Page 76 of The Trade

Despite Cam’s supportive words, my guilt remains. I’ve tried to rationalize this, to convince myself that I’ve done nothing wrong. Yet, the facts are the facts—I’m a fucking liar at the end of the day. I’ve manipulated the truth, and there’s a weight to that reality, a heavy certainty that my actions will come back to bite me in the ass.

22

JADE

I have to say,I’m one lucky girl to have West in my life.

When he initially let slip about the scrimmage, it didn’t even cross my mind to consider writing an article for theDaily. Or, more accurately, to wheedle my editor into giving me the assignment. But now, by some quirk of fate, I have the clear advantage.

I’m sure I’ll be the first to break the news to Garrett. And while I’m still not a huge fan of leveraging personal connections, in this instance, it’s less about nepotism and more about a lucky break. It’s not like I’m going to prance around, flaunting my relationship.

In fact, I’d rather Garrett, and by extension, the rest of theDaily’s staff, remain oblivious to my personal life.

Usually, our article assignments are divvied up on Tuesdays, making Mondays in the newsroom as lively as a graveyard. Naturally, Garrett is almost always lurking around doing who knows what. Sometimes, when I traipse in after regular hours, I find him hunched over his desk, just sitting there in the dark like some ... creepy little bat in a cave.

I wouldn’t put it past him to be roosting in the rafters.

Bracing myself, I inhale deeply, squaring my shoulders as I sidle up to his fortress of a desk. “Hey, Garrett,” I say, injecting as much warmth into my voice as I can muster.

“Jade.” His acknowledgment is as stiff as his posture, his eyes barely flicking up from his scattered workspace.

“I was hoping to talk to you about a concept for the next issue.” My voice wavers, prompting me to clear my throat, an awkward sound echoing in the near-silent room.

Honestly, there’s zero reason to feel intimidated by Garrett fucking Warner. He’s nothing more than a chauvinistic busybody with the attention span of a goldfish. Still, in his clutches, he holds the fate of my journalism career.

“I’m listening,” he murmurs, his fingers idly shuffling through the heap of papers in front of him, eyes still glued to his desk.

“Okay, well, I’m not sure if it’s hit your radar yet ... but the football team is preparing for a spring scrimmage against Coastal. It’ll be their first against an opponent, and the game is next weekend.”

That certainly grabs his attention. His head snaps up, eyes narrowed in curiosity.

“How did you get wind of this?”

“Let’s just say I have an inside source.”

“Who?”

I give him an odd look. “Does it matter?”

He just stares at me, his gaze unblinking, waiting for me to give him the details. So, I invent an excuse, a half-truth, that’s a little easier for both of us to swallow. “My, um, roommate is a cheerleader.”

“Ah, I see. Well, thank you for the scoop. I’ll notify the sports team,” he says, jotting down a quick note on his cluttered calendar. “I don’t think I’ve given Liam a new piece yet.”

My spine stiffens. “Actually, I was hoping to write the article myself.”

His response is a burst of laughter, only cut short when he catches sight of my stone-faced expression. “Jade, you’re not a sports reporter.”

“Yeah, but you know that I’d like to be,” I counter, my voice tightening as my fingers dig into my thigh. “I’ve drafted pieces on the games before; you just never considered them worthy of printing.”

“Those were backups, Jade. I didn’t even have time to go through them. You’re aware of the number of reporters we have on staff.”

My fingers curl tightly against my palm, nostrils flaring as I tamp down my disappointment. “Right. Silly me.”

“Look ... this is an important piece. I don’t have the time or patience to make it your training ground.”

I cross my arms defensively. “You wouldn’t even know about the scrimmage if it weren’t for me.”

“Seriously? I would’ve found out in a day or two. Besides, I’ve already assigned you another article.”

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