“Carl, before we talk about next week’s show, I need to clear the air.”
“You can clear the air after you look at this,” Carl said. He slid a sheaf of papers across the desk and she picked them up.
“What is this?”
“It’s a contract. I’m offering you a permanent job here at the station. Twenty-five thousand a year with benefits. I know it’s not a lot, but there’s a clause in there that allows you to renegotiate after six months if the ratings increase the way I think they will.”
She stared at the paper, the words a blur. “A job? You’re offering me a real job?”
“Radio is a strange gig,” he said. “Either you’re good at it or you’re not. You’re a natural, Roxy. People listen to you. You’re compassionate and outspoken and funny and that’s a rare combination.”
“But I don’t have any professional training.”
“I didn’t either. Before I got into radio, I was selling used cars. I came into the studio to do some commercial work for my boss and they liked my voice. I did more voice-overs and they offered me a job reading the news. That’s how I got my start.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she murmured, clutching the contract in her hands as if it might suddenly disappear. She thought finding a job would be difficult, that she’d have to suffer months of rejection before someone would hire her. And now, he was handing her a career on a silver platter.
“Say yes,” Carl urged. “It would be a great job for you. You’d need to be here from about nine until three on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that’s it. You can do research for the show from home. We’ll get you a computer with Internet access. You know how to use a computer, don’t you?”
“Sure. I used to help my ex-husband with his research when he was just starting up his law practice.”
“We’ll go over the show in the morning before we go on the air. And then we’ll spend an hour afterwards brainstorming for the next week. We should-”
“Why are you doing this?” Roxanne interrupted.
“I told you,” Carl said. “Because you’re good.”
“There isn’t another reason?”
He shrugged. “Well, maybe I’d like to help you out.”
She drew a slow, even breath. “Your son says that you’re falling in love with me. Is that true?”
Carl chuckled. “That’s what he thinks?”
“He offered me money to stay out of your life.”
He didn’t seem to be surprised. “How much?” Carl asked.
Roxanne gasped. “He didn’t offer me a specific amount.” She paused. “You don’t seem surprised.”
“I’d hold out for a hundred thousand,” Carl advised in a serious voice.
“Dollars?”
“Ever since I turned the business over to Kit, we’ve switched roles. He’s been treating me like the kid and I’m supposed to treat him like the parent. He’s the one who suggested I move into the condo so I wouldn’t have to make the drive home when I worked late at the station. He’s the one who insisted on the car service after I had a few little accidents on the freeway. And now he’s trying to control who I spend my time with. Yes, Kit has this notion that I’m in love with you. And maybe I haven’t disabused him of it quite yet. I’m trying to teach him a lesson.”
“And what’s that?” Roxanne asked.
“That it’s time for him to stop running my life and start living his.” He paused. “Now do you want the job?”
“Can I have a few days to think about it?” Roxanne asked.
“Sure,” he replied. “As long as you promise to say yes, you can take as long as you want.”
Roxanne stood, pressing the contract to her chest, then started toward the door. When she got into the hallway, she searched for a quiet spot, a place to absorb everything that had happened. She opened the door to the janitor’s closet and stepped into the dark interior, needing just a moment to reflect.
She had a job, a way to provide at least some measure of security for her family. Though it wasn’t much, if she worked hard, she could make the show a success. After all, she’d wanted to go into television work after she’d gotten her degree. But then she’d married John and they’d started their family and she’d put all thoughts of a career behind her.
Now she had a second chance and a job offer that would leave her plenty of time to be a mother. It was like a dream come true. And on top of it, she’d get to see Kit Lawrence every now and then. Though until Carl set things straight with Kit, Roxanne wasn’t sure she wanted to come within a hundred feet of him. If Carl was determined to prove some point, why did he have to use Roxanne to do it? And why did Kit find it so easy to believe that she had ulterior motives?
In reality, there were probably a lot of divorced mothers who might jump at the chance to find a man like Carl. He was emotionally stable and financially secure. And he wasn’t exactly the type to go running off with a woman wrestler. The prospect of weeding through a world full of frogs in order to find a prince was daunting for any single mom.
And if she were looking for security maybe she might consider the possibility. She had her children to think about and if the radio show didn’t pan out, she’d be back in the same position she was in a few days ago.
But Roxanne wanted more from marriage the second time around. She wanted security, but she also wanted passion and excitement and overwhelming, everlasting desire.
Those fantasies had gotten her through some tough times. After John had walked out, she’d tried to convince herself that divorce was a good thing, that there was another, more perfect husband waiting for her. She had dreamed about meeting a man who would drive her wild with his touch and calm her fears with his smile. A man like-Roxanne cursed softly. A man like Kit Lawrence. One little kiss was all it had taken to wonder about transforming her fantasy into reality.
She turned and pressed her forehead against the door, squeezing her eyes shut. She knew she could make a success of this job, with or without Kit Lawrence’s approval or support. She could take advantage of this opportunity. But what she didn’t know was how she’d continue seeing Kit without falling into vivid speculation about what they might have shared.
She stepped back from the door, confident that she would handle whatever Carl or Kit threw her way. But at that very moment, the door swung open and hit her in the face, the impact with her nose causing stars to dance in front of her eyes. Roxanne cried out and stumbled around in the dark, nearly falling over a mop bucket.
The bare bulb hanging from the ceiling went on and for a moment, she had to cover her eyes, waiting for them to adjust. When she pulled her hands away, she found herself squinting at Kit Lawrence.
“In the closet? Are you waiting for my father or has he already left?”
She sent him a withering glare, even though the effort caused her nose to throb. “You have a very dirty mind.” Roxanne pushed past him and walked out the door.
“Rox, wait a second.”
“No! I don’t need to listen to you anymore.”
He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. Then he gently pulled her fingers away from her nose, examining it carefully. “Does it hurt?”
“Like hell,” she said, trying to keep her eyes from watering.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to be inside the closet. I needed a lightbulb. What were you doing in there?”
“I could tell you, but you wouldn’t believe me. You prefer to think the worst of me.”
“Give me a reason not to.”
“I needed a quiet place to think. A moment alone.”
“In the closet?”
She pushed his hands away. “I have to go.” She hurried down the hall, this time finding her way out without a problem. When she reached her minivan, she quickly climbed in. Roxanne rubbed her nose, trying to ease the ache along with the humiliation. Her professional life might be coming together and her family life was getting on track, but her romantic life was a complete shambles.