Stubborn man! Why couldn’t he see that she was right? Los Angeles was where they both needed to be. Everything would be fine, as long as they were together. What did she need to do to convince him of that?
Benita knocked on Darius Knight’s office door Friday afternoon, the first day of May. The newspaper reporter turned managing editor looked up from his computer monitor. Benita took that as an invitation to enter.
“You’ve come up in the world.” She surveyed his office
, taking in the myriad reference tombs on his overcrowded three-foot-by-two-foot mahogany bookcase, the announcements and production schedules pinned to his bulletin board, and the knickknacks and tchotchkes positioned on his desk and file cabinets.
“That’s what Ramona said when she heard about my promotion.” Darius swiveled his chair to face her.
“Ramona’s never liked me.” Benita lowered herself onto one of the two gray guest chairs facing Darius’s desk. The chunky tweed-upholstered seats were probably older than she was.
“Ramona doesn’t like a lot of people.” Darius shrugged. “She barely tolerates me. But my investigative reporter senses tell me you’re not here to discuss Ramona.”
“Your instincts are right.” Benita tried a diplomatic approach. “I wasn’t happy with the way Opal interviewed Vaughn and me yesterday.”
“What happened?” Darius’s face and voice were devoid of inflection.
“She spent the entire time flirting with Vaughn.” The memory of the gorgeous newspaper reporter fawning all over her boyfriend took a toll on her diplomacy.
“Vaughn left a message on my voice mail this morning.” Darius glanced toward his phone. “He sounded happy. Thanked me again for the publicity. Never said anything about Opal being unprofessional.”
“That’s because he doesn’t think Opal was flirting.”
From the thick black executive chair on the other side of his desk, Darius returned Benita’s regard in silence. She recognized that look in his eyes from high school. It was unsettling the way it made her think he could read her mind.
“I’ve read Opal’s article.” Darius broke his silence. “It’s good. Her best piece yet.”
“I’m sure she’s a good writer. But you need to talk with her about her interviewing style. She’s not just representing herself. She’s representing your paper.”
“Are you sure she was flirting?” It was as though Darius hadn’t heard her.
“She absolutely was.”
“Or are you jealous?”
Benita stiffened. “Of Opal?”
“She’s an attractive and younger woman.”
“I’m not jealous.” And if she said it often enough, she just might believe it.
“Women seem to find Vaughn attractive.” He shrugged. “I think it’s the goatee.”
Was Darius deliberately testing my temper? “Vaughn is an intelligent, successful, handsome man.”
“Does that worry you?”
“Should it?” Benita crossed her arms and legs. It was getting harder to keep her composure as Darius picked at her as though testing a scabbed wound.
“You live almost two thousand miles away.” Darius shrugged again. The gesture seemed intended to mask how closely he was watching her. “You make it back to Trinity Falls how often—three or four times a year for a day or two?”
Benita cast her gaze around Darius’s office, buying time while she breathed in her calm. The room was clean and well organized. But there was a chill in the air. The room even smelled cold.
She wrapped her arms more tightly around her torso to stay warm. “I’m just here to offer constructive criticism on one of your reporters. How did I become the focal point of this conversation?”
“Lucky, I guess.” Darius gestured toward her. “If you’re that insecure about your relationship with Vaughn, why don’t you move back to Trinity Falls?”
Benita stilled. How had Darius known she was feeling insecure in her long-distance relationship with Vaughn? She hadn’t realized it herself until Vaughn had broken up with her. Still, she wasn’t ready to give up her dreams. She could have a high-powered career and a happy personal life.