“But—”
He pressed a finger across her lips. “Heather is telling everyone that I harassed her. She even said she was going to say it on air loud enough that you’d hear it. She did that to rattle you. And now that I’ve taken away Hugh’s interview with Matias, you've been put in an uncomfortable position. Any producer who was dating her talent would be acting off. There’s no need for you to change how you’re approaching this.”
“Sometimes this calm, cool part of you drives me bonkers.”
“I know. And I don’t want to be this version around you. This is the version of me that was created out of necessity, and it's great for television. But it’s only a small part of me.” He ran his hands up and down her arms. “You know the real me. You always have. You told me that five years ago when you walked out of my house, and I was too stupid to listen.”
“Yeah, you were.” A smile tugged at her lips.
But a knock at the door ruined it.
Ziggy's stomach dropped—not dramatically—just enough to make her wish she’d had another ten minutes of the real Noah before the pre-show began.
"Come in.” Noah waved Claire in.
Claire stepped inside, pausing just long enough to glance around the room as if cataloging everything. She smiled at Ziggy and wider at Noah.
Considering the rumors around the office, Ziggy assumed Claire would want to keep her distance from him, but she actually stepped closer, reached out and squeezed his forearm.
Bold move.
“Good morning, Noah.” She glanced over her shoulder and said, “Ziggy,” like she was an afterthought.
Claire was put together perfectly—pressed blouse, hair down, the careful presentation of someone who understood that looking the part was the majority of the job. On most people, Ziggy would consider it professionalism. But she wasn’t sure what to call it when it came to Claire.
"You wanted to see me?" Claire asked.
“Please, take a seat.” Noah pulled out his big leather chair and sat behind his desk.
Ziggy plopped herself down in one of the chairs across from Noah, and her leg started rattling the second she did—a steady,relentless bounce she tried to kill by pressing her heel into the floor. It lasted three seconds.
Claire slowly eased into the chair next to Ziggy, where she smoothed down the back of her skirt, moving her hands to her thighs as her ass hit the front part of the chair. Gracefully shifting sideways, she crossed her legs and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, tilting her head away from Ziggy.
Noah leaned forward, clasped his hands together, and rested them on his desk like this was just another meeting—no big deal.
Ziggy wanted to scream, and her leg kept rattling.
"I've got a situation, and I need someone who can think fast,” Noah said.
“What kind of situation?” Claire asked, leaning in toward the desk.
“One of my regular researchers called in sick. Normally, it would be fine. My team’s top-notch, but we made a switch on tonight's programming.”
“I hadn’t heard about the change,” Claire said. “Who’s the guest and what’s the topic?”
Ziggy’s foot stopped bouncing.
Claire hadn’t quite responded the way Ziggy wouldn’t have expected a green researcher who had been throwing herself at Noah’s show—and Noah—to respond. Ziggy would’ve thought the young woman would have jumped at the chance regardless of the story.
But that told Ziggy everything she needed to know.
"In about ten minutes, everyone's going to know," Noah said. "So, it's not exactly a secret."
“But it will upset certain people,” Ziggy added.
"Who?" Claire asked.
"Hugh Enders and everyone on his team.” Noah leaned back, dropping his hands in his lap.