than her heartbeat.
“I’ve met your boss, Leland Watson, at several social events around town, and he strikes me as an ambitious but very difficult man.”
You could say that again, Azure thought, remembering the tongue-lashing he’d given her in his office the day before yesterday. If she didn’t love her job, and the extraordinary group of people she worked with, she would have quit a long time ago.
“I get the feeling that you’re not comfortable with this assignment and only accepted it to pacify your boss. Is that why we’re here? Because Mr. Watson pressured you to meet with me?”
Azure couldn’t look Harper in the eye. “I told you,” she said, staring down at her salad plate. “I want to profile you for the magazine.”
“I know what you told me, but I don’t believe you. What’s really going on, Azure? Or should I call you Alice?”
A hand flew to her mouth, and her eyes became big brown, beautiful saucers.
“If you knew who I was all along, why didn’t you say anything?”
“Why didn’t you?” he countered, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
“I don’t know. I guess I wanted to see if you would remember me.”
“I didn’t initially, but when you mentioned working at Fat Burger, something clicked in my mind. I spent a lot of time at that fast food joint, and—”
“So did I. That’s why I packed on the freshman fifteen and the senior forty!”
“I thought you were cute. All hips and curves and legs.” Leaning to the right, Harper raised the crisp white tablecloth and glanced under the table. “Still are.”
His joke alleviated the tension, but the knot in Azure’s throat remained.
“You’ve certainly changed a lot since Willingham Prep School.” Harper stroked his jaw reflectively as he admired her appearance. Back in the day, Azure had lacked confidence, but now she carried herself with the grace of the First Lady. “What else have you been up to besides revamping your look?”
Azure filled him in. Told him about her freelance career, receiving her master’s degree in communications from the University of Philadelphia and her current position at the magazine. “I’ve been dreaming of writing for Eminence ever since I saw their debut issue on newsstands in 1995. I’ve been a huge fan of the publication for years, and I was thrilled when they hired me last year to be a senior staff writer. I worked my butt off to get the job, but all the sacrifices I made were definitely worth it.”
“You talk a lot about your career, but you haven’t said anything about your personal life. You say there’s no special man in your life, but I find it hard to believe a woman as captivating and as vivacious as you are isn’t being bombarded with phone calls for dates.”
“I could say the same thing about you. Where’s Mrs. Harper Hamilton?”
Harper chuckled. He liked her moxie, enjoyed her wit and sense of humor. But he still hadn’t figured out what Azure was after, and that frustrated him like hell. “You’re not here to reminisce about our old high school days or to interview me for your magazine, are you?”
Guilt troubled her conscience. Azure wished she could forget why they were there and just enjoy Harper’s company. His gaze, suddenly dark and predatory, slid across her face and down her body. A chill vibrated along her spine. Telling Harper the real reason she’d tracked him down wasn’t going to be easy, but it was the right thing to do. She’d spun her web of lies, and now it was time to tell Harper the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Azure started to speak, but when the waiter arrived, carrying plates and drinks and bubbling with good cheer, she closed her mouth.
“Louis wants you and your girlfriend to have a good time tonight,” the waiter said, unloading his tray, “so he sent over the most popular items on our new menu.”
“These bread sticks are delicious,” Azure said, plucking one from the basket and taking a healthy bite. “My compliments to the chef!”
The waiter drizzled fresh basil on their entrées and after promising not to disturb them, set off for the kitchen. For the next ten minutes, they ate in silence, only speaking to comment on the taste of the food.
To buy herself some time, Azure chewed each delicious bite slowly. She needed time to think, to figure out what she was going to do next, because something told her Harper wasn’t done grilling her.
“Azure, I’m waiting.”
“For what?” she asked, feigning ignorance. “You better hurry up and eat before there’s nothing left. These shrimp balls are slap-your-mama good, and I’m starving!”
Harper released a deep belly laugh, one that filled the dining room area. “I like having dinner with a woman who enjoys a good meal.”
“What else do you like?”
“I’d like for you to come clean.” Gone was the playful air, his boyish smile. “You’re skilled at using humor as a diversion, but I’m skilled at uncovering the truth, and we’re not leaving here tonight until you tell me what’s really going on.”
Azure put down her fork. Might as well since she’d lost her appetite. Her seafood pasta was moist, and the creamy Alfredo sauce flavorful, but Azure couldn’t eat another bite. Her stomach was clenched into a fist, and she was sweating like a burlesque dancer in a sauna.
Folding her napkin, she dabbed at her forehead and lips. A sip of water alleviated the lump in her throat, but she was still shaking from head to toe. Azure opened her mouth, and the truth tumbled out, one embarrassing, humiliating word at a time. “My boss thought the piece I handed in on your family was crap,” she confessed. “Leland said I didn’t ask the right questions or dig hard enough for dirt, and according to him, dirt sells magazines by the thousands.”
Harper sat quietly, without saying a word.
“Leland is convinced your family is hiding some big, dark secret, and he told me to find out what it is or else.”
Anger darkened his face, but Azure saw sympathy in his eyes, a glimmer of compassion.
“A lot of writers fabricate stories to make a name for themselves....”
“I would never do that,” she said, offended by what Harper was insinuating. “I’d rather admit that I failed and get fired than lie to get ahead.” At the thought of telling her boss the truth, Azure broke out into a cold sweat. Leland had a temper like Chris Brown and could be as cruel as an African dictator. Azure was not looking forward to their Friday morning meeting, and wondered if she should just hand in her resignation letter and be done with it.
“Your boss would be stupid to fire you. You’re very down-to-earth, and you make the people you’re interviewing feel comfortable. My dad rarely talks about his childhood, but he did with you, and once you encouraged him to open up, he wouldn’t stop talking!”
Azure smiled, but the heavy feeling in her chest remained. “Leland’s only been at Eminence for a few months, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about him it’s that he doesn’t make idle threats. Last week, he fired a pregnant staffer
