ava. She dusted the dark soil off her hands and shook the offered hand. Designer outfit, overly thin, overly tanned, overly gymed, Leeds was one hundred percent yuppy. The woman couldn’t have looked any more out of place amongst the earth, shrubs and flowers on the set of Urban Nature. Dan had chosen her because she was a journalist he trusted, but Ava didn’t get a trusting vibe from this tight-faced woman.
Far from it.
‘Thank you for the opportunity, Ms Lange.’
Ava smiled out of pure manners and saw the cavalry approaching. ‘Don’t thank me. Here comes the man who arranged it all.’
The woman stiffened, and then turned briskly and introduced herself to Dan before he could get a word out. ‘You’re not Lindsay Tannon,’ he said.
‘I’m not, no. Lindsay is ill. I’m subbing for her.’
If it was a lie, it tumbled effortlessly off Leeds’ tongue. Ava would have bought it, but Dan didn’t. ‘The exclusive was offered to Ms Tannon. Perhaps we should reschedule—’
‘No need. I’m more than qualified to stand in her place, and my substitution has been okayed by AusOne.’ She met his gaze directly. ‘Unless there’s a specific reason you wanted Lindsay?’
Dan’s lips pressed together and Ava knew they were in trouble. There were no legitimate grounds to forbid a journalist from covering the story in her colleague’s place. His hands were tied. Ava was sure she could hear the sound of Dan’s teeth gnashing. But outwardly he was smooth as a good red wine. If she didn’t know him so well…
‘Have you been briefed?’ he asked.
Leeds smiled, bright and completely empty. ‘Fully, thank you. Congratulations on the ATA nomination. That must be very exciting?’
‘Save it for the interview.’
Ava gasped at Dan’s rudeness. Surely even he would have better sense than to wave a red rag at a bull? Judging by the flash of annoyance on Dione Leeds’ face, she wasn’t used to being challenged.
‘You have one full morning on set to observe and record, then private interviews with Ava, Maddox and myself. That should give you everything you need.’
‘I may need to ask other—’
‘Out of the question. Your access is exclusive, not unlimited. Ava, Maddox and myself. And we have expectations that this piece will rise a little higher than some of the exposure we’ve had so far.’
Leeds’ face tightened in genuine offence. ‘We’re the Standard, Mr Arnot.’ As though that said it all. ‘I’m sure your ratings have benefited directly from that exposure, so it’s a bit late now to cry poor.’
Ava swallowed nervously. Dione Leeds was every bit a match for Dan. Aggressive, on the ball, and she knew her stuff.
Damn.
Dan signalled to one of the production assistants and the man wandered over. ‘Finn, this is Ms Leeds. She’ll be on-set today, researching a feature article on the show. I’d like you to stay with her, provide any assistance required, and make sure she’s comfortable.’
Don’t let her out of your sight. The message was clear. To all of them. He threw Leeds a tight smile.
‘Ava. Can I have a word about today’s schedule, please?’
They excused themselves, and Leeds got straight to work observing the set-up for the day. Her human watchdog stuck to her side.
‘This is not what I had in mind.’ Ava could see Dan was more agitated than he’d let on. He pushed a hand through his hair. ‘I know Leeds’ work. She’s in a different league to Tannon.’
‘That’s good, isn’t it? For the quality of the finished article?’
‘She’s an investigative reporter. A real Rottweiler. If they’ve sent her they must be after something bigger than we pitched.’ He tore his anxious eyes off Leeds’ retreating form and looked at Ava. ‘I’m sorry. The interview might be harder than we expected. I’ll need to warn Maddox, too. Lord only knows what he’ll say.’
‘Brant might surprise you. But, yes, he should be told.’ She feigned a calm she really didn’t feel. But Dan was agitated enough for all of them.
He swore. ‘She’ll almost certainly try and dig for information on you and Maddox, and it’s too late to back away from the exposure we’ve already had. You’ll have to tread a careful line with her.’
‘In what way?’
‘Tell her enough that she thinks she’s getting somewhere, but not so much that she’ll start sniffing a scoop.’
Ava had no real media training, so the idea of trying to best a professional like Leeds didn’t appeal. It must have shown on her face.
His eyes softened. ‘Just be yourself. Don’t answer any direct questions about Maddox, but try not to evade them too obviously either.’
Oh, God. Nausea washed over her.
‘You’ll be fine, Ava.’ His gaze caressed her. ‘You can talk me in circles with your logic, so just use that.’
She wanted to touch him. To feel the reassuring pressure of his hand on hers. But her first safe opportunity was hours away yet, safely behind closed doors. After her interview slot with the Rottweiler.
Brant’s secret loomed large in her mind. If even Dan hadn’t known about Cadence then it was unlikely that Leeds would sniff it out, particularly if the network had gone to so much trouble to cover her up. But Ava felt the pressure of being keeper-of-the-secret. She’d need to play on the supposed romance between herself and Brant a little. But not too much. How much was that?
The nausea increased. How on earth had she found herself hosting a television show, being pursued by an investigative reporter and protecting someone’s deeply held secrets. Three months ago she’d just been Ava Lange, country girl and landscape designer.
How much time changed things.
Brant emerged from his interview in Ava’s mobile office looking slightly green around the gills and more than a little harassed. He headed straight for Ava and the coffee and doughnut she held ready for him. His hands trembled slightly when he took them from her. That worried her more than anything, because nothing fazed Brant Maddox. He practically downed his coffee in one.
‘Cadence…?’ she asked.
‘No. But she’s very thorough. Quite relentless, in fact.’
‘What did she ask you?’
‘Heaps about the programme, my vision for it. My interest in plants, for crying out loud!’ Another deep sip. It must have burned, but he showed no sign. ‘She wanted to know about Dan, and a heap of questions about you. Nothing particularly controversial, but still…’
As the supposed love interest for Brant, she would be a hot topic. She suggested as much to Brant. He shook his head.
‘More than that. It’s as if she was talking around the subject of me and my lov
e-life. We talked about everything but that. And she never asked outright about you. She’s too good.’
Ava’s nausea increased.
‘It was like the eye of the storm—like the real meaning was in the centre there, hiding inside everything else we talked about. But if you read a transcript there’d be nothing wrong with the questions.’
He took a deep breath and released it with a slow hiss. Then he blinked and refocused on Ava. ‘I’m sorry, I’m scaring you to death. It wasn’t all that bad, just…watch yourself. Go in knowing that she’s got some kind of agenda.’
Great! ‘I’m terrified she’ll spring a surprise on me. That she’ll know about Cadence and I’ll panic and blow it for you.’
Brant balanced the doughnut on top of his coffee and put his free hand on hers. ‘Hey, if that happens it won’t be because you stuffed up but because she’s a good journalist. Cadey and I know that we can’t get away with this for ever. Don’t compromise yourself to keep my secret.’
‘What secret?’ The Rottweiler had appeared silently behind them, a glint in her beady eyes. Where the heck was Finn, her watchdog?
Brant went seamlessly into charming mode. ‘Shameless doughnut addiction,’ he said, and took a healthy bite. He held the remnants out to admire it. ‘I love these things.’
The crumbs exploding from his mouth as he spoke did the job of distracting Leeds. She looked away, disgusted. ‘Ava. Are you ready?’
No. Not nearly. God, she wanted Dan by her side for this. She took a breath and smiled. ‘Sure.’
A few minutes later they were in the comfort of Ava’s office trailer. They’d talked niceties about the weather, the building they were renovating, the credentials of the crew. To her credit, Leeds had taken detailed notes of all the relevant discussion and politely listened to the rest. Then she got down to it.
‘So, quite an amazing journey you’ve been on these past months. From behind-the-scenes designer to out-the-front presenter.’
Leeds’ smile actually seemed genuine this time, and Ava relaxed a little. ‘I still design the spaces. I consider myself a designer first.’
‘The network would have to disagree with you, wouldn’t they? They’ve invested quite a bit in you as screen talent.’
‘In terms of time, I suppose. The risk of going with someone new…’
‘I meant the pay-rise. The RV.’ She looked around the comfortable trailer.
Ava faltered for a moment, but then remembered Dan’s advice. ‘This is my office. It’s so I can work between takes on designs. And the pay-rise is because I’m effectively doing two jobs at once. It’s not unreasonable.’ Ava realised she was defending herself. Not a good start.
Leeds recovered smoothly. ‘No, no—of course not. It’s quite flattering when you think about it, that they felt strongly enough about you as a presenter to go to all that trouble.’
Had she ever felt flattered? Nope, not once. ‘I suppose so.’
‘I have to say you don’t really strike me as the usual television starlet type.’
Ava forced a smile to her lips. ‘I’m not. I’m a landscape designer who happens to be on television.’
‘You come from…’ Leeds consulted her notes ‘…Flynn’s Beach, yes? Must be hard, being the new kid on the block in the big city, mixing in the television industry, nominated for an ATA only three months out. Pretty heady stuff—’
‘The show is nominated.’
‘And Brant Maddox.’
‘He is?’ That was news to Ava. Her smile was immediate and sincere. ‘Oh, that’s fantastic!’
Leeds looked curious. ‘It was announced this morning. I’d have thought, of all people, he would have told you.’
Ava’s guard shot up. ‘The Brant Maddox you see and the Brant Maddox I see are quite different people. My Brant is modest enough not to brag about something like that.’
She grimaced at her own choice of phrase, and Leeds didn’t miss it. Her smile was twitchingly alert. ‘Your Brant?’
Despite Dan’s advice, Ava couldn’t bring herself to stumble through a half answer. ‘If you want to ask me, go right ahead.’
Leeds didn’t hesitate. ‘Are you involved with Brant Maddox?’
‘I’m close friends with Brant Maddox. Anything else is nobody’s business but mine.’ And Dan’s.
‘And Brant’s?’
Ava dipped her head and conceded that point.
‘Still, I would have thought that he would share this exciting news with a close friend?’
Ava chewed the inside of her cheek. What was the right approach here? Saying yes would be a lie, and saying no would undermine the image they’d been portraying and risk exposing Cadence.
‘Perhaps he’s being sensitive. Since I wasn’t nominated.’
Leeds laughed. It was the most genuine thing she’d done all day. ‘Sensitive? Right.’
Ava’s blood boiled. Poor old Brant was going to be crucified again if she didn’t speak up. She widened her eyes, all innocence. ‘Oh, I didn’t realise you knew Brant. He didn’t mention it.’
The smile faded from Leeds’ face, leaving a cold blank canvas in its place. ‘I don’t.’
‘Well, you’ll have to take it as given from someone who does know him that he would definitely put my feelings ahead of his own.’ She managed a fair impersonation of Dan, staring Leeds down.
The woman dropped her eyes. ‘Ain’t love blind?’ she muttered, saccharine-sweet.
Ava didn’t bite. She had Leeds’ number now.
Leeds shifted tack. ‘Let’s talk about Arnot.’
Or not. The change of subject surprised Ava. She stiffened immediately.
Leeds barrelled on. ‘You seem really relaxed in his company. He must be a decent boss?’
‘Because I’m relaxed around him?’ Ava asked.
‘And because he personally signed off on this RV.’
‘Are we back to that?’
Leeds’ stare was steady. ‘You tell me.’
‘Dan’s a producer. By signing me to this deal, he got a presenter and a designer in one. I imagine it actually cost the network less, even with the pay-rise. I’d call that doing his job.’
‘You defend him quite loyally.’ Beady eyes grew keen.
Ava bristled. ‘Why not? He deserves a little loyalty. He’s been good to me.’
‘Good? Feeding you on a plate to the tabloids?’
Ava’s confidence stumbled, but she kept her eyes carefully screened. ‘It’s a producer’s job to arrange publicity.’
‘No, it’s not, honey.’ Condescension fairly dripped from Leeds’ too-red lips. ‘That’s the publicist’s job. Why is a high-level producer getting so personally involved in your publicity, do you suppose?’
Ava knew when she was being provoked. What was Leeds trying to imply? Her frown was genuine. ‘Perhaps he’s very hands-on?’ she suggested.
Leeds smiled and scribbled in her notepad. ‘Perhaps. You don’t seem too upset about it?’
‘I’m a paid employee of AusOne. If they want me to undertake PR, I’ll do it. You can’t imagine I’d be here with you if I wasn’t required to be.’
Leeds’ eager expression turned frosty. Then she struck. ‘Are you involved with Daniel Arnot?’
Ava’s heart stopped. She struggled valiantly to keep her expression even. When her heart started up again, it thumped so painfully in her chest she thought the journalist would surely hear it. ‘Exactly how many of the men in this show am I supposed to be involved with? Perhaps you could give me a checklist to save some time? I’ll just tick all those I’ve slept with.’
‘You live in his house.’
Ava’s stomach dropped. She should have predicted that one. Stupid, stupid. Her pulse hammered. ‘I use his guesthouse. His completely separate guesthouse.’
‘Convenient!’
‘Not particularly—especially if I want to get away from work for a while.’
Leeds studied her intently. Ava met her stare as nonchalantly as she could.
‘Still, not the kind of offer high-powered TV execs usually make to their employees.’ Innuendo saturated the question.
Feed her a bit, but not too much. Ava had no choice. It was this or admit there was something between her and Dan. She hoped Steve would forgive her. ‘It is when he’s friends with the employee’s brother. Her enormously over-protective brother, who wanted someone to keep an eye out for her in the big city.’
The wind billowed from Leeds’ sails most effectively. She’d been completely unprepared for that answer. Her research hadn’t extended to family members and their backgrounds, obviously. Ava had to fight to restrain a triumphant grin.
‘Oh, I see. Okay.’ Leeds cleared her throat and glanced at her notes. Silence ticked by in excruciating seconds. Then she looked up again. ‘Back to Maddox.’
Too good to be true. Ava sighed. But at least they weren’t talking about Dan any more.
‘It occurs to me that—’ Leeds picked her words carefully ‘—should someone want to disguise a relationship with someone…let’s say someone controversial, then a high-profile work romance would be a great way to do it.’
Cadence. Ava’s heart started thumping again. She was growing to hate Dione Leeds so much it wasn’t hard to affect coolness in her answer. ‘Is there a question in there somewhere?’
Leeds studied her closely, patently deciding whether to risk her next question or not. This seemed to be dangerously close to the defamation line. Ava held her breath.
‘No. I guess not. Let’s move on to the designs.’
Ava let air out slowly and silently, consciously trying to slow her rampant heartbeat. That had been too close for comfort. She settled in her seat and reminded herself she was in her office. Her domain.
She lowered her shoulders, quelled her churning stomach, and looked coolly at Leeds.
Bring it on.
‘I guess we shouldn’t be surprised she knew about you being in the guesthouse. Even Tannon would have done some homework.’
Ava was spread half across Dan as he lay on the fluffy covers of her bed—his bed, technically. She sighed. ‘I hated lying.’
