Graham Bradley doesn't know a thing about the newspaper business. A widow with a promise to keep, he's got more than just his own personal welfare riding on this small-town paper. The last thing he needs is a pushy woman with a secret in her past and a vicious red pen throwing all his mistakes and insecurities front and center on his desk. Faced with an impossible choice, Graham hires Andi, but hopes she's not just the last-and maybe worst-in a long line of bad decisions. Saving the small-town Gazette is the second chance both Andi and Graham need.
But with bill collectors calling, Andi's past catching up fast, and the chemistry between them making work next to impossible, will Andi and Graham get the second chance they both desperately need? Or will their demise be the next big headline?
She shoved the edited paper in his direction. “I’ve made some notes. You should read them.”
He puffed his chest up and narrowed his eyes at her. If she wanted a fight, he seemed more than willing to give it to her. The thought didn’t bother her much. In fact, the image of going toe-to-toe with him excited her in a strange way. She had plenty of pent up anger that needed to go somewhere, and if he was so freely dishing it out, she’d gladly serve it right back.
Standing up from his office chair, Graham crossed his arms over his broad chest. He looked intimidating as he met her hard stare with his own, but she didn’t back down.
Instead, she again shoved the paper in his direction. “Look at my edits.”
“I don’t have time for this. I have a paper to put together. As you can see”—he gestured around the empty building—“I don’t have a lot of help.”
“So maybe you should take the help that’s being offered.”
A slow, condescending smirk curved his lips. “Is that what this is? Help?”
“Actually, it’s me knocking your ego down a notch or two and proving that you’re the one who doesn’t know shit. Look at it.”
“Christ.” Graham snatched the paper from her hand. “I’ll read this and then you are leaving.” He moved around the wing of the desk. “Would you like a cup of coffee while I pacify you?”
Andi smiled sweetly. “No, thank you.”
“Have a seat,” he said with a sarcastic tone. “I’ll be right back.”
Once he was gone, she looked at his computer screen to see what had him so enthralled he couldn’t tear his eyes away. She recognized the layout of the next day’s edition and scoffed with disbelief. “This is the work of the guy who thinks that I don’t know anything?” she muttered as she moved around the desk.
Sitting in his chair without hesitation, she gripped the mouse and went to work fixing his mess. She cropped and adjusted the brightness on the photos and then started skimming over the lead story so she could write a better headline.
Suddenly a hand grasped hers, nearly crushing her fingers into the mouse she’d been using. She looked at Graham’s left hand for a moment, inexplicably staring at his naked ring finger, before she turned her face up to his.
He emphasized every word he spoke. “Don’t do that.”
“Read.”
“I mean it. Do not mess with that.”
“You have this laid out all wrong. The headline needs to cover the photo as well as the story. And, speaking of headlines, these are crap. This entire design is crap actually. Have you ever even seen a newspaper? You don’t design it like a blog or a newsletter. There are actual rules that you should follow.”
He clearly wanted to tell her she hadn’t a clue how to layout a newspaper but narrowed his eyes again. “Who the hell are you?”
She swatted his hand away. “Read my notes while I fix this.”
Ten minutes later, Graham had finished reading and re-reading the red scribbles she’d made, and Andi had his front page starting to look like a professional newspaper.
Graham skimmed the content on his monitor. “You didn’t answer me. Who are you?”
“The newspaper fairy,” she answered dryly.
She stared him down when he crossed his arms over his chest again and the muscles in his jaw flexed. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him the same daring look he was giving her. He didn’t back down, nor did she.
Finally, he sighed. “Does my fairy have a name?”
“Andi.”
“Andi what?”
“Does that matter?”
“Okay, Andi. Most of the corrections you made look good. But I knew there were errors,” he said when she grinned. “It’s really hard to edit your own work.”
“I agree. But that doesn’t excuse the layout.”
He opened his mouth to comment, but his objection seemed to fail as he glanced at the computer screen again. “I could use help.”
“Obviously,” she said.
“So. When can you start?”
She leaned closer to him, tilting her head as she looked up curiously, as if she didn’t understand him. “Excuse me?”
“I’m probably going to regret this, but I’m offering you a job.”
She laughed. “I didn’t come in here looking for a job.”
“No, you came in here hell-bent on telling me how to do mine.”
“Somebody had to,” she practically sang.
“I need someone who knows her ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to putting a paper together. I’ve been looking at that layout for almost an hour and still couldn’t get it right. It took you ten minutes.”
“The flag is too big.”
“You also graciously corrected my grammatical errors,” he said ignoring her criticism. “I need some backup, not just with editing and layout, but writing as well. I can’t run this paper alone, not to the standard that I want.”
“You don’t know that I can write.”
“If you can edit like this, you can write.”
She lifted her shoulder and let it fall casually. “I’m just passing through town.”
“How far are you going to get without that cash you had hidden in your suitcase?” He grinned when the defiant look on her face fell. “I was at the diner to interview you about the break-in.”
“Oh, so you don’t normally go around harassing defenseless women?”
“Defenseless?” He laughed. “Hardly. It seems you need the money as much as I need the help.”
The fun of the game faded, as did her smirk. “I’m just passing through, Mr. Bradley.”
Graham stared her down for a moment before he shrugged. “Right. That’s okay. You probably couldn’t handle the stress anyway.”
Andi creased her brow. “What?”
“The demands of publishing a daily paper are pretty intense. It takes someone who can work well under pressure.”
“And you don’t think I can?”
He was playing her with his feigned innocence, but damned if she didn’t feel herself falling for his manipulation when he said, “I’m just saying it takes a special breed to survive in journalism.”
“A special breed?”
“You know, long hours, lousy pay—”
“Constant scrutiny by inept editors,” she added.
Graham nodded. “There is that.”
“I think I can handle the job.”
“Great, so you can start right now by cleaning up the rest of the layout.”
“I didn’t say I was taking the job,” Andi clarified. “I said I can handle it.”
“Of course you can,” he said in a patronizing tone.
She guessed that the fire in her eyes was enough to burn him alive, but he simply smiled in a way that made her want to do nothing more than prove him wrong.
“And I’m sure that if you weren’t in such a hurry to get wherever you are going,” he continued, “you’d have me and this paper turned around in no time.”
“I’m quite confident.”
“But you have places to be. Where are you headed again?”
“I didn’t say.”
He nodded dramatically. “Right. Well, I’m sure you have some great life you need to get back to—”
“I do,” she said cutting him off. As she did, she wondered if he somehow knew she had nothing. Nowhere to go. No job waiting for her. No welcome party planned when she reached her destination. A destination that she hadn’t really figured out or planned for beyond California. She scoffed, more at her own situation than his words. “I’m sure you can find a preschooler with scissors and a bottle of glue who could use some candy money.”
He covered his heart with this hand. “Ouch.”
“Good luck, Mr. Bradley.”
“Good luck to you, Miss…Andi.”
He puffed his chest up and narrowed his eyes at her. If she wanted a fight, he seemed more than willing to give it to her. The thought didn’t bother her much. In fact, the image of going toe-to-toe with him excited her in a strange way. She had plenty of pent up anger that needed to go somewhere, and if he was so freely dishing it out, she’d gladly serve it right back.
Standing up from his office chair, Graham crossed his arms over his broad chest. He looked intimidating as he met her hard stare with his own, but she didn’t back down.
Instead, she again shoved the paper in his direction. “Look at my edits.”
“I don’t have time for this. I have a paper to put together. As you can see”—he gestured around the empty building—“I don’t have a lot of help.”
“So maybe you should take the help that’s being offered.”
A slow, condescending smirk curved his lips. “Is that what this is? Help?”
“Actually, it’s me knocking your ego down a notch or two and proving that you’re the one who doesn’t know shit. Look at it.”
“Christ.” Graham snatched the paper from her hand. “I’ll read this and then you are leaving.” He moved around the wing of the desk. “Would you like a cup of coffee while I pacify you?”
Andi smiled sweetly. “No, thank you.”
“Have a seat,” he said with a sarcastic tone. “I’ll be right back.”
Once he was gone, she looked at his computer screen to see what had him so enthralled he couldn’t tear his eyes away. She recognized the layout of the next day’s edition and scoffed with disbelief. “This is the work of the guy who thinks that I don’t know anything?” she muttered as she moved around the desk.
Sitting in his chair without hesitation, she gripped the mouse and went to work fixing his mess. She cropped and adjusted the brightness on the photos and then started skimming over the lead story so she could write a better headline.
Suddenly a hand grasped hers, nearly crushing her fingers into the mouse she’d been using. She looked at Graham’s left hand for a moment, inexplicably staring at his naked ring finger, before she turned her face up to his.
He emphasized every word he spoke. “Don’t do that.”
“Read.”
“I mean it. Do not mess with that.”
“You have this laid out all wrong. The headline needs to cover the photo as well as the story. And, speaking of headlines, these are crap. This entire design is crap actually. Have you ever even seen a newspaper? You don’t design it like a blog or a newsletter. There are actual rules that you should follow.”
He clearly wanted to tell her she hadn’t a clue how to layout a newspaper but narrowed his eyes again. “Who the hell are you?”
She swatted his hand away. “Read my notes while I fix this.”
Ten minutes later, Graham had finished reading and re-reading the red scribbles she’d made, and Andi had his front page starting to look like a professional newspaper.
Graham skimmed the content on his monitor. “You didn’t answer me. Who are you?”
“The newspaper fairy,” she answered dryly.
She stared him down when he crossed his arms over his chest again and the muscles in his jaw flexed. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him the same daring look he was giving her. He didn’t back down, nor did she.
Finally, he sighed. “Does my fairy have a name?”
“Andi.”
“Andi what?”
“Does that matter?”
“Okay, Andi. Most of the corrections you made look good. But I knew there were errors,” he said when she grinned. “It’s really hard to edit your own work.”
“I agree. But that doesn’t excuse the layout.”
He opened his mouth to comment, but his objection seemed to fail as he glanced at the computer screen again. “I could use help.”
“Obviously,” she said.
“So. When can you start?”
She leaned closer to him, tilting her head as she looked up curiously, as if she didn’t understand him. “Excuse me?”
“I’m probably going to regret this, but I’m offering you a job.”
She laughed. “I didn’t come in here looking for a job.”
“No, you came in here hell-bent on telling me how to do mine.”
“Somebody had to,” she practically sang.
“I need someone who knows her ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to putting a paper together. I’ve been looking at that layout for almost an hour and still couldn’t get it right. It took you ten minutes.”
“The flag is too big.”
“You also graciously corrected my grammatical errors,” he said ignoring her criticism. “I need some backup, not just with editing and layout, but writing as well. I can’t run this paper alone, not to the standard that I want.”
“You don’t know that I can write.”
“If you can edit like this, you can write.”
She lifted her shoulder and let it fall casually. “I’m just passing through town.”
“How far are you going to get without that cash you had hidden in your suitcase?” He grinned when the defiant look on her face fell. “I was at the diner to interview you about the break-in.”
“Oh, so you don’t normally go around harassing defenseless women?”
“Defenseless?” He laughed. “Hardly. It seems you need the money as much as I need the help.”
The fun of the game faded, as did her smirk. “I’m just passing through, Mr. Bradley.”
Graham stared her down for a moment before he shrugged. “Right. That’s okay. You probably couldn’t handle the stress anyway.”
Andi creased her brow. “What?”
“The demands of publishing a daily paper are pretty intense. It takes someone who can work well under pressure.”
“And you don’t think I can?”
He was playing her with his feigned innocence, but damned if she didn’t feel herself falling for his manipulation when he said, “I’m just saying it takes a special breed to survive in journalism.”
“A special breed?”
“You know, long hours, lousy pay—”
“Constant scrutiny by inept editors,” she added.
Graham nodded. “There is that.”
“I think I can handle the job.”
“Great, so you can start right now by cleaning up the rest of the layout.”
“I didn’t say I was taking the job,” Andi clarified. “I said I can handle it.”
“Of course you can,” he said in a patronizing tone.
She guessed that the fire in her eyes was enough to burn him alive, but he simply smiled in a way that made her want to do nothing more than prove him wrong.
“And I’m sure that if you weren’t in such a hurry to get wherever you are going,” he continued, “you’d have me and this paper turned around in no time.”
“I’m quite confident.”
“But you have places to be. Where are you headed again?”
“I didn’t say.”
He nodded dramatically. “Right. Well, I’m sure you have some great life you need to get back to—”
“I do,” she said cutting him off. As she did, she wondered if he somehow knew she had nothing. Nowhere to go. No job waiting for her. No welcome party planned when she reached her destination. A destination that she hadn’t really figured out or planned for beyond California. She scoffed, more at her own situation than his words. “I’m sure you can find a preschooler with scissors and a bottle of glue who could use some candy money.”
He covered his heart with this hand. “Ouch.”
“Good luck, Mr. Bradley.”
“Good luck to you, Miss…Andi.”
Romance is her preferred reading and writing genre because nothing feels better than falling in love with someone new and her husband doesn't like when she does that in real life.
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I love the cover! So romantic.
ReplyDeleteSounds good can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteAn enjoyable excerpt thank you.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the tour and I appreciate the excerpt and the great giveaway as well. Love the tours, I get to find books and share with my sisters the ones I know they would enjoy reading and they both love to read. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteDO YOU ONLY WRITE ROMANCE NOVELS?
ReplyDeleteI love the cover and would love to read and review at a few sites! ptclayton2@aol.com peggy clayton
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting and sharing the book.
ReplyDeletereally like the cover
ReplyDelete