“Look at you. My favorite dress.”
“I thought you’d like it.”
“You know I do. You look amazing, as always. What’s this about news? Does this have anything to do with a certain morning news anchor position?”
“How did you know?” she asked, her excitement deflating a bit.
“I may have heard some rumblings about your show ending and… put in a good word for you.”
Wait, what? So she hadn’t gotten the position on her own but because of her relationship with Ted and his political future?
“Come on, don’t look like that. All that’s important is that you got the job, right?”
“Yes, but I thought I’d gotten it on my own.”
“You did,” Ted told her. “All I did was make a few calls. You can’t be upset with me for that, now can you? Let’s celebrate. I’ll pop the champagne.”
She watched as he moved toward the kitchen and forced herself to shrug off her upset.
She was very familiar with the red tape surrounding promotions within the network. And unlike others, she had no deep contacts or connections within the company, so she told herself to be grateful Ted had been willing to make the calls on her behalf. “You’re right. Thank you for doing whatever you did.”
“I just made it clear you’d be interested and that it would be a personal favor if they gave you a chance. You did the work, Devon.”
She had—though the way he’d stated it, he had not only pulled strings but tied them in a knot by connecting it with his political future. She didn’t like it—but she also couldn’t argue the doing since it was done.
“Come on. Don’t be upset with me. If I was up for a job and you could say something to help me, wouldn’t you do the same?”
She would. And when he put it like that… she felt petty being upset by what he’d done for her. “I would. Thank you,” she said again.
“You’re welcome. Now let’s celebrate.”
“Well, if you’d really like to celebrate, I have a few ideas.”
“Is that right?”
“As of today, I have a week’s vacation. I thought maybe we could take a trip? Just the two of us? Maybe go somewhere tropical?” she asked hopefully. With his schedule, it would be much more difficult for him to get away, but she hoped to convince him all the same. “Sugar-white sand? Umbrellas in our drinks? Steel drum music floating in the air?”
“That sounds fantastic, but you know I can’t be away from the city right now. Not with an election coming up in a few months.”
“I knew you’d say that,” she said with a playful pout. “But I had to ask.”
“One day, sweetheart. And until then, I know of a special way we can celebrate,” he said.
“How?”
“Like this,” he said, moving toward her and getting down on one knee. “Devon Teeks, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Rayna Jo Teeks watched the online feed of Devon’s What’s Hot the moment she was able to and frowned at her daughter’s image. Devon looked tired. And much too thin.
Like any mother, she worried about Devon’s health and whether or not New York was actually good for her. She seemed to always be on the go, never resting, rarely calling.
“How’s one of my favorite nieces?” Adaline asked.
Rayna Jo glanced at her twin, frown still in place. “She looks exhausted.”
“Lots to do in that city,” Adaline said in a distracted tone.
Her sixty-three-year-old sister put the finishing touches on a sample display board, noting the masculine colors and theme. “Who’s that for?” Rayna Jo asked.