“Yes, sir,” Nancy replied. She took Macie’s elbow and pulled her out of the room. Once the door clicked closed behind them, Nancy exhaled loud and long. “I thought you were a goner.”
Macie laughed. “Me, too.”
“Look, I know that putting you in that position was shitty of me. I ...” Nancy sighed and defeat softened her body. She fell back against the wall, sinking down a few inches. “I need this job. I need this station.” She smiled sadly and dropped her gaze to her feet. “I moved back here for it. If it goes south, I go with it. I wasn’t willing to risk everything. If you went under the bus, I wasn’t going to pull you out.” She raised her head and stared at Macie. “I hope you can understand.”
“I can.” Macie bit her tongue for a moment, but Leffler’s words came back to her like a sledgehammer to the temple. She needed to tell Nancy the truth, even if it hurt her boss while she was down. “And I can’t.” She faced Nancy head on. “I get it, Nancy. I get wanting... no, needing to protect yourself. But what about me? You’re my boss. What about protecting me from his harassment? I do everything you ask me to do, even dealing with Alex.”
“You do, and you did,” Nancy replied. “And you’re right. I was more concerned about my job than about the job I was hired to do.”
Macie’s chest swelled with victory.
“But you’re wrong, too.” Nancy stood straighter and pulled herself together. “I expect my employees to be adults and come to me with problems with coworkers. The situation with Alex is unique, but you still should’ve come to me once he started contacting you instead of me. The deal was you worked with him but only through me. Remember?”
Macie nodded. She did remember, but she didn’t think Nancy wanted to be involved.
“So we both failed each other.” Nancy crossed her arms, her defeat already forgotten. “Anything else you want to tell me now while I’m in a good mood.”
“Yeah, actually,” Macie said, fighting the blush rising to her cheeks. “Can you remind the reporters that we, meaning the entire department and not just me, work our butts off and when they drop off an assignment they can’t demand it gets done in twenty minutes or less? Because that would be awesome.”
“Now you’re pushing it.” Nancy grinned. “I’ll send out a memo tomorrow.” She reached out and clamped her hand on Macie’s shoulder. “Thanks, Macie. Don’t tell anyone I said this, but you’re doing a great job here.”
“That’s nice to hear,” Macie said letting her smile break through. She also knew that this was probably her only chance to be no holds barred with her boss. Everything would be back to normal after this.
“Get out of here.” Nancy glanced at her watch. The band was old and worn in several places. It obviously had sentimental value, because Macie was positive Nancy could buy a new one. “You were supposed to be out of here twenty minutes ago.”
Panic seized her chest. “Shit.” She stared at Nancy. “Shit, shit, shit, shit. I’m going to be late.”
“Then get the hell out of here.”
“Right.” Macie darted right toward Nancy’s office before realizing she was going the wrong way. She was going to be so late. So very late. Late enough Zac might beat her to the apartment. She didn’t want him to think she flaked. And he would totally think she flaked. That’s what she was known for. On her way back to her office, she pulled out her phone and sent him a quick text that she was running late.
I swear I’m not going to blow this thing with Zac, she told herself as she logged off her computer and ran out into the Louisiana heat. I hope like hell I have time to shower.
ZAC STOOD OUTSIDE THE door to Macie’s building. He hated to admit it, but he was impressed she could afford to live in the converted school. A sign out front identified it as Franklin Elementary. The building itself shouted education. The city had shuttered several dying schools when he was a kid. They sold them off and a few were demolished, most were still vacant and deteriorating. A handful of them, including this one, were turned into apartments. With the resurrection of the BoHo district a few blocks away, Franklin School Lofts became prime real estate. He made a mental note of the developer to check out later.
He rang the buzzer to her apartment a second time. Impressed or not, he hated to be kept waiting. He bounced on his heels as a tenant pushed by him and unlocked the door. Zac grabbed it before it could close, timing it so the man wouldn’t think he was a stalker. Fortunately for Zac it was a slow closing door. He slipped inside and stared at the foyer. Lights bounced off the marble floor, illuminating a maroon F with an interlinking E in the center. He could almost imagine kids strolling through with their books and backpacks, gossiping with their friends. It still felt like a school.
The foyer broke off into two hallways with a set of impressive stairs in front of him. Macie’s apartment was 3E and there were only four floors to the building. He took them two at a time, winding himself as he reached the third floor. The exercise was exhilarating. He hadn’t kept up his morning runs over the last couple of months and his body reacted. It was time to start again, maybe run a 5K at the end of the summer. He needed a goal.
Macie’s apartment was across from the elevators. The doors were close together, so much so
