Reunited with the Lassiter Bride

“And then?”

“And then he told me I wasn’t too objectionable, and he could tolerate hanging around with me for a while longer, for the good of the cause.”

A smirk grew on Tiffany’s face. “Smooth talker. I can see why you jumped into bed with him.”

“No, that happened when he said he’d once been very much in love with me, and feelings like that didn’t evaporate into thin air.”

Tiffany sobered. “Oh. Well, yeah. I can definitely see that working.”

Angelica wandered back into the bedroom, plunking herself down on the bed next to her jeans. “I should know what to do here. I shouldn’t feel so confused.”

Tiffany sat down with her. “Do you want him back? Do you want to try again?”

“Setting aside for the moment that I not only burned that bridge, I blew it sky-high and buried the ashes, I’m not as sure as I once was that I don’t want him back.”

Tiffany blinked for a moment. “Let’s pretend I actually followed that train of logic. You’re saying you might want him back?”

“I’m saying I no longer know that I don’t.”

“You’ve been talking to too many reporters.”

“I don’t know. I’m confused.” Angelica snagged a pillow and pressed it into her stomach.

Tiffany sat next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

Angelica’s phone rang. The display indicated it was her assistant in L.A.

She squared her shoulders. “Hi, Becky. What’s up?” It was very early on the West Coast.

“I just got a message from someone at the Cheyenne office.”

“Is something wrong? Did the flood get worse overnight?”

There hadn’t been any reports of damage yesterday in the historic section of town. But it had continued raining all night long.

“Nothing like that,” Becky put in quickly. “It’s Noah. Apparently he’s on an early flight to L.A. this morning.”

Angelica came to her feet. “What for?”

“I don’t know. But it was a very sudden trip. I can’t put my finger on it, but something feels off.”

“I’m on my way back. Thanks, Becky.” She ended the call.

“What’s up?” asked Tiffany.

“You better pack. I’m taking the jet home to find out.”

“What happened?”

“One of the hostile vice presidents, Noah, is on his way to L.A. It could be nothing. It might be nothing. But I know he’s tight with Ken and Louie, and I need to get to them first.

Angelica crossed to the dresser. She put back the blue jeans and T-shirt and moved to the closet instead. There, she selected a white blouse and a pair of black slacks to go with a tailored black blazer.

She felt more like herself again. She knew she’d feel even better once she got back to the L.A. office.

* * *

Noah beat Angelica to L.A., and when she arrived at the office, he was already meeting with Ken Black and Louie Huntley, vice presidents of drama and comedy series respectively. She was annoyed by Noah’s move, but there was nothing specific to call him on. Vice presidents met with each other all the time, with or without the CEO.

In the newly decorated boardroom, the landscape of Big Blue hanging proudly on the wall, the men were deep in a discussion. As she walked in and made herself known, Noah was just saying that LBS should continue to create all of its own content. What’s more, he announced that her father would have wanted it that way.

“Angelica,” said Ken in obvious surprise. “You’re back,”

“I’m back,” said agreed.

“You’re all right?” asked Louie.

“I’m fine,” said Angelica. She turned to Noah. “You were saying?”

“Welcome back,” said Noah, his tone tight.

There was an awkward silence.

“It’s a cornerstone of the network.” Ken voiced his agreement with Noah, saying to Angelica, “It’s how we distinguish ourselves from the competition. Lassiter Media is Lassiter programming. It’s not up to you or anyone else to change that.”

Becky quietly took a seat at the far end of the table.

“You have to admit, the industry is changing,” said Angelica. “Take a look at some of the innovative things happening on cable, even online.”

Louie stepped in. “Lassiter will never stoop to the trash being played online”

A subtle but satisfied smile played on Noah’s lips.

“Who said anything about trash?” she asked them all. “What I’m proposing is new versions of top-rated series, most of them family-friendly. And they were created by our new affiliates, now part of the Lassiter Media family.”

“They weren’t created by Lassiter Media,” said Louie. “Can’t you see how you compromise the brand by diluting the creative?”

“They’re terrific shows. They’re popular shows.”

“Since when is mass appeal our primary driver?” asked Ken.

It was on the tip of Angelica’s tongue to ask since when vice presidents felt so free to disregard the wishes of the CEO. But she kept silent. She needed to co-opt these men, not alienate them.

“The bottom line still counts,” said Angelica.

“So does integrity,” said Noah.

“I’m asking you to pull together a team. Pick a series. Do some storyboards. Let’s at least see where it goes.” She hadn’t made it a direct order, but it was close.

The three men glanced at each other. Then Noah looked at the Big Blue landscape. It was clear he wished he could invoke J.D.

Angelica waited.

“Fine,” said Noah. “It’s a waste of manpower, but we’ll put something together.”

“Thank you.” Angelica gave a sharp nod, and the men rose and left the boardroom.

Becky shuffled some papers at her end of the table. She’d been J.D.’s executive assistant for the past several years. She’d sat silently through the entire exchange.

Now Angelica turned to her. “What do you think?”

Becky seemed flustered by the question. “I don’t know anything about programming decisions.”

“You knew my father. You watched him interact with Noah, Ken and Louie, and a whole bunch of other managers.”

“You’re nicer than he was,” said Becky. Then she seemed to catch herself. “That is...I mean...”

“It’s okay. If I didn’t want your unvarnished opinion, I wouldn’t have asked for it.”

Becky hesitated a moment longer. “They never would have spoken to Mr. Lassiter like that. They would have said yes, sir, no, sir, how high, sir. And that would have been that.”

Angelica couldn’t help but smile. “My father brought that out in people.”

“He was a very smart man.”

“He was. Just out of curiosity, which style do you think works better?”

Again Becky waited a moment before answering. “Maybe somewhere in the middle. Someone has to be at the helm, but other people have good ideas too.”

Angelica found herself intrigued by Becky’s insight. The woman had long been an observer of senior management meetings, and had been privy to J.D.’s thoughts and opinions on a regular basis.

“What do you think of Max Truger?” Angelica asked.

Again, there was a small hesitation. “I like him. He seems well respected. He’s always struck me as smart in meetings. And he’s polite to the staff. But then he’s younger than a lot of the senior management. I think attitudes have changed over the years. There’s not as much hierarchy as there was twenty or thirty years ago.”

“I agree with you,” said Angelica. “Anybody else that strikes you as progressive?”

“Lana Flynn over in marketing. She’s only a manager, but she’s bright. And Reece Ogden-Neeves in movies. He’s not that young, but he’s open-minded.”

Angelica liked Reece as well. Though he kept mostly to himself, she’d always thought he was one of the company’s strongest assets.

After a pause, Becky said, “I’m not sure why you’re asking me this.”

“Because you’ve had a ringside seat to the inner workings for years now. But mostly because I think you’re progressive and bright.”

Becky smiled at the compliment.

“I’m trying to make something work here,” Angelica said. “I’m trying to figure out when to push and when to be patient.”

Becky nodded her understanding. “I think you should trust your instincts. I mean, if you’re still asking for my opinion.”

“Feel free to give your opinion anytime you like,” said Angelica. “You trust your instincts too. You’ve been doing this a long time, and you seem to have a good head on your shoulders.”

“Thank you.”

“Can you get me a meeting with Reece?”

Becky grinned again. “You’re the CEO, Ms. Lassiter. He’ll drop everything and come right up.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Angelica agreed. “Let’s give it a try and see what happens.”

Becky reached to pick up the phone on the boardroom table and connected to Reece’s office. It took the man less than three minutes to show up.

“Can you excuse us please, Becky?” Angelica asked as Reece entered the room.

“Of course, Ms. Lassiter.”