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chapter twenty-three

Graham

I had a plan.

When Jill said being in constant pain was her “normal,” something snapped inside of me. For far too long, this news station had taken advantage of her loyalty and insane work ethic, forcing her to do the work of two people until she had a full-on breakdown. It wasn’t right.

Not when we had another able-bodied news reporter running all over town with his stationary camera and scuffed Vans like he just rolled out of bed and tripped into a live shot.

Chase was a talented field reporter. He had a knack for setting up a live shot with a moment’s notice, delivering stories without a second of rehearsal.

Viewers loved him just the way he was. But despite his offbeat charm, I knew his talents would be better utilized on the morning news.

He could share some of the load and make it less of an ordeal if Jill needed time off.

Sure, he needed more practice with the teleprompter and maybe a little coaching. And we’d have to test his on-air chemistry with Jill, but she was pretty good at putting people at ease. Who wouldn’t have chemistry with her?

Most of all, I’d need the approval of both parties and their producer. Though this felt like more of a lateral move for Chase, it was still a significant change. As interim CEO, I wasn’t sure I had the authority to make the call alone.

I pitched the idea to Marco first, sitting in a metal folding chair in his windowless office, which used to be the school’s A/V room. He didn’t hide his disapproval, one of his brows inching upward with every sentence I spoke.

“Did you not see how he performed Tuesday?” he asked.

“I did, and I have faith in him. If anything, I think viewers are going to have a soft spot for his awkwardness. It’ll bounce right off of Jill’s confidence. She’ll no longer carry the weight of the whole damn show.”

“Chase is already providing us with ten minutes of pre-recorded—”

“He can do more,” I interrupted, running my hand down my tie. “All he has to do is sit in a chair, read words from a screen, and have a few minutes of banter with Jill.”

“Or,” Marco said, raising his voice louder than mine, “we could nix the intern program, up our ad sales, hire a real co-anchor, and let Chase keep doin’ his thing.”

I swallowed. I hated this kind of power play.

Normally, I avoided confrontations like this in the workplace, doing whatever I could to keep everyone happy.

And this move was going to piss a few people off, starting with Marco.

But it was the move that made the most sense, and I was doing it for Jill.

If it could help her at all, it was worth a shot.

I straightened my back, and I kept going. “No harm in giving it a trial period,” I said. “If it flops, we can go back to the drawing board.”

“Well,” Marco said, scratching his chin. He frowned like he didn’t trust this at all. “You’re the boss.”

“Thanks. Glad you’re on board,” I said, refusing to be the first to break eye contact. I respected Marco—he was one hell of a good producer, and he never gave me any reason to dislike him. But that didn’t mean I was going to back down.

Later, I found Chase talking to Meghan at his desk. His work area was out in the open in the news studio, but the lack of privacy didn’t keep Meghan from perching on his desk—or him from lazily rubbing her thigh with one hand while using the other to stitch a video together on his screen.

“Chase,” I said, standing in front of his desk with my hands on my hips. “Want to go on a walk with me? I want to run something past you.”

Meghan slid off his desk. “What’s this about?”

“You’re not Chase.”

She squinted, folding her arms. “This is suspicious. Whatever you need to say to Chase, you can say in front of me.”

God, she was stubborn. “No, because I need to ask him something, and I don’t need you to influence his decision.”

She turned toward Chase as he stood up, walking around his desk toward me. “Whatever it is, Chase, say no.”

I shot her a playful glare. “Don’t you have an intern to harass?”

“He’s out picking up our Moretti’s order because we didn’t want to pay the delivery fee,” she answered. Meghan followed Chase and me to the door, but I was going to lead him outside, while she probably went back upstairs.

“Does that kid get to do anything besides pick up food for you and Xander?”

“Yesterday I let him organize my email inbox.” She shrugged before heading up the stairs, and all I could do was shake my head. When I looked over at Chase, he was watching her walk up the stairs like some kind of lovesick puppy.

Jesus.

I nodded for him to follow me outside. “I’m not going to lie,” he said, adjusting his glasses as I held one of the double doors open for him. “You’re making me a little nervous.”

“No need to be nervous,” I said with a laugh. We made our way down the steps of the old school and walked along the sidewalk that wrapped around the building toward the parking lot. “I’m just proposing some big changes around here, and it all depends on your cooperation.”

His eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

I came to a halt on the sidewalk, deciding to jump right to the chase. No need to sugarcoat it. “I want you to be Jill’s full-time co-anchor on the morning show.”

Chase came to an abrupt stop, too, looking at me like I’d just told him he was being drafted into war. “Um. What?”

“Hear me out before you panic.” I held up a hand. “You’ll still get to do your field stories—just more selectively, the way Jill does. And then you can sit down and discuss them with her in the mornings, so she’s not carrying the full weight of the show.”

I paused for a moment, allowing this to sink in a little. Chase shifted his weight from one foot to the other, staring at the row of parked cars, but he was quiet.

“I know you already contribute a lot of material,” I continued, “but this would take some of that on-air pressure off her. You saw how we had to scramble to pull together a show when she needed a day off this week.”

“Yeah, it was a disaster,” he said, “because of me. Graham, nobody wants to see me try that again. I was a mess.”

“Only because you weren’t prepared.” I stuck my hands in my pockets, keeping my eyes on his face as he stared down at the cracks on the sidewalk. “The people in this town like you. I’ve seen the comments. You’re relatable. You’re real.”

“I’m just a dork in a blazer.”

“Like I said. Real.” I smiled at him, and then I let out a slow exhale. “Look, you don’t have to come up with an answer yet. Take the weekend to think about it. And when you discuss it with Meghan, make sure she understands I’m doing this to help Jill.”

Chase stared at me with a knowing glint in his eyes, and I felt a flicker of unease. It felt like he could see right through me, almost like he could tell I cared about Jill more than I should.

“This is what’s best for WWTV,” I said, hoping that sounded convincing enough.

“Does Jill actually want this?”

I took a deep breath. “I’m talking to her next.

Wanted to make sure I had my ducks in a row before I took this idea to her,” I said, my gaze drifting to the wilting hosta plants in the landscaping.

I knew Jill wasn’t the type to accept help easily, but if I could tell her Marco and Chase were already on board, it might be just enough to get her to consider it.

With a skeptical nod and a heavy sigh, Chase said, “I’ll think about it and let you know this weekend.”

I thanked him and we shook hands like we were already sealing the deal.

As I made my way up to my office, my mind stayed on Jill, praying she’d be open to this idea. All I wanted to do was take care of her, even if she didn’t ask me to. She never would.

I called her from my office phone. “I need to talk to you in private, and I promise this is strictly WWTV business,” I said.

“Well, that’s disappointing,” she teased.

A laugh slipped out of my mouth. “I hope that’s the only disappointment, then. Hurry up and get down here.”

“Yes, sir.” Click.

I loosened my tie, trying to compose myself before she got there. I already knew the scent of her perfume would wreck my focus. Not to mention the sound of her voice. And the way those white pants hugged her ass.

Sure enough, the moment the door opened and Jill strutted in with a smile, I nearly forgot why I called her in here in the first place.

“I’m having flashbacks of getting called to the principal’s office for cutting algebra class,” she said with a laugh, closing the door. “Am I in trouble?”

I grinned as she sat down in front of my desk, wanting to say something devilishly flirty but deciding to keep it professional. “I might be the one who’s in trouble here, depending on your reaction.”

She narrowed her eyes playfully and crossed one leg over another. “What did you do?”

I folded my hands on my desk. “I’ve been thinking about how much pressure you’re under, and how you’re doing the work of two people. And I don’t think that’s fair.”

Her eyebrows drew together, but she waited for me to continue. I decided the best course of action was to just spit it out.

“I want to make Chase your co-anchor.”

“Chase?” Jill blinked a few times. “The Chase we know?”

“Yes,” I said, trying not to laugh. “Chase Monroe, the charming disaster he is. I want to shift some things around and stick him in an anchor chair.”

She stared at me for a long time without moving, like she was waiting for me to deliver a punchline. “Why?” She paused to swallow, running her fingernails along the seam of her pants. “Are people questioning my ability to handle things after my meltdown?”

My heart dropped. “No,” I said quickly. “God, no. This was entirely my idea. Nobody has said a word. In fact, from what I’ve seen and heard, everyone’s being extremely supportive.

But what happened on Tuesday made it glaringly obvious we’re piling too much onto you.

You’re one person doing the work of a whole team. And I…”

I swallowed, my throat suddenly feeling tight. I looked into those bright blue eyes that somehow kept showing up day after day, even when she was suffering both physically and mentally. It wasn’t fair.

And it made me angry.

At her doctor. At Silas. At Marco. At anyone else at this place who could’ve seen she was struggling and done something about it, but didn’t.

I blinked hard and glanced down at my desk, trying to push my emotions aside. “I know this might feel like I’m overstepping, but I just want to take something off your plate. You shouldn’t have to white-knuckle your way through every show. It’s not sustainable.”

Jill was frowning, but something about her relaxed posture told me she wasn’t immediately dismissing my plan. “Do you think Chase can do this?”

“I do. And you like him, right? I think the two of you could have some good banter up there.”

She smiled from one corner of her mouth, which was a good sign. “I can think of a hundred things I could tease him about on-air. Honestly, it would be nice to have someone to spar with. But I doubt Marco will agree to this.”

“He already did.”

Jill’s eyes snapped back up to mine. “Oh. What about Chase?”

“He’s going to think about it,” I said, clearing my throat. “I hope you’re not upset with me for not discussing this with you first. I wanted it to be more than a half-baked idea before I brought it up.”

Jill uncrossed her legs and stared at me. “I trust you.”

“I’m glad you do,” I said before leaning slightly forward, lowering my voice.

“And I need you to know I’m not saying this as your CEO right now.

I’m talking to you as someone who… someone who cares about you.

If I could fix what’s going on with you, I would.

But if this takes even the smallest bit of weight off your shoulders, it’s worth a try. ”

Two little lines formed between her eyebrows as they pushed inward, and for a second, it looked like she might be about to cry. “You’re too sweet to me, Graham.”

My face softened. “You deserve it.” I inhaled through my nose and shifted in my chair. “You didn’t tell me how your talk with Olivia went. She still mad at me for my veggie sub comment?”

“No, she’s over that,” Jill said, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair, suddenly unable to look in my eyes. “But she is a little frustrated that you still view her as a kid instead of a young adult. That really matters to her.”

I nodded. “I know. It’s hard to see her that way when, to me, she still has a lot of growing up to do.”

Jill looked at me from across my office, sitting perfectly still in her leather seat, and I couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to that conversation than she was letting on.

But maybe I didn’t deserve to know. Olivia didn’t have to tell me everything, and if she was confiding in Jill, that wasn’t exactly a bad thing.

I was still doing my best to forget her “ cool older sister ” comment from earlier.

“Dammit,” Jill whispered, glancing at the clock above the row of windows. “I still haven’t uploaded my web content for the day. I’m so behind.”

“I’ll let you get back to it, then,” I said, scooting back in my chair so I could walk her to my office door. “Thanks for being on board with this.”

“Yeah, no problem,” she said, as we both stood up and walked to the door like a couple of professionals who’d just wrapped up a business meeting. After all, that’s what we were, right?

I put my hand on the doorknob to pull it open for her, but she spun around and yanked on my tie to pull me toward her for a kiss. Our mouths crashed together as my hands found her waist, taking back dominance and pulling her body against mine.

I sighed against her open mouth. “God, I want to fuck you on my desk right now.”

Jill tugged away with a wicked grin. “We can’t,” she said, smoothing my tie with one hand. “But next time you tie me up, I want to be on my knees in front of you.”

She pulled open the door before I even had time to respond. Not that I could, anyway. My brain was completely short-circuiting.

Jillian cleared her throat, adjusting the hem of her blouse. “Thanks again, Mr. Harlowe,” she said, suddenly all business. “You’ve given me a lot to consider.”

With that, she slipped out the door and didn’t look back. I closed it behind her and I leaned toward the door, pressing my forehead against the solid wood. My cock strained against my pants as I tried to catch my breath.

That woman was not safe for work.