Page 33 of Dirty News
All I did was nod before stepping into the elevator. Once I got up to the studio, I found everyone from the evening news team there. The rehearsal went smoothly, considering it was the first time we’d done a real run-through.
Ashton, the producer, asked us to sit in to watch the next group, the team who’d be doing the nightly news—the last news show of each day. Lila was on that program, and I couldn’t wait to see heragain.
Lila seemed to be in a hurry, walking right past those of us who sat around, waiting to see how they all did. She hadn’t even given me a sideways glance. I supposed she was trying to put distance between us, so no one would suspect we had any kind of a relationship. I thought she was going overboard, though. We could be friends—no one had said wecouldn’t.
They had a good rehearsal, Lila impressing me once again with the way she could be so professional while being so relatable. She pulled it all off with such ease, it was as if she’d been born to do thejob.
Once they were done, she headed off, but I followed her, catching up with her before she knew it. “Hey,you.”
She stopped and turned to look at me. “Hi,Duke.”
I nodded toward an empty area where we could talk in private. “Can you talk to me for aminute?”
She nodded and followed me to a remote corner where we wouldn’t be overheard. I looked into her eyes, finding them a little droopy. “I know you’re wondering why I left without saying anything to you thismorning.”
“I am,” I said as I put my hands into my pockets. “I missed seeing you thismorning.”
She looked behind her to make sure no one was near. “I had to leave, Duke. I didn’t want to make thingsawkward.”
“Too late.” I smiled at her. “You don’t have to act like you don’t even know me, Lila. I think that’s a little overboard, don’tyou?”
She smiled shyly. “I honestly don’t know how to act. I guess acting like I don’t even know you is prettysilly.”
“Yeah, it is.” I caught Artimus coming toward us. “Here comes theboss.”
“Oh, shit! Should I leave?” She looked as nervous as a mouse that’d just caught the attention of acat.
“No. Just act normal.” I tried to show her how to be casual, but she couldn’t seem to do it, her hands fidgeting nonstop. “A little more normal than that,baby.”
Her eyes went wide. “Don’t call me thathere.”
I nodded. She was right on that point. Then Artimus stepped up next to her. “You two having a little powwow over here all byyourselves?”
I came up with something on the fly, “We were just talking about how the rehearsals went. I thought they went well. What did you think,Artimus?”
“I thought so too. Quite frankly, I expected them to be a bit unpolished since everyone is new to this. But you’ve all surprised me—a very pleasant surprise.” He put his hands into his pockets and swayed back and forth. “We’ve sent the interviews you two did to a few hundred of the people we sent surveys to.” Lila looked down, seeming uncomfortable. “Anything wrong,Lila?”
The expression she wore made me a little uneasy. She definitely looked like she was hiding something, and it almost looked like she just might blurt it out then and there. And that would’ve been horrible for usboth.
“Something is wrong, sir.” Her face went from nervous to resolute and my stomach knotted with what I thought she was going tosay.
“What’s wrong?” Artimusasked.
I thought I might just pass out, and had to clench my fists in my pockets a few times to help get my blood flowingproperly.
Lila shifted her weight as she said, “We’re rehearsing for all the newscasts but the morning one. I find thatunfair.”
ThankGod!
I let out the breath I’d been holding. Artimus looked like he hadn’t thought about that at all. “I suppose it is a little unfair, isn’tit?”
Now seemed like a good time to bring up an idea I’d been playing around with but hadn’t really put out there yet. “Artimus, I’ve been thinking. You see, Lila and I think a lot alike. I think we’d make a good team. I know there’s not enough money in the budget to pay two anchors, but what if we split the salary right down the middle? If we did that, then could we co-anchor the morningnewscast?”
Lila looked at me with wide eyes. “You’d do that, Duke? You’d take half thepay?”
With a shrug, I answered her. “If you would, then so would I. I think together we’d make that show better than either of us couldalone.”
Artimus tapped his chin as he thought about that for a moment. “You know, I haven’t considered that before. I was set on one anchor for each show. But morning shows are different, now, aren’tthey?”
