Sharing Hannah

I shook my head.

“If it doesn’t show up in the next five minutes I’m gonna break a few asses,” Chloe snapped. She pointed to one of her guest chairs. I didn’t have to be told to sit down.

“Brooke, I have good news and bad news for you.”

My mouth went tight. “Give me the bad news.”

“Know what? Screw that,” said Chloe. “Everyone wants the bad news first, and then they never pay any attention to it. I’m giving you the good news first.”

I gripped the arms of the guest chair tightly, marveling at how uncomfortable it was. Maybe they were designed like that. Maybe Chloe wanted everyone a little bit disarmed while she—

“Cosmo extended the deadline for your article another two weeks. They’re moving it back a month.”

Shit, that was good news. I had plenty of stuff floating around in my head as to how I wanted to start things, but I hadn’t written a single line of the article yet.

“So what’s the bad news?”

“The bad news is I still want to see something by Monday,” Chloe said. “Tuesday at the latest.”

“And what do you want to see?”

“Whatever you have.”

I tried not to shift too much, in the uncomfortable metal chair. It was a losing battle.

“I know you hate doing that,” she admitted, “and that you always put out a polished product. But this is too important. I’m gonna need to at least see your direction, if not—”

“Okay.”

She stopped mid-sentence and raised an eyebrow. “Okay?”

“Yes,” I said, unfolding my arms. “Not a problem.”

My boss had always given me journalistic freedom, and seldom asked to see something before it was finished. If she was asking, it was important to her. I wouldn’t let her down.

“No pushback?” Chloe asked. “No fighting me on this?”

“Nope,” I said, standing back up. “I’m all out of pushback.” I glanced over my shoulder and out into the hall. “And I think I’ve done enough fighting for today.”

“You and me both,” said Chloe.

“Yeah, well…”

“You need anything else?” my boss asked abruptly. “Resources, outside expenditures, anything to help get the article where it needs to be?”

“Nope,” I said truthfully. Then, as an afterthought: “Well, maybe one thing.”

“Shoot.”

“Keep Chris out of my hair for a little while?”

Chloe stared at me for a full five seconds of absolute nothingness. Finally she nodded.

“Alright, done.”

Two birds, one stone, I thought to myself. Thank God.

I headed out, eager to get started. I still had a lot to do. A lot to collate and condense. I needed a really good hook for the article, probably the best one ever. And I needed a couple of great first lines, too.