had no idea what lay under the packaging, but damned if he didn’t want to find out. Hell, his fingers itched to strip off the thick layers and explore, inch by tantalizing inch.
Even with her eyes hidden by a pair of black-rimmed glasses, it was obvious that she thought and felt deeply. Rina got to him in a visceral sort of way and incited his journalistic blood, making him wonder what secrets she hid behind her intelligent brown eyes.
“Do you want a preview of what Rina has to say?” Corinne asked, breaking into his thoughts.
“Go ahead. I’m sure it’ll be the highlight of my day.”
“It’s simply sexy,” she replied, either missing or ignoring his sarcasm.
Her excitement over her new employee was almost tangible, reminding him of why he needed to steer clear of Rina Lowell. She sided with the opposition and contributed to the fluff Corinne still seemed to think would sell papers.
That alone put Rina off-limits. “What’s simply sexy?” he forced himself to ask. “Rina’s column?”
“No, the title of her series of articles is Simply Sexy.” Corinne shook her hair, deliberately letting her blond mane flow over her shoulders. “Simply fabulous if you ask me. She’s going to bring in a whole new set of readers.” She still sounded so certain despite her track record of mistakes in the past few months.
He shook his head, amazed reality hadn’t set in. She hadn’t conceded defeat, not even when forced to accept Colin’s check to keep the paper afloat for an extended period of time.
“Corinne, people buy the newspaper for one reason. To read the news.” He figured he’d try one more time to make his point.
“The news is everywhere. Television, radio, even on people’s computer screens. They can buy the Boston Globe for news. I want to give them something different.” She waved her hand for emphasis, and her gold bracelets clinked together.
Surprisingly, Joe didn’t react. It was a noise he must be used to hearing in his sleep.
“I admit I started off slow and on the wrong foot, but with Rina and Emma on board, I’m getting there. People may be resistant to change, but that doesn’t mean I can’t win them over,” Corinne insisted.
Colin groaned, resigned to the inevitable. She wasn’t ready to cave in yet. But no matter how hard Corinne tried, sex wouldn’t sell newspapers.
It wasn’t that Colin had anything against sex. Hell, he was a man, wasn’t he? But sex had its time and place. And it had been sadly lacking in his life, he silently admitted. The dry spell had gone on too long. Still, he wasn’t about to embark on a meaningless fling. Casual sex was neither smart nor satisfying, and travel didn’t lend itself toward establishing long-term relationships.
Apparently, neither did sticking around. His marriage had bottomed out fast because his wife didn’t know the meaning of fidelity. She’d cheated on Colin. Twice. Two different men, Lord knew how many times with each. Colin had left town soon after the discovery. Sick of the reminder of past failure, he’d booked a flight to Europe, trading in a local TV anchor job for one abroad.
“I’m going to make sure Joe’s doctor knows to stop by and talk to me before he leaves the hospital tonight,” Corinne said as she walked toward the door.
“That’s fine. I’ll stick around until you get back.” He wanted the older man to know he had people by his side and a family to return to when he walked out of the hospital, even if Colin wasn’t sure Joe knew that anyone was in the room.
Corinne disappeared out the door just as Joe’s snoring became obscene. Colin grinned, the sound calming him in ways only his heart understood. Joe and his first wife, Nell, had taken Colin in when his parents died. At twelve, he’d been a pain-in-the-ass kid who thought he knew best and resented the world because his parents were gone. But Joe and Nell understood. They gave him time, space and a home in which to adjust. Later on, they’d adopted him, even knowing he couldn’t bring himself to call anyone but his birth parents Mom and Dad. They’d just wanted him to feel loved and know he had family. The same thing Colin wanted for Joe now. Which was why he forced himself to get along with Corinne, even if he wanted to throttle her.
Joe’s snoring continued and Colin laughed. When Joe wasn’t at work, he always spent a great deal of time snoring in his old recliner chair. A chair Corinne had dragged to the street corner the day she’d said “I do.” Colin didn’t know what possessed Joe to marry a woman the complete opposite of Nell. But he had.
“I’m back.” Corinne carried two soda cans in her hand. “I brought you a cola.”
Again, Colin was struck by the incongruity of her actions. “Thanks,” he muttered. Obviously Joe had seen something in her, which was another reason Colin wanted to give her a chance.
Just not where Joe’s beloved paper was concerned.
“When you get back to the office, take a look at Rina’s column. I promise you’ll be impressed,” Corinne said, taking his place in the chair by Joe’s bed.
Colin forced a nod. But at the reminder of what he had waiting for him, he snorted in disgust. Matchmaking ads, self-help columns and a series on what men want? He was beginning to doubt either Corinne, Rina Lowell or any other woman had a clue.
He let himself out of the hospital room and leaned against the back wall next to a utility cart. Corinne had already told him she didn’t believe Fortune’s Inc. would pull their new ads, not once they saw how readers reacted to Rina’s first column and the other assorted new things she had planned. Reality wasn’t a part of Corinne’s thinking, and Colin’s frustration flew as fast and furious as his thoughts.
Corinne was so caught up in her newest scheme, she didn’t care or understand that her livelihood and Joe’s legacy were at stake. How the hell could he reach her? She was so damn excited about Rina’s new series, she wouldn’t listen to reason.
He ran a hand through his hair. And the solution dawned.
Rina. Corinne’s newest flavor of the week. An employee she obviously trusted. Someone with whom he’d heard Corinne shared a family connection. A bond. Rina Lowell might be the only person who could make Corinne see the error of her ways. If Colin could get Rina on his side.
He’d have to spend time with her in order to subtly sway her to his way of thinking. Considering she’d piqued his interest from day one, being with Rina would be no hardship. But gaining her trust under false pretenses didn’t sit well with him, and guilt gnawed at his insides. He’d be pursuing friendship, all the while knowing he was plotting a return to hard news at the expense of her job.
He attempted to assuage his guilt with the facts. Rina would be out of a job whether Corinne ran the paper into the ground or Colin got things back on track. But if he got to know her first, if she believed he wanted what was best for all involved, maybe she’d be willing to help him talk Corinne into accepting the best of all possibilities. They could save the paper, and in return, he could promise Rina a good recommendation for another, more appropriate job.
He groaned, still feeling like a shit for considering the plan. But feelings didn’t change the fact that the Times was a newspaper, not a woman’s magazine, something the advertisers and now Colin’s lender understood. The money he’d contributed would only hold out for so long. They needed positive cash flow again soon.
