“Yeah.” I relaxed, relieved that maybe he’d become more understanding of my medical issues. “But that’s not exactly why—”
“You can borrow this for now, but you should invest in some.” He reached into a drawer and pulled out a rectangular white plastic box, the size of a cell phone. He tossed it to me, and I recognized it as soon as my hand wrapped around it. I had about six of them in my camera bag. “Next time, you won’t be stuck with a camera full of photos you can’t send in.”
I clutched the portable battery pack. “Thanks, Andy. That would have been a big help last weekend.”
He’d already forgotten me and started scrolling through the pics on the tablet. As I stood, he lifted his head again. “Those pics of you and Micah that Wally Stephens captured trumped your pics anyway.” He had to get that last dig in.
I laid my hand on the door handle and twisted it. “Right.”
A beat before the latch disengaged, he added, “Did you get pics of Eden on Saturday night?”
I released the door handle, blinking fast. How did he know about that? “I—”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you for your pics. That was on your time. Wally Stephens said he saw you there, though. Called to ask if there was something going on between you and Micah.”
“Between me and Micah?” I shock-laughed. “That’s preposterous.”
“Yeah. I laughed it off, too.” He froze, hand mid-scroll. His forehead wrinkled as his caterpillar-like eyebrows levitated. “You’d let me know if you had an in with Micah, right?”
“What?”
“Because if you do, I’d like to see you work that angle.”
“You want me to exploit Micah Sinclair?”
He set the pen down and placed his fists on the table to support his weight as he loomed forward, focusing now on nothing but me. “Josephine, do you know what you do for a living?”
“Of course.”
“Does Micah Sinclair know what you do?”
I swallowed. I didn’t like where this was going. “Yes.”
“Then who do you think is exploiting whom?”
I wanted to argue with him, but I had nothing to prove that Micah hadn’t been using me for free publicity. So why shouldn’t I use him back? We could have a symbiotic relationship. “You’re right. I forgot who I was dealing with.”
He waved his hand. “Rookies. You need to get a thicker skin.”
He was right. I nodded. “Sure. But I don’t know if I’ve got as much access as you seem to think.”
“With Adam out of the country, maybe you could buddy up to Eden. Information is currency, Jo. Befriend her. Try to find out if they’ve set a date for their wedding. Prove to me you’re more than just one more skilled photographer. Go after the story.”
I pictured her with Adam, happy about a pregnancy only one other person knew about—a tabloid journalist of all people. What would Andy do with that information? But I didn’t want to sell her out. I knew there was a line between public and private information, even if Andy no longer saw it.
But I said, “I think you’ve overestimated my connection with her. She only hired me for pictures. Since I sent them off, she’ll have no more need of me.”
“I think she will.” He maintained eye contact with me until I dropped my gaze. Then he returned to checking all the pictures his photographers had sent in, panning for gold.
I slipped out of his office, feeling the need for a Silkwood shower. Maybe I could apply for a position in another division. I caught Zion’s eye, and he tilted his head, “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. Thanks for covering for last Friday.”
He nodded once. “Payback for Saturday night.”
I still couldn’t believe how fangirlish he’d been all weekend. After we’d returned home from the club, he’d watched videos of Adrianna and changed his ringtone to one of her songs. And now his screen saver was a picture of Adrianna.
I started to tease him for acting like a besotted teenager, but I knew that as soon as I pulled my stool up to my laptop, I was going to go through my Friday night pics for any shots of Micah.
