C hapter Twenty-Nine
Settling at her desk and filtering through her mail, Harley tried to force herself back into normal mode after her week away from work. When peering at her news stories in light of her time spent in Dallas and with Kelsey, fluff pieces about Christmas returns and post-holiday blues seemed almost a nuisance in comparison. There were life and death scenarios in countless places, but Channel Six wasn’t focused on those. No, the hot topics were reviews on the holiday box office, fashions for New Year’s parties, and the best remedies for hangovers.
Rather than immediately flinging herself headfirst into the assignments she had been given by Mitch, which were to interview a couple wedding planners about a bridal extravaganza and to taste-test four new flavors of cola made by a local company, she thoroughly reviewed her notes about the state’s pension matter and penned out a detailed analysis of her findings.
Rising from her chair, she straightened her skirt and tugged at the bottom hem of her jacket near her hips, trying to appear as poised and professional as she normally managed to be. For some reason, the act wasn’t proving as easy in her current state.
“Hey,” she heard as she strolled past Denton’s office, causing her to pause midstride and stare at her coworker. “You got a sec?”
“Actually, I was just going to talk to Mitch and…” Stepping into the doorway, she allowed the earnestness of Denton’s face to pierce her protests. “Sure, I have time.”
Glancing down the hallway anxiously, she sighed as she entered Denton’s office and lowered herself into the chair facing his desk, placing her papers on her lap.
“You okay, Harley?” Placing his hands together on top of his desk, Denton leaned forward. “I’m worried about you. You seem different.”
“Different how?”
“What happened with New York?” he whispered, compelling her to lean toward him. “I can’t believe you would show up for the tryout and they wouldn’t even put you on the air. Did you and Trent have some sort of disagreement before the broadcast or something?”
As she pondered her response to his question, she took a second to glance around his office. Sports memorabilia dotted two walls, including two signed photographs that she knew he treasured. Behind his desk, there was a single portrait of Denton with his parents, in front of the beach house where he took them the summer before as a surprise anniversary gift. His college credentials rested in frames on his bookshelf, proof of his education, and he sat there confidently before her, looking like he could have easily stepped out of the pages of GQ. If there had been any doubt in her mind, the realization suddenly hit her that Denton was the absolute perfect guy she would have imagined herself with not long ago.
That was the old Harley, though—the one who existed before she met her improbably perfect version of a tattooed rocker EMT with a heart of gold.
“It has something to do with Kelsey, doesn’t it?” Denton continued. “Did you turn down the audition for her?”
Shrugging, Harley tugged at her black sleeve, gazing at her lap. “To be absolutely honest, the timing was just off. To everything there is a season, and this isn’t my season.”
“Mumbo jumbo designed to talk me in a circle and not give me an answer.”
“Come on, isn’t that what we do here?” she teased, sobering a bit when he didn’t laugh. “Please don’t make a big deal of it, okay? I struggled with the decision, but I did what was best and I’m fine with the consequences.”
“What if Mitch is so annoyed that he doesn’t give you the desk? He was pretty surprised when he started watching Trent’s show last week and you were nowhere to be seen.”
“It’s out of my hands, Denton.” Smiling, she rose to her feet and smoothed her skirt once again. “Let’s just leave this one to God, shall we?”
“I liked you better when you took matters into your own hands,” he called after her as she stepped into the hallway.
Shaking her head, she firmly gripped the papers she carried and marched forward to Mitch’s office, mentally preparing herself with a pep talk that made it to her ears but not all the way to her heart. As she stopped in front of his doorway, she peered inside, witnessing him staring at his computer, pale blue shirt actually missing a button at the point where it was straining, causing Harley to wonder if it finally managed to loosen itself to the point of being a projectile.
“Miss Laine,” he commented without emotion, not even looking in her direction. Stepping forward, she lowered herself to the chair before him, nervously squeezing her hand into a fist. “I trust you enjoyed your vacation.”
“Yes sir, thank you.” Wishing he would at least make eye contact, she swallowed with difficulty. “About New York—”
“I keep telling you that your persistence on digging into political scandals would make things difficult for you. It doesn’t matter what a pretty face you are, Harley, if you insist on bringing up uncomfortable subjects.”
“Pardon me?”
“I assume you wanted to talk about the real news stories with Trent, but he only wanted you as the pretty sidekick? It’s no matter, because we weren’t ready to lose you. Did you get the assignments I sent to you?”
Leaning forward, Harley stretched the papers in her hand out before her and placed them on his desk. “About that…I finished the research on the pension issue, and I have the piece I’ve been working on.”
Finally dragging his eyes from his computer, Mitch spread his palm across the top paper and drew it closer by sliding it across his desk. After looking at it for several seconds, he simply shook his head.
“I have sources willing to go on the record,” Harley quickly inserted.
“No, we can’t run this. Do you know how many people would be breathing down my neck?”
“Everything in that story is a substantiated fact.”
Giving her a stern look, he shoved the paper back in her direction. “Fact or not, we’re not taking on that can of worms. Just get down to that wedding thing and take care of business, Harley. It’s a busy time of year, so you’re off vacation mode.”
Her throat burned angrily, but she forced herself to retrieve her papers and retreat from the office, heading back in the direction of her own desk. Passing Summer in the hall, she held her head high as the blonde newswoman neared her, sporting a green blazer atop her cream-colored camisole.
“Harley, good to have you back.”
“Is it?” Harley muttered, unable to bite back her words. “Or did you suspect I might not come back, since I was making so much money milking the citizens of Louisville through my fake charity?”
Continuing on toward her desk, Harley sensed Summer behind her, trailing her down the hall. Rather than looking, though, she pretended she wasn’t there, going so far as to greet her other coworkers by name when she passed them. When she resumed her position behind her desk, Summer stepped up to the front of her office space, looking a bit confounded.
“I realize I was a bit harsh, alright? I had no right to make the assumptions I did. After talking with Denton, he assured me I was off base.”
Still seething from the words Mitch had spoken, Harley peered up at Summer. “Why did it take having a talk with Denton? Am I really that bad?”
Offering a slight compensatory grin, Summer made obvious work of pondering a response. “Not bad, exactly, just…ambitious.”
“And ambitious equals dishonest, I suppose?”
Placing herself in the chair across from Harley, Summer gave a wry smile. “No, which is why I’m apologizing.” She allowed the words to hang in the air between them for a moment before continuing. “I don’t want to be at odds with you. There’s no reason we can’t get along. The fact is, you remind me a bit of myself, back before I was jaded. This industry is fickle, you know.”
“Tell me about it.” Sighing, Harley looked down at the papers that had been so uninteresting to Mitch just moments ago. “How do you do it, Summer? Keep smiling up there year after year? Don’t you ever get ti
red of talking about the same things day in and day out?”
Nodding her admission, Summer tilted her head to the side. “I focus on what I love, instead of the things I don’t like. For me, that’s Louisville. I grew up here, it’s my city, and I like being the hometown girl. What do you love about this job?”
“That might be the million dollar question,” Harley admitted, finally allowing a smile.
“You sure this is what Mitch had in mind?” Kenny attempted to clarify, giving Harley an almost comical grimace. “I think he just wanted you to come down here and talk to the people in charge, ya know? This is out there, even for you.”
“Really, Kenny? Because I’m pretty sure we’ve stepped in poo together.”
“Not on purpose.”
“Let me focus on the story, and you just concentrate on your camera, okay?” When he didn’t relax his posture, Harley placed a hand defensively on her hip. “Listen, I’ve been thinking a lot this morning about what I love about this job, and you know what I’ve decided? It’s a combination of the people I get to meet and the witty remarks I conjure up for even the most ridiculous assignments. So we’re going to have fun from now on, okay? I don’t care if he sends me to Siberia to judge a hot dog eating contest—we’re going to make it sound like the only place to be is with us, having the time of our lives. You on board?”
“Will you still gripe once in a while? ‘Cause I like hearing your little rants.”
“You want me to complain for comical relief?” Shaking her head, she laughed as she glanced down at her dress, straightening her posture.
“Hey, you missed that HR meeting last week. Trust me, there’s a lot worse things I could have asked ya. A lot worse.”
“Oh, I’ve no doubt.” Shrugging her shoulders, she gave him a grin. “Why not? I promise to complain at least once a day, in the confines of the van, mostly to entertain you.”
“And you’ll still act all holier-than-thou?”
“If you insist. I’ll even correct your grammar and enunciation.”
Giving her a crooked grin, he extended his hand slowly. “It’s a deal.”
Sitting next to Annie on the sofa, Harley glanced into her bowl of ramen noodles and then to her friend, unable to keep the smile from spreading across her face.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing, just…” Harley bit her lip to try to hide her smile. “This will take some getting used to.”
Annie self-consciously reached up to touch her black curls. “Leave it to you to be shocked when I look like everybody else. You’re a special kind of strange, you know that?”
“I know that this is a delicious dinner, and I’m glad you have your TV set up to entertain us.”
Apparently giving up, Annie shook her head, focusing on her own bowl. “So, what was that message from the hospital?”
Wrapping noodles around her fork, Harley brought her feet up to the couch, drawing her knees close to her chest.
“They’re having a benefit on New Year’s Eve, and their speaker had to cancel at the last minute. They wanted to know if I’d be willing to fill in.”
“So you gonna do it?”
Pretending to think for a moment, Harley nodded. “Sure, why not?” Shoving the fork in her mouth, she looked across the room at the Christmas tree, which now boasted several paper snowflakes along with the lights. She and Annie had cut them up on Christmas night, using only the best paper they could find, having quite a laugh in the process.
“Shall we watch my lovely friend on the news? I finally got the DVR set up, and I have a feeling you had an interesting day, judging by your attitude tonight. Am I right?”
Harley simply smiled as she made an obvious effort of continuing to eat while ignoring her friend. Giving an exasperated sigh, Annie grabbed the remote. The TV blinked on, coming to life on a reality show, which Annie quickly remedied by going to the recorded items. Settling on the evening news, she leaned back against the couch and relaxed as Summer and Denton began saying their introductions.
“So, this benefit—is it a formal thing? Because Faith Cooper brought this dress in last week…custom-made, rose-colored Grecian-style gown with one shoulder. It’s absolutely gorgeous. She was complaining about it being a bit shoddy for her tastes, and said she had to unload it because it was for her daughter’s canceled wedding. I made a big play of it and agreed with her about it being shoddy, so she gave it to me for next to nothing.”
“Annie, you’re terrible!”
“And she hadn’t even worn it yet, so you won’t have to worry about anyone else knowing it was hers. I guess she would know if she ran into you, but she wouldn’t dare say anything.”
Laughing, Harley placed her bowl on the floor and leaned back against the couch, facing her friend. “That sounds lovely, but I’m not sure it’s in my clothing budget right now.”
“As if you need a budget to borrow a dress,” Annie retorted. “Yes, I said borrow. And just think how easy it will be for me to sell after I say, ‘This dress was worn by Harley Laine at the New Year’s Eve benefit.’”
“Ah, so you have an ulterior motive.”
“I have to make a profit.” Discarding her bowl next to Harley’s, Annie folded her legs beneath her while a mischievous grin spread across her face. “What about Ryan? You taking him with you?”
“He thinks he has to work, which is just as well. Can you imagine Ryan dressing like the people at those things? I’m sure he would laugh just thinking about it. But Kelsey wants to go, if she’s feeling up to it. Her last big outing before the surgery.”
“Then we’ll have to find her something to wear, too,” Annie said, looking genuinely excited. “Oh, Denton just said your name. Stop talking.”
Suppressing a giggle, Harley stared at the television, listening to Denton introduce the bridal expo. “…Channel Six Action News sent our very own Harley Laine to cover the festivities.”
“Louisville might be known for the Kentucky Derby, Louisville Sluggers, and Kentucky Fried Chicken, but for its romance? Today I’m popping into the bridal expo to see what we have to offer lovers, dragging my unwilling cameraman Kenny along for the ride. He’s already rolling his eyes, so we must be on the right track. Come on!”
“Oh dear,” Annie muttered next to Harley on the couch.
“So I’m sure you all know about throwing rice at weddings, or blowing bubbles, but did you know you could release butterflies? Talk about every fairy-loving little girl’s dream come true. Or what about releasing doves? Personally, I have an adverse reaction to birds that stems from a previous news story, but for somebody else this might be an awesome idea.”
“She’s gone crazy,” Annie stated to the television.
“But what if you haven’t gotten to that step yet? Guys, you’re thinking about proposing, but not sure how to impress your lady? This is the place to be. There are tons of ideas, and we are testing every one of them. Testing them how, you might ask? Kenny has proposed to me fourteen times today. He’s not a very happy camper, but some day his girlfriend will thank me.”
Harley laughed as she verbally heard Kenny sigh on the camera.
“By the way, Kenny liked the billboard best, which we only simulated through a design on the computer. What he wrote would definitely not have gotten an acceptance from me, but in his defense, he was already a little irritated. Piece of advice, Kenny—when proposing to someone you actually like, never use the words ‘annoying’ or ‘bossy’ in your speech.”
The camera panned to Kenny, sitting at a makeshift nail station, where a dark-haired woman was bent over slightly with his hand in hers. A bit unsteady, the camera bobbed as it focused on the lanky, scowling cameraman.
“Kenny’s having his nails buffed, and he’s thoroughly enjoying himself, aren’t you Kenny?”
“I’m going to kill you.”
The camera trained on Harley once again, walking between the vendor stations wearing her black suit and carrying a bouquet of roses. “I’ve seen loads of h
air design ideas for wedding styles, and I’m actually getting ready to be a hair model. Wish me luck!”
Her face once again appeared on camera, this time with her hair swept into an updo, only a couple pieces framing her features. “I think it’s pretty stellar. Elegant, classy, sophisticated…but totally clashes with the suit. Shall we remedy that, Kenneth?”
An audible groan could be heard as Kenny once again made his thoughts known on camera. A shot of the floor took center stage, the camera slowly trailing upwards until it found its way to Harley, wearing a white dress with trails of beading down the bodice leading all the way to the train. “It’s intoxicating, really, all this romantic talk of weddings, finding myself standing here completely looking like a bride. My boyfriend is probably watching at home, trembling in fear. I couldn’t convince Kenny to pretend to be the groom. Too bad Denton couldn’t have gone on assignment with me. He would have totally taken the bait. P.S. ladies, Denton is single and deserves to have a nice girl in his life. I’m pretty sure he gives the city’s most eligible bachelors a run for their money.”
Kenny pulled in closer with the camera, bringing Harley into the full frame, where she held the bouquet in front of her like she normally would a microphone.
“Perhaps there is an atmosphere of love in the air here, after all. Maybe it’s just all the beautiful smells and sights that have my senses on high alert, causing me to feel amorous. Or, it could be that I’m coming back from a week of vacation and feeling rather cheeky.” Pausing to tilt her flowers toward the camera, Harley offered a wink. “Regardless of the reason, I must admit that I enjoyed this bridal expo much more than I expected. I’m not sure I can say the same for Kenny, but there’s no accounting for taste. I would stick around, but there are some cake samples right over there calling my name. Rock on, Louisville. Rock on.”
The television flashed back to Denton and Summer, shaking their heads as Summer laughed. “Oh my, our own romantic Harley Laine outs Denton as an eligible bachelor. Should we set up a dating hotline, Mr. Price?”
Crowned (Girls of Wonder Lane Book 2) Page 30
