“Hi, Duke.” Those two words hadn’t fallen from her lips in years. Goosebumps rushed over her skin once more, but it wasn’t enough to stop an ache from settling deep into her heart.
Those eyes—dark blue and piercing—widened at the sight of her. “Vivi?”
Chapter 4
Duke couldn’t recall a time he’d lost ability to speak, but as he took in the beautiful woman before him, flushed cheeks and guarded eyes, all he could think was…waswow.His pulse spiked into a new pace.
“You two know each other?” stammered a voice from behind.
Vivi Tripoli tore her gaze from Duke and tilted her head to see past him. “Yes, and I’m afraid that fact might alter my decision about taking the job.”
What? No.
“Oh, I certainly hope not,” the editor-in-chief said.
Perry cleared his throat from his place across the table. Duke glanced over, and Perry jutted his chin toward the empty seat beside him.
It took him a moment to interpret the cue, but once he did, Duke straightened his posture and rounded the table, his eyes fixed directly on the seat he moved toward. Vivi Tripoli was there in the same room with him. The very woman he’d been thinking of moments ago, thanks to Grandma and her talk of theStarry NightProm.
He only hoped to hide how very flustered he was.
Pulse racing.
Blood heating.
Palms breaking into a sweat.
Vivi waited for Duke to take a seat before continuing, her gaze fixed decidedly away from him and on Ms. Shay.
“I work with a firm policy in mind—discover the truth and deliver it without bias.” Her eyes hardened as she darted a glare in his direction. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to stick with that unbiased approach with Mr. Benton as he and I have a past that long ago influenced my opinion about his character.”
The words stung and outraged him all at once. “It’s been ten years, Vivi. Don’t you think I’ve changed since then?”
Perry rested his hand on the table space in front of Duke. “What he’s trying to say is that over the last ten years—specifically the last twenty-four months—Duke has transformed. Sadly, his public image hasn’t reflected that.Yet. That’s where you come in.”
Duke watched Vivi’s face as she listened to Perry. Jaw clenched, lips tight, and eyes filled with something that looked a lot like pain. A pain that echoed deep in his chest.
“We know you’re honest,” Perry continued. “We’re counting on that. I’m not aware of what your past with my client entails, but I’m confident you’ll discover a very changed man from the one you knew back then.”
“Will you excuse me?” Vivi shot to her feet suddenly. Halfway to the door she seemed to remember herself, correcting her posture until her shoulders were high and her steps paced.
What she hadn’t curbed was the flushed appearance of her cheeks or the fists she clenched at either side as she walked out of the room.
Duke stifled a curse. He wanted nothing more than to watch her every move as she strode down the hall, but a protective part of him sensed she didn’t want to be watched.
He looked down at the table instead, a fresh ache tearing through him as he considered the way he and Viv broke up. The hurt he’d caused. The stupid stupid stupid choice he’d made that ruined everything. And ironically, the part Sylvia Sampson—the very woman Grandma mentioned—had played in the whole thing.
Awkward tension pressed at him from every angle of the room. Even as he kept his gaze on the table, Duke sensed the questioning looks darting across the room.
“You heard her,” he said. “She doesn’t want to do it. Let’s go.”
“I don’t think she’s made a final decision,” said Ms. Shay. “Why don’t we give her a day to consider? Let’s draw up the details of the interview, and we can find a replacement if necessary. My daughter Daisy would be a great alternative, but I won’t contact her just yet. How about we see what Vivia decides first and I’ll get in touch with you tomorrow?”
Duke glanced at Perry in time to catch his pleading, puppy dog look.
He didn’t have it in him to argue. Especially since doing the interview would earn him some time with Vivi. Time he desperately wanted.
But she wouldn’t agree to it, would she? He’d probably be the one person she turned down in her whole career. He couldn’t exactly wait around to be rejected in front of the group.
