Читать книгу Enchanted - Judith Leger - Страница 6

Chapter 3

Caitlyn stared, her mind turning and twisting the words. Every path they traveled failed to reveal a reason why Parker would want her. When she spoke, she tried to keep her tone even and under control. “Excuse me?” The high pitch in her voice as she answered clearly told her she’d failed.

Kramer’s head jerked toward her, and he frowned. “Not you, personally. Seems Shay Evers is his client. Evers saw your piece on money-saving coupons and liked it. He wants you to interview him.”

A gasp escaped her Caitlyn leaned forward, mouth open, staring hard at her boss. “He saw what?”

With a shake of his head, Kramer snorted. “You know where you interviewed…”

She waved a hand back and forth to stop him, and then grimaced. When had Evers watched that segment? The piece wasn’t a fine example of her work. Her racing thoughts came to a slow stop. Doubt raised its ugly head. Winning the lotto seemed more possible than what Kramer had just told her. Every top name reporter sought a coveted interview with the illusionist, yet none had succeeded.

Now Kramer expected her to believe Evers’s agent had requested she do the segment? She never dreamed her boss was capable of playing such a horrible trick on her.

Her temper flared, causing heat to rise to her face. “Is this a joke?”

“No joke.” Kramer pushed away from the desk and stood. He picked up the notepad, moved to her side and handed the tablet to her. She focused on the top page.

Stubby finger pointing at the writing on the page, he explained, “You were the one chosen over every reporter in the world to do the interview. Everything’s set. You leave in the morning in one of his private jets to go to his home in Wales. I’ve decided to send Blake with you to oversee the filming. You two work well together.”

“You’re serious.” Surprise returned, battled with her temper and won.

“Dead.”

“I can’t believe it. Do you realize what this means to my career?” She smiled as the realization struck her, and she gazed at the words written on the paper. There, in Kramer’s bold script, was the charismatic performer’s name, then a double slash followed by her name. When she glanced up at Kramer, a glint from the window caught her attention. She shifted her head to the right.

Through the glass, a billboard attached to the side of a building refracted a ray of sunlight. Her mouth dropped open as she stared into the deep amethyst of Shay Evers’s eyes. Blackness formed around the edge of her vision. From a distance, she heard Kramer speak.

Evers lay on his side in a field of purple pansies–his slender, leather encased legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. The white shirt draping his lean form gaped at the neck and fell in soft folds, exposing a large portion of his chest as he rested on one elbow. Long strands of tousled black hair floated in the wind around his perfect features. The picture, arresting and arousing, and obviously targeted for women, achieved its purpose. The smiling intensity in his purple eyes struck her to the core of her mind and left her breathless.

“The station’s ratings are going to go through the roof. Parker remarked about this being an hour-long documentary with you doing the report. We’ll have sole rights to it. The advertising alone will be astronomical.” His abrupt laugh sounded harsh and loud.

With a shake of her head, Caitlyn tore her gaze away from the billboard, yet when she blinked she still saw the image.

Kramer snapped his fingers in front of her eyes. “Are you listening, Reiley? You leave at four in the morning for Wales. Evers owns a place, and I mean a big place, there. Somewhere in the mountains. Refurbished an old castle. Heard rumors it’s like a faery tale castle. Plants and whatever all over. I’ve called Blake. He’ll go by accounting to pick up the paperwork and credit cards.”

Caitlyn shut her eyes for a moment. The thought of staying at Evers’s home thrilled her, but what if she did something stupid? The idea of falling under his spell did not sit well with her. She’d kept her deepest emotions concealed all her life. What if she couldn’t hide her attraction to him? So many women across the world were enamored of him.

She bit her lip, a frown tugging her brows together. Could she take the chance? Insecurity flared and for a moment she didn’t know what to do. She glanced at Kramer, hoping to find some guidance.

Her decision appeared, solid and firm, in the set of his jaw. She nodded and said with a forced smile, “This is great. He’s a fake. There isn’t any real magic, and I’ll prove it.”

Kramer’s eyes widened. “What did you do? Read my mind? Listen, Reiley, I don’t care if he’s fake, but I do care about what this means to this station.” He propped a generous hip on the desk before he continued. “Parker gave the station full authority with this interview. Didn’t even argue when I told him what I wanted to do.”

“Which is?”

“Reality or illusion? Shay Evers, the man behind the magic.”

Caitlyn studied him for a moment. “That’s good. This gives me leeway to find out the truth about his acts.”

“Thought you might approve. Come on, you need to start packing.” He stood, grasped her by the upper arms, forcing her to her feet.

“Go home. Now. Grab what you want to take. Go shopping for anything you don’t have. Charge it and put it on the expense account.”

He guided her to the door and opened it for her. “I’ll pick up you and Blake in the morning and take you to the airport. Three o’clock sharp. Bring warm clothes. And don’t forget to call me. Often. I want a daily update.”

The door clicked shut behind her, and she twisted around to stare at the knob. The word interview would have satisfied her goal to further her career, but the man she was selected to interview made this her first major assignment.

She tried to recall all she knew about Evers. He had shot to the top of the entertainment world four years before, and to date, showed no signs of falling. His performances were interlaced with his own music and lyrics. This music caught on and now it rang across the world. Caitlyn couldn’t think of a single place she’d gone where she hadn’t heard at least one of his songs.

All the tension drained from her body as she glanced at the tablet. For a moment, she stared at the name. She straightened and gasped.

Marcy.

Caitlyn had to let her friend know she changed her mind about the invitation. Tonight she would have the chance to observe Evers without anyone noticing. First objective on her agenda: call Marcy and, right after, do a search for any information about him she might have missed during the years. At least, now she could surf the web for him without waves of guilt washing over her.

She half-jogged to her desk. Dropping into her chair, she grabbed the phone and punched in Marcy’s number. “Hey, I changed my mind. It’s not too late, is it?”

“You wanna go?”

“Yes.”

“Sweet. Come by my place at five thirty. We’ll get ready together. I’m not letting you out in public dressed in one of those stiff suits,” Marcy said. “How’d your meeting go? It must have turned out okay for you to change your mind about tonight.”

Caitlyn grinned. “Yes, Kramer had some good news for me. I’ve been assigned a major interview. Listen, I’ve got a lot to do before five thirty, so I’ll see you then.”

After placing the receiver on the hook, she faced her laptop and clicked several keys, typing out the superstar’s name for an internet search. The end results, though, left her with little more information than she already knew. All the sites she glanced through showed numerous photographs, but told her nothing about his personal life except to say he was a private person. There was never any mention of a love interest, no hint of a secret scandal hovering in his closet, nothing out of the ordinary.

Caitlyn shook her head. She’d take notes on the flight so she wouldn’t have to wing the most important interview of her lackluster career. This assignment could either make or destroy her, and she refused to allow the latter to happen.

She touched a small card taped on the left-hand corner of her laptop.

Trust in your own abilities–the force behind your goals. Take each day, one by one. Look for the strength in your soul and believe you will move forward, past tomorrow. Trust that all things will work out and believe you have the power to succeed.

This card with the inspiring words was her only concession to what she considered foolishness. As practical as the loafers on her feet, she stayed away from frivolous activities. Yet, this card with its sweet phrases reminded her to stay on track with her goals. Most of these she had completed, but the one large goal, to move out of the small interviews and into the larger, more serious ones, had passed her by.

Until now. She was on the right path, and she would not allow anything or anyone to stop her.

With one last glance at the notepad, she ripped out the page and pulled her purse from her desk drawer. The sheet fit perfectly over the laptop keyboard before she closed the lid. She wanted to keep the paper as a memento of her success.

She remembered what Kramer said about shopping. She’d purchase a few of the illusionist’s videos. Excited about the changes this interview promised with her future career, she glanced about her cubicle one last time. Laptop in its carrying case and with her head high, she left the newsroom without a backward glance.