“I think it means we just keep doing what we’re doing. People are fickle and move with the crowd. We’ve had dips before. It will happen again. There is no need to be fussed about it.” Tom nodded and turned to me. “No one is perfect and we’ve admitted to our mistakes. People will respect that.”
As I stared at the painting, I realized that we had our very own Titan in our ranks. Haley Spencer could very well ascend the mountain of the gods and in stealing their fire, share it with the world. She had a passion about her I hadn’t seen sincethe early days of owningThe Vine, and her ability to write compelling copy outmatched any reporter out there. She was our Prometheus, and we would spread that fire to the world one way or another.
“I want you to focus on Haley Spencer.” Tom’s eyebrows rose as I spoke. He quirked his head to the side. “She’s got something, and we need it.”
“With all due respect, sir, our subscription dip happened while Ms. Spencer was working for us. It’s not like this dip precipitated our hiring her. She’s been here.” His brow furrowed and he gazed out over the news floor. “I don’t see what’s special about her.”
“You’re blind, Tom.” I stood and buttoned my suit coat, strolling to the window to watch the staff bustle about and work. “I may not have worked my way up as a journalist to get to the position of owning a newspaper, but?—”
Tom scoffed. “Your money is older than this country. Buying the paper on a whim was a great investment, but that doesn’t mean you know journalism.” I heard the ire in his voice, probably left over from the days of his own reporting when I bought the paper from his then-boss. Keeping him on as editor in chief had been a good decision, and he kept me on my toes, but he didn’t know everything.
“I know what people like.” I turned my back on the news floor and slid my hands in my pockets. Tom rubbed his hand over his face as I continued. “You’re forgetting I took this paper from a ten-million-dollar a year business to the billion-dollar corporation it is today. And how did I do that?”
“I get it.” Tom sighed. We went toe-to-toe on a weekly basis, but he always agreed with me in the end, even if it meant swallowing his pride. “Look, the staff already thinks you’re a hard ass. If I tell them you’re picking favorites now, they’re goingto start lining up to join Gretchen in her lawsuit frenzy. We have to play things right.”
“Why? Because Ms. Spencer is younger and fresher? Because they are jealous that she has talent? Is it not my prerogative to hire and fire, promote and demote whomever I choose?” I chuckled, unmoved by his warning. “Just make a direct line between me and Haley. I’ll help get her on the most important national and international stories. She’s going to need an expense account, probably a company credit card. I’ll want her on call twenty-four, seven, which means we get her a company cell phone. She is our meal ticket. We are taking this paper to the next level.” I strolled back to my desk and sat down, my wheels already spinning about what to do next.
Tom stood and straightened his tie. “David will have a field day with this.”
“David is your subordinate. Just follow the chain of command.” Tom nodded and turned to go, and I called to him, “And Tom?”
“Yeah.” He paused mid-stride, his hand resting on the doorknob. “Thank you for your honesty and loyalty. We have to stick together. I know things aren’t always the easiest between us, but I value your leadership and opinion more than anyone’s in this place. Now, just get me Spencer on every breaking headline in the country. Hell, build her her own team if you have to. Just make it happen. We are going to ride this cash cow to the bank, and sales will skyrocket.”
Tom excused himself, and I watched him walk directly to David’s office, who picked up his phone. Moments later, Ms. Spencer was walking across the newsroom to Green’s office, where the three of them sat. The benefit of the open newsroom with windows to every office was that I could watch everything play out just as I ordered. The only drawback was that I couldn’t hear what was being said. Haley Spencer didn't even know it yet,but the minute she broke a massive story, her career—and our sales—were going to hit the ceiling.
3
HALEY
“Haley, can you join me in my office, please?”
Mr. Green interrupted my research with his request. I was so close to finding what I needed. I stared at the computer for a moment longer, then sighed. “Sure.” Rising out of my seat, I followed him across the newsroom to his office. I could see Mr. Wright seated and waiting for us, just like the meeting earlier this week when they told me I would be getting a few more important stories coming up.
The newsroom was loud, phones ringing, people having conversations, and the moment he shut the door to his office, silence reigned. I nodded at David and took a seat next to him, smoothing my skirt out as I sat. Meetings with David alone were pretty regular, but it was uncommon for me to meet like this with Mr. Green more than once a month, sometimes less than that, so I found it odd that I was here again for the second time in less than a week.
Mr. Green sat behind his desk and pushed his tablet across his desk toward me. I glanced at David, who nodded, and I picked it up. The tablet displayed a list of story headlines, a few of them national news and one international piece that broughta grin to my face. I looked up at the two of them, not knowing which face to focus on. Stories like these would set my career on a trajectory toward a Pulitzer for sure, and not wanting to make any assumptions, I decided clarification was in order.
“What is this?” I gingerly held the tablet, afraid that if I laid it back down on the table they’d change their minds and send me back to my cubicle to work on the boring human interest piece I was collecting research on. Sure, it was national news, but a man who walked from one coast to the other wasn’t exactly investigative journalism—which was what I really wanted to be doing.
“It’s a list of the stories you’re covering now.” Mr. Green sat forward, hands folded and laid on his desk. “The EPA piece just blew up to international news because the European Union found out Baker Oil has been burying drums of benzene near the border of Moldova, and they’re out for blood. Now we only have a few days before this blows up. I know there is more to the story. I want you on that first. We find out the real dirt before our competitors do and blast it.
“After that, you’ll be on these national headlines. The smoke has pretty much cleared on the election debacle, but we’re still hearing reports out of many states about the voting machines malfunctioning. This will be huge as we approach midterm. I want every shred of evidence we can drum up on what went wrong and how to fix it. The more factual we can be—with sources to back things up—the better. Our subscriptions have slipped. We need to share news that affects people right in their homes.”
“But, sir…” I licked my lips, uncertain about how this story was actually still a major headline. “I am not in the political division.” I hated political stories, especially when they involved scandals.
Mr. Green scowled. “No, you’re in national news, and this is affecting the nation.” His tone changed, and he simpered. “Look, for whatever reason, Danvers wants you on the biggest stories. I’ve been in this business for more than thirty years. I know what I’m doing. So take the stories or don’t. It’s your career.”
I turned to David, who smiled reassuringly. “Look, Haley, we’ll build a team around you to support your every whim. We’re ready to supply a stipend and a means of travel for you to get the facts, meet the sources, and even visit places to do your own investigating if you want. It’s a great move for your career.” He raised his eyebrows. “I wish I’d have been given this opportunity when I was your age.”
David ran a hand through his silver-streaked hair. I could picture him as a young investigative journalist at one point, but now he was just an editor, helping the next generation find and report the facts. I respected him a lot, even when he—like Mr. Green—was short-tempered or frustrating. If he said this was a great move, then I had no choice but to believe him.
“I’ll take them, Mr. Green. I just need to wrap up the human-interest piece.” I slid the tablet back across the desk to Mr. Green, and he accepted it.
“Please, call me Tom. Mr. Green is my father.” He locked the tablet and placed it in the top drawer of the desk, then pursed his lips and stared at me. “I think you’re more than capable of doing these stories. I don’t think you’ve got anything special over the rest of the staff here, but you’ve caught Danvers’ eye. Don’t screw it up.”
I rose cautiously, bowing at the shoulders as I walked toward the door. “Oh, and Spencer, the human-interest piece is going to Williams. Just send him everything you’ve got. The EPA story is far more pressing.”
Frustrated that Jack would get credit for everything I’d already done, I scowled but said, “Of course, sir.” I let myself outof the office, and I could have sworn I heard Mr. Green shout at David, but I ignored it and headed for my desk. The EPA story was huge, but the election fraud issue had seen its ten minutes of fame and held none of my interest. But a job was a job.
