I can’t stop staring at him. He’s a small man, only a few inches taller than I am, with a big stomach like my dad’s. Most of his hair is gone except for a few gray wisps. His eyes are ringed in red, and they’re dark and beady, pinning me to my chair.
Roy is still talking. “I have to hear about this story from around town? About these lies you’re spreading about me?”
Tom doesn’t even acknowledge him. He just sits with his notepad and leans back in his seat like we’re having a friendly get-together. Stan is the one who leans forward. Kim glances at Penny and me like she’s trying to communicate something, but I don’t want to catch more of Roy’s attention than I already have.
“Roy,” Stan says. “I sent a letter to your office. I called Robin. We’ve been in communication. Let’s stop with the theatrics, shall we?”
I glance at Kim, then at Penny. I know they’ve been in contact about the story, but I didn’t realize enough time had passed for the paper’s lawyer to reach out to Lennox. I wish the Times didn’t have to reach out to him at all. If they didn’t, though, he could probably sue the newspaper. He could probably call the reporting one-sided and inaccurate. Even though I’m sure he’s probably going to do that anyway.
“They aren’t theatrics,” Roy says. “The Times is trying to ruin my life.”
Robin places a hand on his arm, like she’s used to calming him down. Like he’s not the most terrifying person in the room right now.
“What Roy is saying,” she slides in, “is that we’ve been taken by surprise by many of the rumors going around about this story. Mr. Lennox has an excellent reputation in his field. It simply isn’t ethical to publish a story based on misunderstandings from an unreliable source.”
“As you know, the Times doesn’t report lies,” Kim says. She isn’t smiling but looks like Lennox amuses her. “We only report the truth.”
“Perhaps they’re the truth to someone,” Robin says. “To a bitter employee, perhaps, or an actress who didn’t get her way. Maybe they’re stories based on misunderstandings. Roy has a very specific way of working that can often be—”
“No one has any problems with me on set,” Roy interrupts. “Who have you been talking to? Whoever it is, they’ve got it all wrong.”
“We can’t give out our sources,” Kim says. I envy how calm she is.
“But you should make us aware of the allegations being made against my client,” Robin replies evenly. “We’re here today because we heard about this story and were concerned because—”
“It’s a witch hunt,” Roy cuts in. “I obviously haven’t done anything wrong, not like what I’ve been hearing. You know, I used to have a real respect for the Times—got my first subscription when I was a young boy—but the state of journalism is in the gutter if you have little girls printing rumors about me on your pages instead of the actual truth.”
It takes a second for me to realize that he’s talking about me. I should stand up for myself. I should tell him that I’ve spoken to his accusers and I believe them. Every last word. But when I look at him, all I can think about is how I felt when Ryan King chased me into the bathroom.
I’ve never felt more like a little girl than I do right now.
“These young ladies have written a formidable story that we are eager to put our support behind,” Tom says, finally stepping in. “And you know that we will put the full support of our fact-checking team behind the story to make sure everything is accurate.”
“I—” Robin starts.
“Who spoke to you?” Roy says. “Who did you get on the record?”
“How about this?” Stan says, putting on a very lawyerly voice. “We’ll give you twenty-four hours to respond to all allegations as soon as the story is finished.”
“Not enough,” Robin fires back. “A week.”
Stan and Tom glance at each other. Kim cocks her head to the side, lips pressed tightly together, no longer seeming amused at all.
“I’m afraid twenty-four hours is the best we can do,” Stan says after the silent conversation. “We can assure you that the story will be made available to you at the end of the day. The twenty-four hours will start immediately after that.”
I glance up at the clock. It’s five right now. How long will it take to finish the story? I thought we’d only be here for an hour. Looking back now, I should’ve known better.
“Fine,” Robin says. She tugs on Roy’s arm. “Let’s go.”
Roy lingers, noticing Penny on his way out the door, as if she’s been invisible until now. She shrinks back in her seat.
“Penny,” he says. “Penny Livingstone. I—”
I jerk to my feet, startling myself. My phone crashes to the floor, but I ignore it, stepping between Roy and Penny and drawing myself up to my full height so that Roy and I are face to face.
“Like she said.” I clear my throat. “You should go.”
Lennox’s eyes lock on me. I might not be able to make my voice as loud as I want it to be, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let him say anything that hurts her even more.
“That’s enough,” Kim says. She’s standing, too. “We need time to finish the story.”
“My client—”
“I can speak to you and your client outside,” Stan says, slowly gathering his things. “In the conference room.”
“Penny,” Roy says, turning to her. “I treated you so well.”
I fold my arms and step to the side to block Roy’s view of Penny. He turns his glare back on me. I force myself to meet it.
“Come along, Mr. Lennox,” Stan says, leading them out the door. “Let me show you to the conference room.”
None of us move until the door closes behind them. When
