The Girl With Diamonds (Midtown Brotherhood Book 2) Page 5

  Sam’s battle was clear on his face. He took one more careful look in Ferocia’s direction and cursed. “Tell Drew I’m sorry. I’ll meet you back at the apartment.”

  Even after Sam managed to slip away unnoticed, they all sank a little lower in their seats. Austin could see Magnolia, though. Across the rink, standing outside the glass with Evan. He was talking, and she was taking notes. At least, she should have been taking notes. Magnolia wasn’t watching the game. She watched him.

  Great. Now he had another person he didn’t want to see that damn picture.

  Chapter Six

  MAGNOLIA’S BREAK

  Magnolia had three hours until she had to be at Madison Square Garden Training Center to do rink-side updates after the Rangers practice. She should have been using that time to go over notes and study the terminology list Evan had given her after the game on Saturday. Instead, she looked up the latest edition of The Whisperer, scrolling through the top stories. Katie Holmes was spotted in Central Park. Madonna visited her favorite sushi spot with a new guy who wasn’t her twenty-something boy toy, and another rock-n-roll legend passed away.

  She sighed a little. Maybe Farra Decantur was legitimately into minor league hockey. She couldn’t get the panic-stricken look on Austin’s face out of her head, though. He was hiding something. Something big. He was too scared not to be hiding some kind of skeleton in his closet.

  Cressida popped her head in the room. “Oh. My. Gosh. Have you seen it yet?”

  Magnolia quickly closed the screen on her computer. She didn’t want Cressida to get the wrong idea. She didn’t care about Austin Blakely’s problems. She took one quick glance at Cressida and then back to her computer. “If you mean your hair, yes, it looks horrific today.”

  Cressida frowned and stepped inside. “Leave my messy bun alone. I meant for it to look like this.”

  Magnolia smiled as Cressida patted her bun self-consciously. “Whatever it is, I’m certain I haven’t seen it.”

  Cressida’s demeanor switched back to mega-watt happy. “Oh, just wait.”

  She pranced over and pulled up a seat next to Magnolia and grabbed the keyboard. She typed quickly, pulling up a video from The Whisperer’s website. Magnolia cringed, afraid she somehow knew she’d been on there looking for Austin. Cressida didn’t notice; she was too hyper-focused. She clicked on a section of the site labeled “videos of the week.”

  Bam. Jackpot.

  Austin’s face popped on the screen. It was an interview, and as Magnolia looked closer, she realized which one.

  It was Austin’s shirtless interview. The one that made her look ridiculous.

  “It has over a million views now.” Cressida sat up proudly. “And she quoted my blog as her source.”

  Magnolia’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

  Cressida apparently didn’t register her horrified response. “Yep. It’s the most viewed video on my blog. Ever.”

  Magnolia’s heart sank. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  Cressida wasn’t kidding. She smiled too much to be kidding. “And it gets better. The comments are priceless.”

  Magnolia shoved the mouse away. “No, thanks. Why would I want to read about how he embarrassed me?”

  Cressida continued to smile. It practically reached her ears. “Fine. I’ll read them.” She turned the screen toward her and cleared her throat. “Like O.M.G. Are these two dating? If not, they should be.”

  Magnolia’s eyes darted toward Cressida, but she went on. “He is so into her. It’s freaking cute. I’m jealous. But it’s cute.”

  “It doesn’t say that.” Magnolia jerked the screen around to frown at it.

  “There’re hundreds of them.” Sophia dropped her valley girl act and turned her voice serious. “Then, of course, there are the ones about how hot he is without the shirt, and more about how hot you are with your little feisty retorts at him. Actually, I think those are my favorite.”

  Magnolia quickly ran through the comments. Cressida was right. There were tons, and almost all of them mentioned something about Austin liking her. She found no jokes about her incompetency, or snarky remarks about how she couldn’t do her job. They were a hit.

  “A YouTube sensation,” Cressida sang, mimicking her thoughts.

  Magnolia scowled. No. No. No. She didn’t want this. She came to New York to escape the rumors, not start a host of new ones. “This doesn’t mean anything.”

  It was a fluke. A one-time thing. She had no plans of interviewing Austin Blakely anytime soon, and by the time someone noticed and forced her to, their internet sensation video would have been long forgotten. This wasn’t a big deal.

  Cressida beamed now. “Evan said you ran into him at the game Saturday.”

  Ugh. Evan. She hadn’t realized he’d noticed her brief encounter with Austin. And it was brief. It didn’t take Austin long to have her blood boiling again. His nonchalant attitude about how he handled the interview reminded her too much of Felix Hayworth and his complete disregard of her dreams.

  Magnolia shrugged. “So?”

  “Did Austin ask why you haven’t requested another interview yet?”

  Magnolia didn’t look at her. She fiddled with a paperclip on her sticky-note pad. “No.”

  Cressida eyed her, leaning all the way across her to make her see the look on her face that simply called her a liar. Magnolia sighed. “He might have dropped a hint that the offer was still on the table.”

  “Today.” Cressida twirled around in the chair. “Interview him today.”

  Magnolia pushed away from the desk and stood up. “Absolutely not.”

  Cressida’s smile instantly transformed into a pout. “C’mon. It’s a rink-side update. A practice. Hardly anyone will be there. It will be casual, and intimate.”

  “It isn’t a date.”

  “It practically is.”

  Magnolia’s temper sparked, but then Cressida laughed.

  “I’m joking. At least about the date. You know how I feel about dating people you work with, and that includes the athletes. You two got a million hits on a two-minute interview, though. That’s what I call good exposure.”

  She rolled her eyes. “That’s what I call blackmail. You just want to use me to boost your blog hits.”

  Cressida scooted closer, dropping her voice between them. “I’m not the one who talked him out of his shirt.”

  Magnolia pressed her lips tighter together. She had a point.

  “And by the way, I expect details on that.” Cressida wiggled her eyebrow. “Vivid details.”

  Magnolia slumped back down in her seat. She brought it on herself. Bringing up the shirtless thing had been completely unprofessional. Why didn’t she keep her big mouth shut?

  Because Austin challenged her. She couldn’t resist. It was as if Felix laughed at her all over again. She could hear him telling her how that article didn’t matter. He would have gotten the job over her anyway.

  Magnolia carried Felix’s lazy ass through classes senior year. Her grades were better. She had more experience. He wouldn’t have thrown her under the bus if he wasn’t scared of losing to her. It didn’t matter. She would prove herself to Felix, and she would prove herself to Austin Blakely.

  Underestimating her came at a risk.

  She would be known for more than the girl Austin flirted with every week. She had bigger dreams than this station. She wasn’t about to let his charming smile and torturing good looks ruin it.

  Magnolia stood up and pushed away from her desk, more determined than ever to do her job.

  “Maggie?”

  Stella stood at her door, a cup of something hot and chocolaty in her hands. It was time for their usual afternoon routine. Chocolate and caffeine. The fuel of the young, broke, and barely surviving. Stella only had one cup today.

  “Boss wants to see you.” Stella bit her lip. “Immediately.”

  Magnolia’s heart sank. That feeling, her dreams swirling down the drain, shouldn’t feel so damn fami
liar, but it did. “What does Evan want?”

  The sadness on Stella’s face somehow got worse. “Not Evan. The big boss. Mrs. Stamcose.”

  Magnolia fell back down into her seat.

  “What?” Cressida looked around. “This is awesome news.”

  Stella stepped inside and shut the door. “Awesome? How is this awesome?”

  “Magnolia is the best field reporter on our team. Everybody knows that. Why would you automatically assume the worst?”

  Magnolia jerked the computer screen around and pointed it at her. “I don’t know, Cressida. Why on earth would I assume that?”

  “The video?”

  “Yes. The video.”

  “Your interview got a million hits. It almost broke our website. How could they get mad about that?”

  “This is a sports station, Cressida. Not a gossip rag.”

  “Viewers are viewers.”

  Magnolia huffed and turned around. Cressida was hopeless. “Forget it. I might as well go face the firing squad. If I don’t return, clean my desk out for me.”

  Stella jogged over and hugged her. Cressida only rolled her eyes. “You’re not getting fired, so don’t even think that you’re using this as an excuse to get out of our Wine and Craft night.”

  “Cressida.” Stella took a pen from behind her ear and threw it across the room at her. “Be considerate for once.”

  Cressida sighed. “What? I told her she wasn’t getting fired.”

  “Could you sound like you care about someone other than yourself for once?”

  Cressida looked at Magnolia, her annoyance with Stella evident by her gross change of tone. “Good luck, Maggie. I really hope nothing horrific happens in there, but either way, you’re still going to Wine and Craft night with me because our other good-for-nothing friend Stella bailed already.” Then Cressida looked at Stella. “Better?”

  Magnolia left the girls to bicker and dragged her feet down the hall. She wrapped her fuzzy gray sweater tighter around her waist and pushed her glasses back up her nose. She checked in with Mrs. Stamcose’s secretary, and he let her pass. The boss was expecting her.

  She hadn’t even gotten to go to Central Park yet, or see Wicked. Her future flashed before her. Empty. Lonely. Unfulfilled. The embarrassment would be too much. She couldn’t go back to Atlanta with her tail between her legs after only five weeks. Felix would not win. If this failed, she would move on and try again. She knocked on the door, her shoulders slumping.

  “Come in, Miss Cross.”

  She gave the giant wooden door a shove and almost fell into the room. Mrs. Stamcose’s office was gigantic, at least compared to the four by five foot closet she worked in every day. “Have a seat.”

  Magnolia slid into a large leather chair in front of her desk. It made her feel like a child in timeout. “You wanted to see me?”

  “I’ve been hearing things about you, Miss Cross.”

  This was it. One interview. Even in her worst nightmares she thought she at least would make it past one interview.

  “Good things, Miss Cross.” Mrs. Stamcose smiled at her, leaning back in her chair. “All good things.”

  “Really?”

  Mrs. Stamcose let out a hearty laugh, lacing her fingers together on her desk. “My staff here is impressed with you, and they are known for having a sharp eye for talent.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “No need to thank me. You’re the one doing all the hard work. Our affiliate in L.A. is looking for a new full-time reporter. I told him I had a crop of newbies in training, and one in particular who sounded perfect for the job.”

  Magnolia’s mouth dropped open. “A job? Like a real job?”

  “After your internship, of course.”

  “Of course.”

  “It would require you moving to Los Angeles, but this job, Magnolia, has potential. If I’ve learned anything about you in these few short weeks, it’s that you like potential. Working with Oliver Stanton would be a giant step toward that major network you’re so eager to climb toward.”

  Major network. She definitely just said major network. “Yes. Thank you for thinking of me.”

  “I told Oliver I would keep in contact with him, and I’d let him know when I thought you were ready. I want to make sure you’re prepared before I send you out there.”

  Magnolia felt like a bobblehead. Her head might shake off her shoulders at any moment.

  “Good.”

  Magnolia stood, but Mrs. Stamcose scooted up in her seat. “I’m not finished.”

  Magnolia sat back down.

  Mrs. Stamcose turned her computer screen around. Magnolia’s scowling face standing next to Austin filled the screen.

  The interview. That stupid website. The tiny hint of rainbow forming over her tattering dreams faded back to gray.

  “I’m not upset, Miss Cross. What happened during that interview wasn’t your fault.”

  “Ma’am, I can explain.”

  Mrs. Stamcose brushed her hand in the air. “There is no need. You’re a young, vibrant woman in an NHL locker room. They’re going to flirt with you, Magnolia. I’m sure it isn’t the first time. Hell, I’ve seen it a million times. ”

  Magnolia sat frozen in her spot.

  Mrs. Stamcose started the video, fast forwarding it to a specific spot, and then paused it. “I’ve seen it enough to notice the same thing that Ferra Decantur did.”

  She pointed at the screen. She pointed to Magnolia’s face, her lips pressed together in a hard line, her eyes narrowed. Austin stood next to her, teeth showing mid laugh. “There was a spark in that interview, Magnolia. Ferra saw it. I see it. The world sees it.”

  “Ma’am, I promise you that I keep my professional life and—”

  “That doesn’t matter. I know you are a responsible woman. Websites and magazines like The Whisperer, though. They will take that spark and fan the flame. They will make it spread. They’ll let it burn you alive before you even seen the smoke.”

  Magnolia swallowed. It sounded too familiar. If one tiny news article in her college paper cost her the interview of a lifetime, Magnolia didn’t want to imagine what a magazine like The Whisperer could do to her career.

  “I just want you to be aware.” Mrs. Stamcose stood and walked around her desk. She sat on the edge and looked Magnolia dead in the eye. “I created this internship program because I like to help young people succeed. To give them opportunities I wasn’t offered. I don’t want anything to get in the way of that.”

  Magnolia nodded. “I understand.”

  Mrs. Stamcose smiled. She reached over and pushed play on the video again. There wasn’t any sound, but it didn’t matter. Facial expression told the story. Austin grinned, and the scowl on her face deepened. Mrs. Stamcose released a chuckle. “Understanding and having the ability to do anything about it are two different things, Miss Cross.”

  “I promise there is nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Good luck with that.” Mrs. Stamcose looked over her shoulder at Magnolia before turning back to the screen. “He’s cute.”

  Chapter Seven

  MAGNOLIA’S CHECKMATE

  Magnolia survived her rink-side interview thanks to Evan’s usual overall awesomeness. He reserved the media room for them and scheduled for Magnolia to interview the coach. He told her it was because she needed the practice, and the new setting would offer a different atmosphere, but Magnolia knew Evan was dishing out the biggest favor ever.

  It didn’t mean she stopped looking over her shoulder every minute for any unwelcomed visitors. Not that she should expect any. Austin probably knew The Whisperer posted that interview of them, and was now dead set on avoiding her too. After the way he acted at the sight of Ferocia at the rink, he probably never wanted to look in her direction again.

  The thought did not disappoint her.

  And if she said it enough, she would make herself believe it.

  “Look at you.” Cressida’s voice was lo
ud, and she screeched it like they hadn’t just seen each other a couple hours ago.

  As much as Magnolia wanted to curl up under ten blankets and hide from the world, she couldn’t make herself stand Cressida up. She agreed to go with her to this ridiculous ‘drink wine while you paint’ class weeks ago. It didn’t matter how many times Stella told her social protocol did not dictate that she coddle Cressida’s every whim, she wasn’t the type of friend who left you hanging. She was crabby, but she was there.

  Magnolia waved before signing in at the desk. The eccentric Euro fusion bar turned art studio was quaint but cute. It held a certain high class refinery that could only be found in Manhattan. Magnolia had never worn a cocktail dress to a crafting event, but Cressida warned her of the appropriate dress code for the occasion. It was the grand opening, and it was Midtown. Cocktail dress. Always a cocktail dress.

  She accused Cressida of control freak issues, but now that she was here, and saw twelve other women dressed in the same haute attire, she was glad Cressida gave her the heads up. The last thing she wanted to do was stand out.

  “You look like a tiger let out of its cage.”

  “Would you stop it?” Magnolia grabbed Cressida’s arm and pulled her closer, afraid one of the other women might hear her.

  “What?” Cressida trotted over to a nearby waitress and grabbed two glasses of wine. “All this time, I thought you were this conservative ninny from the sticks, but the past couple weeks have really brought you out of your shell.”

  Magnolia self-consciously pulled at the short hem of her dress.

  Cressida smacked her hand away. “You stop it. I like this Magnolia.”

  Magnolia gladly accepted the wine and took a gulp. Surviving Cressida always called for wine. “I was never a conservative ninny.”

  “You know what I mean. You never dressed like this at work.”

  “Just because I take my job seriously doesn’t mean I don’t know how to have fun…in moderation.”

  “Mmm. Girl. That cleavage you’re showing is not in moderation.” Cressida giggled into her glass. “I’m going to take you to the club after this, and show these Yankee boys what they’ve been missing.”