scribbled on their textbook covers. Without being too obvious, she imitated everything they did until she blended in so seamlessly they almost forgot she wasn’t one of them.
In a way, she was still using that method. Only these days, she studied her favorite anchorwomen. It was the reason she took time every morning, even on her days off, to apply makeup and style her hair. Even when she and Greg had spent the night together, she’d snuck out of bed before he woke to brush her teeth and dab gloss across her lips.
A lot of good that had done since he’d cheated on her. She studied a hairline crack running the length of her ceiling as she thought about that pain. He’d blamed her, said she’d been too cold, too wrapped up in her career to support him. Her friends had convinced her Greg’s infidelity was his problem, but his accusations still hurt.
Ty’s words came back to her, “It makes you more real.” The only place Kendall felt real was in her job. But in Ty’s arms, she’d wanted more. She’d wanted to let down her guard and allow him to see every piece of her, the bits she’d never shared with anyone else.
The questions and self-doubt swimming around in her head made it pound even harder. She focused on the future. Getting promoted to a real news position in New York would be the culmination of everything she’d worked for since that first year at Graves. It would finally prove that she was worthy of the life she’d craved for so long.
Her cell phone buzzed as a text came through.
Everything ok with your friends?
Ty. The fact that he was checking on her made her heart flip. She should ignore him, pretend the kiss never happened and focus only on his help with her story. But while she was used to being alone, some nights it felt . . . lonely. And the wine wasn’t helping.
Her thumbs were texting him back before her common sense could stop them.
They said you gave me a hickey.
When the screen stayed blank, she texted again.
You didn’t.
Her cell phone buzzed.
I wanted to taste you.
She smiled despite herself. Another text came through.
Do you want that too?
Now it was more than her brain that felt fuzzy. Her whole body flushed as she thought of his mouth on her skin. Flirting with Ty was not part of her plan. She tossed the phone to the side then picked it up again and typed in three letters. Stupid, but she couldn’t resist hitting “Send.”
Yes.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kendall arrived at the station Monday morning to a couple dozen elementary school students gathered in the lobby.
She briefly spoke to the teacher in charge of the group then approached the reception desk. “Is Julia a no-show again?” Channel 8 offered weekly tours to local schools, and it was the responsibility of the newest staff member to lead the tours. But the current junior reporter had a convenient habit of calling in sick most Monday mornings.
Mary nodded. “I had a voice mail waiting when I arrived. The tour was scheduled to start twenty minutes ago, but I can’t get anyone upstairs to answer my pages.” The older woman’s eyes narrowed. “I know they’re hiding from me, and I’m about to march up those stairs—”
“I’ll take them,” Kendall said with a laugh. “I came in early to work on my new assignment, but I can spare a few minutes.”
“You’re a lifesaver. Again.” Mary reached up to pat Kendall’s hand. “And in a good mood for the start of another work week. Must have been a good weekend?”
“Fantastic.” Kendall glanced at the kids milling about the reception area. She could tell by their faded T-shirts and well-worn sneakers that they weren’t from an affluent part of the city. These were the students she most enjoyed introducing to the newsroom, knowing how much that would have meant to her when she was that age. “There’s someone meeting me here in a half hour,” she said to the receptionist. “If he arrives before I’m through, please ask him to wait.”
“Or I
In a way, she was still using that method. Only these days, she studied her favorite anchorwomen. It was the reason she took time every morning, even on her days off, to apply makeup and style her hair. Even when she and Greg had spent the night together, she’d snuck out of bed before he woke to brush her teeth and dab gloss across her lips.
A lot of good that had done since he’d cheated on her. She studied a hairline crack running the length of her ceiling as she thought about that pain. He’d blamed her, said she’d been too cold, too wrapped up in her career to support him. Her friends had convinced her Greg’s infidelity was his problem, but his accusations still hurt.
Ty’s words came back to her, “It makes you more real.” The only place Kendall felt real was in her job. But in Ty’s arms, she’d wanted more. She’d wanted to let down her guard and allow him to see every piece of her, the bits she’d never shared with anyone else.
The questions and self-doubt swimming around in her head made it pound even harder. She focused on the future. Getting promoted to a real news position in New York would be the culmination of everything she’d worked for since that first year at Graves. It would finally prove that she was worthy of the life she’d craved for so long.
Her cell phone buzzed as a text came through.
Everything ok with your friends?
Ty. The fact that he was checking on her made her heart flip. She should ignore him, pretend the kiss never happened and focus only on his help with her story. But while she was used to being alone, some nights it felt . . . lonely. And the wine wasn’t helping.
Her thumbs were texting him back before her common sense could stop them.
They said you gave me a hickey.
When the screen stayed blank, she texted again.
You didn’t.
Her cell phone buzzed.
I wanted to taste you.
She smiled despite herself. Another text came through.
Do you want that too?
Now it was more than her brain that felt fuzzy. Her whole body flushed as she thought of his mouth on her skin. Flirting with Ty was not part of her plan. She tossed the phone to the side then picked it up again and typed in three letters. Stupid, but she couldn’t resist hitting “Send.”
Yes.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kendall arrived at the station Monday morning to a couple dozen elementary school students gathered in the lobby.
She briefly spoke to the teacher in charge of the group then approached the reception desk. “Is Julia a no-show again?” Channel 8 offered weekly tours to local schools, and it was the responsibility of the newest staff member to lead the tours. But the current junior reporter had a convenient habit of calling in sick most Monday mornings.
Mary nodded. “I had a voice mail waiting when I arrived. The tour was scheduled to start twenty minutes ago, but I can’t get anyone upstairs to answer my pages.” The older woman’s eyes narrowed. “I know they’re hiding from me, and I’m about to march up those stairs—”
“I’ll take them,” Kendall said with a laugh. “I came in early to work on my new assignment, but I can spare a few minutes.”
“You’re a lifesaver. Again.” Mary reached up to pat Kendall’s hand. “And in a good mood for the start of another work week. Must have been a good weekend?”
“Fantastic.” Kendall glanced at the kids milling about the reception area. She could tell by their faded T-shirts and well-worn sneakers that they weren’t from an affluent part of the city. These were the students she most enjoyed introducing to the newsroom, knowing how much that would have meant to her when she was that age. “There’s someone meeting me here in a half hour,” she said to the receptionist. “If he arrives before I’m through, please ask him to wait.”
“Or I
Similar Books
