His smile turned into a sigh. Press was a necessary evil, but he didn't enjoy interviews, especially in-depth profiles. Hopefully, he would not have to answer too many questions.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the train begin its path around the office, through the tunnel, under the chair, and over the file cabinet. He'd always loved trains. And while they were only a small part of his business, they were probably his favorite part.
Tyler looked over at him in delight, his smile turning mischievous as they heard his assistant's voice outside the door. Alex gave a negative shake of his head, but as Ellen pushed the door open, Tyler hit the whistle. The shrill noise caused Ellen to take an abrupt step backward.
Tyler laughed, and Alex bit back a smile.
Ellen was a fifty-eight-year-old woman who'd been with him for the last five years, and while she was usually a good sport, she'd never been a big fan of all the games in his office.
"Very funny," Ellen said dryly. "Do I need to remind both of you that this is a place of business?"
"I better go," Tyler said quickly.
"Good idea," Alex said. "And get your homework done before Sunday night. I don't want to have the Monroes on my case about letting you hang around here."
"I will," Tyler promised, bolting out the door.
As Tyler left, Ellen handed him an envelope. "Baseball tickets for the Cougars game next Friday night, courtesy of superstar Matt Kingsley."
"Nice," he said with a smile. "If the reporter is still around then, that will give me something else to take her to."
"Having this woman around for a week is going to be a lot different than granting a one-hour interview. I don't understand why you agreed to it," Ellen said, bewilderment in her eyes.
"They caught me in a weak moment," he admitted. "And a cover story with a lot of free press just before the launch of my next game was impossible to resist."
"She's going to be digging into your life, Alex."
"She's not going to find out anything about me that I don't want her to find out. I'm an expert at this. Trust me.
"I did some research on Andrea Blain. She covers politics and wars. She's not going to be a pushover. She's a serious journalist."
"How serious could she be if she got this story?" He stood up. "I'm not worried. I can handle her. If she starts digging in too deep, I'll just turn her in the other direction."
"That would be easy if she were a dog on a leash, but I don't think she is," Ellen replied.
"You never know. Neither of us has actually seen this woman. If she's as hard as nails, she probably has a face like my aunt's old bulldog, a big pudgy nose and a fat pink tongue. In fact..." He stopped abruptly, realizing that he and Ellen were no longer alone. A slender, blonde woman stood in the doorway, her snapping blue eyes filled with outrage.
"Please go on," she said.
"Who are you?" he asked, even though he already knew.
She gave him a grim smile. "I'm the bulldog."
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About the Author
Barbara Freethy is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of 70 novels ranging from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and women's fiction. With over 13 million copies sold, twenty-three of Barbara’s books have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists, including SUMMER SECRETS which hit #1 on the New York Times!
Known for her emotional and compelling stories of love, family, mystery and romance, Barbara enjoys writing about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary adventures.
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