Page 67 of The Fiancée Farce
“Probably because you didn’t ask,” Tansy grumbled.
Gemma’s heart did something novel and complicated inside her chest,squeezing. There was something seriouslyoffwith her, because she’d never found anyone’s grumblings adorable before.
“Thanks for indulging my line of questioning.” Ronnie flashed a smile that promptly fell as soon as her eyes flitted to Tansy.
If this was Tansy’sbark, God forbid Gemma ever find out what herbitelooked like.
“This isn’t for the article, but a few of us atTSTare a little concerned, and it might help soothe some nerves to get your take on the situation with CGC.”
“CGC?”
Ronnie scoffed. “Crenshaw Global Capital? They’re a hedge fund that has stake in over a hundred American newspapers. They’re vulture capitalists with a penchant for investing in distressed assets and then slashing costs by laying off a massive percentage of the staff so they can turn around and sell for a profit. They purchased Praetor Publishing two years ago, making them the nation’s second-largest newspaper publisher, and then promptly laid off half the staff. They’remercenary, okay? You must’ve heard of them.”
Oh, Gemma had heard of Crenshaw Global Capital. They were infamous. She wasn’t sure why Ronnie was bringing them up now. “I know all about Crenshaw Global Capital. I wasn’t aware there was a situation involving them.”
Ronnie tapped her screen, cutting the recording. “With your grandfather’s passing and the succession plan being... questionable, there’s been some unrest amongst the staff. With VDP being the nation’s third-largest newspaper publisher—”
“The staff is concerned CGC might swoop in and try to snatch up VDP?”
“Not to put too fine a point on it”—Ronnie winced—“but the staff is concerned you might sell.”
The air left her lungs all at once.
By no means was Gemma a paragon of virtue—any of them—but she wasn’t about to sell her grandfather’s company for a quick buck. Not when she was fighting tooth and nail to inherit it.
“Ronnie, you have my word that as long as I am president of VDP, I have no intention of selling the company. Not to CGC.Not to anyone. Okay? Feel free to pass that along to anyone and everyone. You can even print it, if you’d like.”
To sell to Crenshaw Global would be antithetical to the very legacy she’d promised to uphold.
“Well, good.” Ronnie smiled. “That’s very reassuring. Thank you.”
Gemma laughed. “It’s a little premature to thank me, don’t you think?”
Ronnie clicked her pen against the table. “I guess I should probably get back to the topic at hand. When’s the wedding?”
“We haven’t set a date yet.” Gemma squeezed Tansy’s hand.
“But we’re meeting with the wedding planner to discuss logistics soon,” Tansy added.
Ronnie closed her notebook. “I think those are all of the questions I have for now. But, if it’s all right with the both of you, it would be great to follow up a little closer to the big day. Even better if we could get a few photos?”
That sounded doable. “Sure.”
Ronnie shoved her notebook into her bag and slipped out of the booth. “Thanks for your time.” She winced. “And sorry again if I ruffled any feathers.”
“We remain unruffled. Right, Tansy?”
Tansy glowered. “Right.”
“Best wishes to you both.” Ronnie rapped her knuckles against the table. “See ya ’round.”
As soon as Ronnie was out of sight, Gemma turned, fisted her fingers in Tansy’s fallen strands, and dragged her in for a kiss, swallowing the sweet little gasp Tansy made when she traced her tongue against the seam of Tansy’s lips.
“That was inexplicably hot.” Gemma swept her thumb against the corner of Tansy’s mouth, erasing a smudge of her own red lipstick.
Tansy scrunched up her nose. “I feel like I’m missing something?”
“You,” she said. “Sticking up for me the way you did.”
